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Kings Island

Mason, Ohio, USA

“Impressive coaster selection, excellent atmosphere”

Once upon a time… there was Coney Island. I’m not talking about the beachfront district in New York, but about the amusement park near Cincinnati. Coney Island had been around since 1886 and looked charming thanks to its beautiful location on the banks of the Ohio River. Unfortunately, that location was also Coney Island’s main weakness, as the site regularly flooded. That’s why some managers began to think about long-term solutions in the 1960s. One of the proposals was to move the entire park to a more water-resistant location. And despite initial opposition from several board members, the plan was approved at the start of the 1970s. A suitable location was found along Interstate 71 in the town of Mason, approximately 20 miles northeast of Cincinnati. And the name for the new park? It referred both to the local Kings Mills community and to its past as Coney Island. Kings Island was born.

WOODEN COASTERS

Two roller coasters opened with the park in April 1972. Woodstock Express is a small-sized PTC coaster that was originally known as Scooby Doo, but nowadays it’s part of the Planet Snoopy children’s area. The Racer was the park’s first major thrill coaster. Despite its rather standard out-and-back layout, the ride offers some pleasant surprises. This antique white wooden coaster generates more airtime than we expected, the trains still run relatively smoothly and the racing effect certainly adds to the excitement. In short… The Racer is a very enjoyable roller coaster and it’s highly re-rideable.

With more than 3.5 miles (5.7 kilometres) of active wooden roller coaster tracks, Kings Island may be considered as the wooden coaster capital of the world. That record is largely due to the presence of The Beast. This ride offers more than 7,300 feet of track, making it the planet’s longest wooden coaster. Still, The Beast is nearly invisible for regular park visitors. Even from the park’s iconic Eiffel Tower, the only visible elements are Beast’s two massive lift hills. It certainly adds some mystery to this iconic ride, so we had no idea what to expect when boarding the train. Honestly, the first half left us slightly disappointed. This part of the layout consists of very wide turns, gentle descents and long, relatively flat sections of track. There’s a good sense of speed, but it’s not overly thrilling. However, we found a considerably more intense coaster experience after the second lift hill. A long drop leads into a seemingly endless, extremely powerful helix. We fly through it at breakneck speed and endure quite a bit of roughness along the way. It’s turbulent and aggressive, but in the best possible way. So despite its rather tame start, The Beast managed to live up to its legendary name.

Mystic Timbers is Kings Island’s newest wooden coaster. It premiered in 2017 and the park did its best to give the ride a distinct identity. IMAscore was hired to compose a mysterious soundtrack and the ride’s design team created a story around Miami River Lumber, an abandoned logging company. The actual ride was built by Great Coasters International and they indeed managed to deliver a great coaster. Mystic Timbers starts with a fantastic first drop, followed by a lightning-fast layout full of airtime and lateral g-forces. The location also adds great value, as a large part of the track winds through a dense forest. And since that forest is nearly pitch-dark in the evening, Mystic Timbers offered one of the most unforgettable night rides I’ve ever experienced. This is, without a doubt, my favourite ride at Kings Island.

THE B&M BUNCH

For a park this size, it’s kind of surprising that Kings Island only got its first B&M in 2009. That was the burgundy-coloured Diamondback, which found its home in the Rivertown section. Like most of B&M’s hyper coasters, it is not overly intense. Still, those camelbacks generate a good amount of floater airtime and the ride is extremely smooth. Furthermore, Diamondback offers some forceful curves and that final splashdown is one of the park’s most photogenic elements. The ride feels somewhat similar to PortAventura‘s Shambhala and that may be considered as a huge compliment by both parks.

According to Cedar Fair, it’s better to have two B&M hyper coasters than having only one. Just like Carowinds and Canada’s Wonderland, Kings Island is the proud owner of a double dose of sky-high B&M fun. Orion is a bright blue giant with a height of no less than 287 feet (90 metres) and a top speed of 91 mph (146 km/h). Due to these stats, it’s easy to assume that Orion should offer a superior ride experience when compared to the older Diamondback. But… the reality is different. Firstly, our slight disappointment may be due to Orion’s rather uninspiring location and a lack of near-misses. Secondly, the layout feels somewhat incomplete. Although it seems strange to describe a 5,300-feet-long coaster as too short, the number of elements is simply very limited. The trains have more than enough speed to cover a longer circuit, so Kings Island could’ve easily added a few extra turns or airtime hills. In its current form, I find Orion entertaining… but not brilliant.

The famous Son of Beast was once an icon of Kings Island, but its career lasted less than 10 years. It was demolished in 2009 and the space was used to build Banshee, a record-breaking inverted coaster. To this day, Banshee is considered the longest roller coaster in its category and it ties with Montu when it comes to ‘most inversions on an inverted coaster’. As a visitor, you are therefore guaranteed a breathtaking ride. Banshee’s greatest strength is its original layout. The flow and sequence of the elements differ drastically from other B&M inverted coasters, so it offers a nice change after riding Batman – The Ride a gazillion times. Besides, the ride looks stunning thanks to its attractive entry sign and the spectacular setup of the lifthill and the vertical loop.

OTHER ROLLER COASTERS

Camp Snoopy is the place to be if you’re looking for family-oriented coasters with Dutch origins. And although they’re both built by Vekoma, they’re miles apart in terms of experience. Woodstock’s Air Rail is a Suspended Family Coaster with a layout nearly identical to that of Vekoma’s classic Junior Coaster. Unfortunately, this ride confirms all the clichés that used to exist about Vekoma. Woodstock’s Air Rail is downright rough and the heavy shoulder restraints don’t help to make the ride more pleasant. Snoopy’s Soap Box Racers, however, is extremely comfortable. This is a Family Boomerang with colourful vehicles and simple, yet cute theming. Personally I’m not the biggest fan of Family Boomerangs, but it’s an excellent addition for this area.

Kings Island used to be a Paramount theme park with movie-themed attractions. One of the remnants from that era is Queen City Stunt Coaster, which used to be named The Italian Job – Stunt Track. Nowadays, this launched roller coaster simulates a wild drive through Cincinnati, a.k.a. the Queen City. The attraction starts with a good acceleration and an incredibly intense upward helix. The rest of Queen City Stunt Coaster’s layout is much tamer and, unfortunately, the ride’s theming hasn’t aged well. Originally, this roller coaster boasted multiple sound, water, light and fire effects, but none of them seem to function anymore. That’s why I consider this ride as a disappointment, despite excellent hardware from Premier Rides.

I wouldn’t recommend visiting Kings Island on days with inclement weather, as the park has very little indoor offerings. One of the few rain-proof attractions is Flight of Fear, an indoor coaster themed to a secret space research centre. Theming includes a giant UFO in one of the queue halls and some alien props in the station. This probably makes Flight of Fear the best-themed coaster at Kings Island, but the actual experience is pretty bad. Theming during the ride is nonexistent and the coaster turned out to be very rough. It is therefore difficult to understand why Flight of Fear counts as one of Kings Island’s most popular attractions. During our visit, the wait didn’t seem to drop below the 45-minute mark.

Adventure Express is one of many Arrow mine train roller coasters in the United States. And it may also be one of the best! The layout is unpredictable and fun, but I’m mostly impressed by the theming. The station has some Disneyesque vibes and the ride starts with a nice visual effect, which causes our train to end up on ‘the wrong track’. Great theming can also be seen on the second lift hill, which is meant to depict an ancient, cursed temple. Interestingly, Adventure Express feels more Indiana Jones than the actual Indiana Jones coaster at Disneyland Paris.

Kings Island’s Action Zone is a true paradise for people who love inverted and suspended coasters. The lineup consists of Banshee, America’s last remaining Invertigo and The Bat, a suspended coaster built by Arrow Dynamics. The latter was built in 1993 at the northern end of Kings Island, which feels like a terribly remote location nowadays. I assume that many visitors aren’t even aware of The Bat’s existence. That’s a shame, because they’re missing out on a very powerful roller coaster. Despite its respectable age, The Bat delivers an intense ride that greatly benefits from the swinging vehicles. The surprisingly deep first descent is obviously a highlight, but the rest of the layout isn’t any less impressive. One downside: because of constant high speeds, the ride seems to be over in the blink of an eye.

OTHER EXPERIENCES

Kings Island is mainly built around its thrilling roller coasters. Still, there’s more to discover than coasters alone. One of the highlights is, literally and figuratively, the Eiffel Tower. This structure is 314 feet (almost 100 metres) tall and it can be found at the end of the main street, as if it were a Disney castle. The tower is not just a visual eye-catcher: visitors can also board a lift to a panoramic platform at a height of approximately 260 feet (80 metres). Wonderful views are guaranteed, so this is a must-do attraction for some Instagram-worthy shots. Afterwards, be sure to take a look at the Grand Carousel, located right next to the Eiffel Tower. This beautiful carousel has been entertaining families since 1926 and it started its life at the original Coney Island.

Almost every American amusement park has an area that mimics the atmosphere of a state fair. At Kings Island, this section is called Coney Mall, referring to the park’s past as Coney Island. The wide boulevard is lined with stalls offering carnival games and F&B outlets. There are also a number of attractions, some of which started their run at Coney Island. This is the place to be for rides on the old-fashioned Scrambler, the Zephyr swing ride or an antique vintage car track. If you prefer something a little more modern and sensational, you can also take a flight on the 300-feet-tall WindSeeker. This Star Flyer-style ride is identical to the versions at Cedar Point and Carowinds.

We visited Kings Island in the peak of summer season. This allowed us to take advantage of extended opening times and we experienced an event called Grand Carnivale. This summer version of Mardi Gras brings extra decorations to International Street and guests are invited to watch the Spectacle of Colour Parade around dusk. You obviously shouldn’t expect a Disney-quality parade here, but we were pleasantly surprised by the scale of it. The floats looked pretty good and Kings Island hired loads of dancers to create a very lively atmosphere. And to make things even more impressive, the parade was followed by a drone, laser and fireworks show that could best be viewed from the park’s Main Street. By adding all these entertainment offerings, I actually consider Kings Island as a more complete amusement park than the nearby Cedar Point.

WORTH A VISIT?

We spent a day and a half at Kings Island and we experienced diverse weather conditions. Day one was incredibly hot with temperatures reaching 100°F. Day two was considerably cooler, but it also brought rain and thunderstorms. This doesn’t seem like ideal conditions for exploring an amusement park, but we really can’t complain. Thanks to the crazy weather, the crowds remained light, allowing us to easily tick off all the major roller coasters. By the way… some of those roller coasters made an unforgettable impression, in the best sense of the word. I expected nothing less from The Beast and Banshee, but rides such as Mystic Timbers, The Racer and Adventure Express also managed to impress me in one way or another. When we add the summer entertainment and the fireworks spectacular to the mix, it quickly becomes clear that Kings Island really delivers a fantastic experience. I was expecting some kind of light version of Cedar Point, but I got so much more than that.

What’s your favourite wooden coaster at Kings Island? How does this park rank in the Cedar Fair/Six Flags list? And are you on Team Diamondback or Team Orion? Share your opinion in the comments section at the bottom of this page.

This article reflects my personal experience at Kings Island during a visit in July 2025.