Midway Carousel
1946

The Midway Carousel at Cedar Point is the oldest existing ride in the park.

The 1930s and 1940s were a difficult period for Cedar Point during the Great Depression. The economy was struggling, and guests didn’t have much money to spend on leisure activities, so the park lacked funding for major improvements. As a result, attendance dropped to an all-time low. During this time, the park’s 1906 ballroom played an important role in keeping operations going. In 1939, it was renovated and transformed into an Art Deco-style dance hall.

The Midway Carousel was added to Cedar Point in 1946. During the 1940s, very few new attractions were introduced at the park. At that time, Cedar Point did not typically own many of its rides; instead, most attractions were operated by outside concessionaires. The park would lease space to independent operators who ran and maintained their own rides and entertainment.

The Midway Carousel was placed at the end of the midway at Cedar Point. Over time, the park expanded around the ride, gradually developing the surrounding area.

The Midway Carousel was built in 1912 by Daniel Muller. It originally opened at Revere Beach in Massachusetts.

The ride was brought to Cedar Point in 1946 by the Holzapfel family. The family, based in Sandusky, Ohio, operated several attractions at the park over the years. They continued running the ride until 1963, when they sold it to Cedar Point.

On Wednesday, September 1, 1993, Cedar Point announced that it was building Raptor. To make room for Cedar Point’s 12th roller coaster, the Midway Carousel would need to be relocated.

Midway Carousel closed in September 1993. The ride was carefully taken apart and restoration work began. It took eight months for the park to restore the ride, at a cost of $250,000. The building was not moved with the ride because repairing it would have taken more effort than constructing a new one.

The Midway Carousel would be moved to the former Sky Wheel location, which had been empty since the Sky Wheel was removed in 1980.

Midway Carousel reopened on Saturday, May 7, 1994, in its new location.

The Midway Carousel is located just inside the front gate at Cedar Point.

The ride looks much better in its new location. The Midway Carousel is located at the front of the park, just inside the Front Gate.

Midway Carousel Ride Facts:
Built: 1912
Moved to Cedar Point: 1946
Manufacturer: Daniel Muller
Type: Carousel
Location:
     1946–1993: Beside Mill Race
​     1994–present: Inside the Front Gate
Horses: 60
Chariots: 4
The Midway Carousel has operated at Cedar Point longer than any other ride in the park’s history.

The Midway Carousel is a great ride for the entire family to enjoy together.

Ride Experience

The Midway Carousel ride experience begins with guests entering the line for the ride.

The entrance is located on the back side of the ride.

The longest wait time for the Midway Carousel is usually about 5 minutes.

On the Midway Carousel, guests choose the horse they wish to ride.

 The Midway Carousel features 60 horses arranged in four rows. The horses on the outer row do not move up and down.

The ride also has four chariots for guests who wish to ride but do not want to sit on a horse.

The Midway Carousel is equipped with a live band organ that plays traditional carousel music.

Once the ride begins, it moves in a counterclockwise direction.

The horses move up and down, creating the illusion of motion.

The Midway Carousel is a 1-minute-and-50-second ride. It does not move very fast.

When the ride comes to a stop, guests exit onto the Main Midway.

The Midway Carousel was very popular at Cedar Point. It was added during a time when the surrounding park was in decline. Cedar Point would go on to add:
 Turnpike Cars (1959-2014), Wild Mouse (1959-1963), Cadillac Cars (1960),  Scrambler (1960-2022), Kiddieland (1960-1992), Dodgem 1 (1960-2001), Cedar Classic Miniature Golf (1961-1991), Rotor (1961-1964), Sky Wheel (1961-1980), Riverboat Cruise (1961-1963), Satellite Jets (1961-1986), Scamper (1962-1969), Sky Ride (1962), Mill Race (1963-1993), Cedar Point and Lake Erie Railroad (1963), Blue Streak (1964), Calypso (1964-1969), Broadway Trip (1964-1964), Western Cruise (1964-1986), Space Spiral (1965-2012), Earthquake (1965-1984), Pirate Ride (1966-1996), Trabant (1966-1990), Fun House (1966-1981), Frontier Town (1967), Shoot-the-rapids (1967-1981), Sealand (1967-1998), Rotor (1967-1984), Cedar Downs Racing Derby (1967), Frontier Lift (1968-1985), Sky Slide (1968-1991), Antique Cars (1969-2021), Cedar Creek Mine Ride (1969), Cedar Point’s 100th Anniversary Celebration (1970), Frontier Trail (1971), Jumbo Jet (1972-1978), Matterhorn (1972), Giant Wheel (1972), Cedar Point Cinema (1975-2001), Corkscrew (1976), Troika (1976), Witches’ Wheel (1977-2018), Gemini (1978), Gemini Chilrden’s Area (1979-2013), Wave Swinger (1979), WildCat (1979-2011), Oceana (1980), Ocean Motion (1981), Kid Arthur’s Court (1982-2005), White Water Landing (1982-2005), Demon Drop (1983-2009), Avalanche Run (1985-1989), Berenstain Bear Country (1985-1998), Thunder Canyon (1986), Iron Dragon (1987), Soak City Water Park (1988-2016), Magnum XL-200 (1989), Disaster Transport (1990-2012), Mean Streak (1991-2016), Challenge Park (1992-2016), Snake River Falls (1993-2024), Kiddy Kingdom (1993), Raptor (1994), Cedar Point’s 125th Anniversary Celebration (1995), RipCord (1996-2016), Mantis (1996-2014), Chaos (1997-2011), Swan Boats (1997-2003), Power Tower (1998), Camp Snoopy (1999), Millennium Force (2000), Lighthouse Point (2001), Wicked Twister (2002-2021), Good Time Theatre (2002-2014), Top Thrill Dragster (2003-2021), Castaway Bay Resort (2004), maXair (2005), Skyhawk (2006), Maverick (2007), Planet Snoopy (2008), Shoot the Rapids (2010-2015), WindSeeker (2011), Dinosaurs Alive! On Adventure Island (2012-2018), GateKeeper (2013), New Gemini Midway (2014), Rougarou (2015), Valravn (2016), Cedar Point Shores Waterpark (2017), Steel Vengeance (2018), Forbidden Frontier on Adventure Island (2019-2022), Cedar Point’s 150th Anniversary Celebration (2021), Snake River Expedition (2021-2023), The Boardwalk (2023), Top Thrill 2 (2024), and Siren’s Curse (2025)​ All of these attractions have helped make Cedar Point what it is today.

The Midway Carousel is a great ride for families and has remained popular over the years.

In 2021, Sarah had the opportunity to serve as the supervisor of the Midway Carousel during Cedar Point’s 150th anniversary celebration.

Jake was also cross-trained in 2021 and had the opportunity to work on the Midway Carousel for a few days.

To ride the Midway Carousel, children under 46 inches must be seated in a chariot or on the middle row of horses and be accompanied by a supervising companion standing on the platform between the horses.

Photos by: Jake Hamons, Russ Hauden, Bruce Cassi, and Cedar Point. 

Last Updated: 05/01/2026