Roller Coasters in Michigan

Whoo hoo! Time for some roller coasters in Michigan! We’ve got a few interesting ones, even at the smaller parks. The biggest theme park is Cedar Fair’s Michigan’s Adventure. But besides that, there are some cute smaller parks, mostly attached to those arcade-based family fun centers. AS ALWAYS, make sure to double-check hours and prices before you go!

All the links on roller coaster names are links to videos. Ride all the roller coasters in Michigan from your sofa!

Michigan’s Adventure

I love the name of this park – Michigan’s Adventure above Grand Rapids. As if it were the one and only adventure you can have in Michigan! Inside Michigan’s (One) Adventure are 7 roller coasters, the most in any Michigan park. Here we have Shivering Timbers and Wolverine Wildcat, the park’s two wooden coasters. The steel lineup includes the inverted Thunderhawk, a ’70s Arrow Corkscrew, and a Mad Mouse. For kids, there’s the Woodstock Express and Zach’s Zoomer. None look crazy thrilling, but Shivering Timbers is the biggest, followed by Thunderhawk. (Which I keep wanting to call Thundercat.)

Other thrill rides include water rides like a log flume, a get-wet boat chute, and an honestly weird-looking river rapids ride. (Though well-named for nearby Grand Rapids!) Plus lots of the prerequisite spinning rides like swings and scramblers. On the tamer end is a small carousel and Ferris wheel, plus a train and a central lake with swan-shaped paddle boats! There is also a Camp Snoopy kids’ land right inside the gates, 12 rides just for kids, and a water park.

Tickets

Admission for Michigan’s Adventure is $60 if you buy at the gate but you can buy a day pass for $42-50 online, depending on the day. There’s a 2-day option that can be used any two days of the 2023 season for $65. And annual passes start around $99. It’s a Cedar Fair park and is included in their platinum pass, which is $280. Parking costs an extra $25.

Cedar Valley’s Wild Frontier Fun Park

Cedar Valley’s Wild Frontier Fun Park, in the middle of the woods near Fairview, claims to be Michigan’s 2nd largest amusement park, and they might be right. They feature 18 attractions, including two roller coasters, the Galaxy 500 Coaster and the Little Dipper* kids’ coaster. There are also some spinning rides, like a tilt-a-whirl and octopus, a fun, single-person coaster-like boat chute ride, a classic Roll-o-plane, Ferris wheel, and carousel. They also have batting cages and mini-golf. The whole place is attached to a large golf course and an RV campground. (*I can’t find a video for the kids’ coaster, but this promo footage shows it a little.)

It looks like rides cost $3 each. You can get a ticket book for 10 rides for $25, or pay $30 for an unlimited rides wristband. The batting cages and mini-golf aren’t staffed – the batting cages take $1 in quarters and the mini-golf is free. (Except for Fridays? But it doesn’t say how much it is then.) Note that the park is only open Thursdays-Saturdays.

CJ Barrymore’s Family Entertainment Center

Just north of Detroit is CJ Barrymore’s Family Entertainment Center, one of those arcade/mini-golf/laser tag/go-kart places but this one has a pretty robust outdoor attraction area. Included are the Loop Roller Coaster and the Spinning Coaster. (Not exactly creative with their names, are they?)

Other outside rides include a 120′ drop tower, a jr. drop tower, something called a saddle sling which looks like being strapped onto a slingshot, a seated zip line, a Ferris wheel, three different go-kart tracks, bumper boats, a bungee-assisted trampoline, and mini-golf. Inside are bumper cars, laser tag, and an XD theater. There’s also bowling, mini-bowling, batting cages, an arcade, a “golf dome,” and a driving range. Food is available at three food trucks and an inside pizza kitchen and bar.

Tickets

All the rides, including the go-karts and laser tag, are $8 each. Bowling is $4 a game, and batting cages are $5. $14 covers both the driving range and the golf dome where you can digitally practice your swing. You can put money on a fun card – the more you add, the more bonus money you get.

Or you can buy an unlimited rides wristband for $48 which includes everything except the batting cages and arcade games. And I mean everything – mini-golf and laser tag, a medium bucket of balls on the driving range and golf simulator, and even bowling, including the shoe rental. The wristband is available April-October, depending on the weather. Which must be when they operate the outside rides.

Craig’s Cruisers Family Fun Center (x2)

There are two Craig’s Cruisers Family Fun Centers in Michigan, each with its own small roller coaster. The one near Grand Rapids has the Cruiser Coaster, one of those indoor, spinning figure 8 rides. This location also has go-karts, bumper boats, bumper cars, frog hopper, laser tag, a seated zip line, mini-golf, and a swinging pendulum ride that looks pretty exciting, as well as a large arcade and trampoline park. Most attractions cost $7-8, though the coaster only costs $6. Make sure to check their deals page for offers on ride & food combos, and all-access wristbands. There are too many versions to list here.

(There are two other Craig’s Cruisers locations around Grand Rapids, but they don’t have any roller coasters.)

Craig’s Cruisers in Silver Lake has a unique coaster called the Pearly Whirly. On one coaster train, there are spinning cars and “hampster wheel” cars that send you upside down, end-over-end. The other attractions are go-karts, a drop tower, a seated zip line, bumper boats, mini-golf, and an arcade. Again, rides are $7-8. For the roller coaster, the regular spinning cars are $7 and the hampster wheel cars are $8. They have two basic offers – 5 rides for $30 or 10 rides for $50. (I wonder if these two locations are even owned by the same people – their websites & offers are pretty different.)

Airway Fun Center

One more family fun center is Airway Fun Center in Portage, near Kalamazoo. They feature another one of these spinning figure 8 coasters, but they’ve also replaced one regular car with a hampster wheel car! I wonder if I’ll see these on all those arcade-based spinning figure 8 coasters out there. This one is called Spinning Coaster (makes me want to roll my eyes – c’mon, do better with names!) and it costs $8 to ride regardless of which car.

The rest of the rides include bowling, mini-golf, go-karts, ball and laser games, an XD theater, a VR experience (including a virtual roller coaster), a ropes course, and a climbing wall. Attractions cost anywhere from $3 to $12. Add money to a card to use for the attractions – the more you add, the more bonus money you’ll get.

Arzo Sports & Fun Park

Arzo Sports & Fun Park near Alpena (near the tip of the index finger of the “Michigan Mitten”) is also a mini-golf/go-kart kinda place, but more on the rural/janky end of the scale. They’ve hypothetically got 14 attractions, but many reviews mention that the rides aren’t open.

If everything is working, they have one roller coaster, a kids’ Orient Express*. There’s also a Ferris wheel, carousel, gravitron, spaceship simulator, laser tag, arcade, driving range, mini-golf, batting cages, go-karts, bumper cars, bungee-assisted trampoline, and a single-person orbitron. (*I can’t find a video for Arzo’s coaster, so I’ve linked to one similar.)

Each attraction costs $8, sometimes $5 for an accompanying child. The website offers a “super 5” deal where 5 attractions cost $30, or only $6 each. Looks like they update their Facebook more than their website.

Water Parks in Michigan

There are a surprising number of water parks in Michigan! Almost half of them are indoor water parks, as befits one of our coldest states.

• Wildwater Adventure is the water park attached to Michigan’s Adventure. They have 12 slides, 3 kids’ areas, *THREE* wave pools, plus a lagoon pool, and a lazy river! There seems to be a larger-than-average number of family-style raft rides as opposed to tube or body slides. The waterpark will not open if the temperature that day does not reach 65 degrees within 2 hours of opening. It’s included in the regular Michigan’s Adventure ticket, $42-60, plus $25 in parking.
• Avalanche Bay Indoor Waterpark is in Northern Michigan (not the U.P.) in Boyne Falls near a big ski area. The appropriately alpine-themed attraction features 4 slides, 2 kids’ areas, a lazy river, activity pool, surfing simulator, and hot springs pool. There is a hotel attached, but it doesn’t seem to be primarily a hotel with a water park, like most. Though if you stay at the hotel, your tickets to the water park are discounted by 10%. Day passes for a full day cost $52, though some days are as low as $36 on the website. An evening-only (i.e. apres ski) pass is around $29. Juniors 3-10 are $32 for a full day, and spectator-only, “dry” passes are $10. There doesn’t seem to be a charge for parking.

• Zehnder’s Splash Village in Frankenmuth is another indoor water park attached to a hotel, though you get the water park free with your stay. It has 4 big slides, a kids’ splash tower, TWO lazy rivers (well, one not-so-lazy), an activity pool with volleyball & games, an outdoor seasonal pool, and some hot tubs. Passes are sold in half days, either 10-3 or 4-9, or a full-day pass. During the week, it’s $40 for a half day and $48 for all day. On the weekends and holidays, that goes up to $55 for a half day and $65 for all day. Parking is free.
• The Double JJ Resort in Rothbury has an honest-to-God ranch, golfing, and indoor Gold Rush Waterpark highly themed to the wild west. They’re slim on details, but there seems to be at least 3 slides, a “lazy/crazy” river, a wave pool, “water fort”, toddler pool, and hot tubs. It costs $35 to enjoy the water park whether you are staying there or not.
• Soaring Eagle Water Park & Hotel in Mount Pleasant is another indoor water park, this one down the street from the casino. Inside, they have 2 fun slides – one with lights & music! – a lazy river, a kids’ splash tower, a climbing wall and activity pool, a flow rider surfing simulator, and a hot tub. The water park is included with a room stay, but you can get the rooms cheaper without the park pass. Daily passes for outside visitors cost $33 during the week, $44 on weekends and holidays, and $55 on “special event dates” though I’m not sure I know what that means.
• There’s a Great Wolf Lodge in Traverse City (again, farther north) with an indoor water park, but it looks smaller than most, with only 2 slides, 3 kids’ areas, an activity pool, an outdoor pool, and a lazy river. And it looks like neither slide is available for solo riders, It’s either a tandem/2-person tube or a family raft. The water park is included in your lodge stay or get a day pass for $50-100, or a half-day for $45-90, depending on the day.

• Oh look – an outdoor water park! Red Oaks Waterpark is a regional pool near Detroit with 3 slides, a wave pool, and a long lazy river surrounding a kid’s splash tower. Admission is regularly $26, or $20 for Oakland County residents. It’s $2 less during the week, and right now in the “early season” it’s $14 for residents, $20 for non-residents.
• Another outdoor park, Rolling Hills Water Park in Ypsilanti, below Ann Arbor, features 5 slides, a wave pool, activity pool, and lazy river, and a kids’ splash tower. Admission is $13 for a non-resident, $11 for residents. You also need to buy a car pass for the overall Rolling Hills park, which is an extra $10 for a non-resident and $6 for a resident (or $30 for the year.)
• Flash Flood Water Park in Battle Creek is another small outdoor park that features 2 slides, a zero-entry pool, and a kids’ play structure. Admission is $12.
• The only water park properly in Detroit is the Wayne County Family Aquatic Center in Chandler Park. In it, you have 2 smaller slides, a wave pool, and a splash pad. Admission is $2-8 for non-county residents, and $1 less for county residents.

• There’s a Safari Joe’s indoor waterpark connected to a Fairfield Inn in Watervliet, but it closed in March 2020 for Covid and has never reopened. It looks like it at least had a couple of bigger slides.
• Splash Universe in Dundee is another indoor resort water park, this one is also closed, but for renovations. It doesn’t look quite as abandoned as the last one!

• the Waterford Oaks Wave Pool in Waterford Township, nearer Pontiac, is just that, a wave pool. But there is also a kids’ splash tower. Apparently there used to be waterslides and maybe even a lazy river, but not anymore. It’s open Thursday-Sunday and costs $21 on the weekends, $16 if you’re an Oakland County resident, and $15 on Thursday & Friday, resident or not.
• There’s a Turtle Cove Family Aquatic Center in Belleville near Detroit, but it’s small. It’s basically a community pool with a kids’ splash tower and two little slides that come off it, as far as I can tell. But there is a lazy river and a zero-entry pool as well. A day pass is $8-12, with discounts after 5 pm.

Did I miss anything? Have you been to any of these parks? What are you looking forward to doing this summer? Let me know in the comments below!