Geauga Lake started life (like many older parks) as a trolley stop where folks could camp, swim, and picnic. The first ride, a steam powered carousel, opened in 1889. That was the year that the park started going under the moniker Geauga Lake.
Over the following 118 years, Geauga Lake went through a plethora of ownership changes. Some of these changes yielded positive results; others accomplished little in improving the park. The most dramatic changes came during the Six Flags years (1998 - 2004). Operating as Six Flags World of Adventure, the park included roller coasters on one side of the lake and live animal exhibits on the other. Things changed again in 2004 when Cedar Fair purchased the park. The animal exhibits vanished, followed by...well, hell. Pretty much everything that was left.
At the end of the 2007 season, Cedar Fair announced that the ride section of the park was going away. Rides would be disassembled and moved to other parks in the Cedar Fair chain, while the land itself was going to be developed (yep, probably condos). Two of the park's coasters, Steel Venom and X-Flight, had already been relocated at the end of the 2006 season.
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They're going to need a bigger sign (left), See that empty spot in the foreground? That used to be X-Flight (right)
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The Big Dipper (left) opened in 1925; After three years, some Six Flags theming remains (right)
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Americana, the park's 120-foot tall ferris wheel (left); El Dorado, a variation on your standard rainbow attraction
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Karen hangin' out with the dawg (left), The Grand Carousel dates back to 1926 (right)
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Geauga Lake was home to many nice flats, including the Boardwalk Typhoon (left) and Time Warp, a Chance double inverter (right)
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