Amusement park fans travel from near and far to view total eclipse at Cedar Point

Cedar Point is known for some pretty spectacular sights.

The park's celebrated roller coasters climb into the stratosphere.

But on Monday, the thrill rides were eclipsed by the sun and the moon.

Some 2,000 people bought special tickets to view the total eclipse from the park nestled along Lake Erie.

And for a few moments, the Sandusky, Ohio, park − usually full of laughter and sounds of whirling rides and music − fell silent as the sun disappeared behind the moon for the first time in more than a century in these parts of Ohio.

Aside, that is, from the park's resident seagulls that squawked wildly and flew about in panic.

It was an historic day for the amusement park, too, as it marked the earliest opening − albeit for just one day − in its some 150-year history.

For many diehard amusement park enthusiasts, it was a moment that just could not be missed.

Brandon and Suilen Misuraca traveled from Jacksonville, Florida, to see the eclipse at Cedar Point.

One of their earliest trips as a couple some six years ago was to the park.

"We couldn't think of a better place to watch the eclipse," Suilen said.

Helen Feldman also traveled from Florida.

Feldman said there was no way she and her daughter, Abby, who have an apartment in Sandusky and a home in Celebration, Florida, were going to miss a chance to see the eclipse from their favorite park.

"We were never going to miss this," Helen said.

Cedar Point opened early for eclipse

Park spokesman Tony Clark said park fans began lobbying for the park to open for the eclipse more than two years ago.

To pull this off, Clark said, there was a tremendous amount of planning and work that had to happen first.

The park typically doesn't welcome guests until May, so this meant juggling state inspections of the 11 rides open for the event, including the Gatekeeper and Wild Mouse roller coasters, and even opening up restrooms that had been winterized.

This also meant pulling in staff who typically work behind the scenes to operate the rides and even help serve food.

Mother Nature helped out, too, out with wispy high clouds and sun.

"We all breathed a sigh of relief with the weather," Clark said. "Never mind the few clouds − the temperature (in the 60s) was terrific for early April."

See eclipse from Cedar Point, rain or shine

Kaitlyn LaPrade, 16, of Oregon, Ohio, said she was going to Cedar Point for the eclipse whether it was raining or snowing.

The high school sophomore dreams of someday designing roller coasters, so there was no place she would rather be.

She even made − ala Taylor Swift − friendship bracelets to mark the occasion.

"This was my No. 1 place to be during the eclipse," she said. "This is my favorite place to be on Earth."

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Solar eclipse at Cedar Point marvels visitors from around the country