TR: 2019 I-X Indoor Amusement Park w/ photos

Date of Visit: 4/19/2019
Rides Closed: None

This past Friday I was able to visit the I-X Indoor Amusement Park in Cleveland, something I’ve been wanting to do for a while. It was a lot of fun, so I’d figure I’d share some thoughts, roughly in chronological order. Feel free to read what you want, as this will probably be long.

This year was the 30th anniversary of the park, which opens once a year for about a month at the International Exposition Center, right next to an airport in the suburbs of Cleveland. Inside, you’re immediately greeted with a cool view of many of the rides stretching out throughout the building. The rides are all portable carnival rides, nothing more, but they are all kept up very well, and there’s a good mix of classics and newer thrills. The novelty of the I-X Indoor Amusement Park is that it’s, well, inside, so weather is never a concern. It was practically pouring the whole time I was there, yet my family had no idea until we left to go back to the car. However, Being indoors does result in lots of noise and vibrations, so I’m not entirely sure why they picked rides (Hurricane, Tip Top) with such loud blasts of compressed air.

The only other way you can see outside the building is by riding the I-X Wheel, which is permanently installed at the I-X Center. The wheel itself is actually elevated off the convention floor, so you get some extra height that helps achieve the ride’s coolest feature – it actually goes through a skylight above the building’s roof! A lot of fun, and maybe the most unique part of the “park.” It gives a good view of all the rides as well, which are sort of arranged based on the wheel; kiddie rides are on the side as you enter, and “Thrill City” is along the back.

So now… to the thrills! I was pretty excited, as there were a whole array of models that I had read about for years but had never had a chance to try out previously. One of those was Mega Bounce, which was a bit of a disappointment. It felt like less of a “bounce” and more like a “slam,” requiring me to brace myself every time it came down. Conversely, it went backwards the entire time, unlike the cycle before me, so kudos to the op for using different programs. Maybe it’s more fun going forwards… Anyhow, I still think that the most fun “bounce” ride is Kennywood’s Kangaroo.

I’d ridden Sylvan Beach’s Tip Top before and really enjoyed it, so I was excited for some Hrubetz action! This version was considerable better that Sylvan Beach’s, both in the number of bounces and its aesthetic. The Wildcat coaster was fun and pretty good for a portable ride, if a little short. There were no trims until the very end! The operators were also doing a spectacular job of filling all the spaces on the five or so cars on the track (And this is a small coaster – Idlewild runs two cars on its Wild Mouse).

Next up was a Zipper, something that I was very much looking forward to. I have faint memories of several years ago of seeing one at Trimper’s and thinking how crazy it looked, but this time I was ready. When my sister and I got in line, I noticed a carny literally climbing on the ride, attaching one of the cross beam wires that had come loose. This is the difference between a carnival and a theme park, folks ~ at Kennywood, this would be “Sorry Closed” for the rest of the day. As for the ride itself, it totally rocked! Probably my new favorite flat! The sense of motion you get is just totally unique to this ride. We also got several especially forceful “whips” over the top.


I’ve always enjoyed the Rock-O-Plane, and this model had a unique cable drive system. Another first for me was Flying Bobs, which was a most likely older model with a beautiful chaser bulb sign. It went forwards and backwards. Wee! Right next door, I was amazed to see an entire spinning Wild Mouse set up! I can’t imagine how long that would take, especially to only leave it up for a month. I would really like to see a time-lapse video of the take-up and tear-down of the place. Anyway, the mouse was nothing special, but the sign was cool (and noticeably devoid of any burnt-out light bulbs). This ride also took your picture, but I wasn’t prepared when the camera snapped, so mine turned out terrible.

Near the mouse, Cliff Hanger was yet another new experience for me. It's a lay-down Paratrooper, and was actually pretty relaxing.‘The Lost Mine’ was an upcharge, portable darkride that was much longer than I expected. The tracks actually crossed over each other, so you got to go around twice, so to speak. The stunts were so-so. Hurricane was another ride I was itching to try out. It felt a lot different than I was expecting it to. The up-and-down motion was barely noticeable, honestly; the thing that really got me was the force with which you whipped around the tower. My 6-year-old sister was pressed against me the entire time, and back at home, we discovered a fair-sized bruise on her face! After this, we walked through one of the fun houses, rode the carousel, and left to get dinner. We never did get food at the I-X Center – good thing, as it looked expensive.

Some of the other rides open included Frenzy (a Screamin’ Swing of sorts); a Windseeker-style ride; a 1001 Nachts (named something different); G-Force (Is it a roller coaster? Probably not; it’s a half pipe-shape that lifts you to the top before dropping you and letting gravity do the rest); Twister, a Scrambler; Orbiter; a zipline; a drop tower; bumper cars; a Super Loop; a Pharaoh’s Fury swinging ship; a Kamikaze; and a Round-Up.

Overall, the I-X Amusement Park – like all carnivals - had very little charm but a lot of loud music, bright lights, and crazy rides. Both of these are enjoyable, but I seem to lean towards the former. Hopefully I’ll be visiting Knoebels this year, but until then, the I-X Indoor Amusement Park was a good way to jump into the 2019 season.

Andrew M. (who applauds anyone who read this entire ramble)