Theme Park Insider

Get News by E-mail

Kings Island

Mason, Ohio

Last edited by Ty Mullins
Location: Kings Island is located north of Cincinnati, just off I-71. You can get driving directions by clicking the Kings Island link on Theme Park Insider's Google map of U.S. theme parks.

History: Kings Island opened in 1972, boosted by "product placement" in Partridge Family and Brady Bunch episodes. In its first few decades, the park became known for hosting many prototype rides and coasters. These included The Bat, King Cobra, and Screamin' Demon, among others.

Hours: http://www2.cedarfair.com/kingsisland/. Kings Island is open from April through Labor Day, reopening for Halloween Haunt in late September through early November.

Tickets: Buy and print online. Always try to buy your tickets in advance, to save money and to save time when you get to the park.

Reservations: There is no ride reservation system. Nor are restaurant reservations available in advance.

NEW FOR 2009!:
The biggest and most exciting new attraction in Kings Island's 36-year history, a 5,282-foot long steel hyper roller coaster named Diamondback will premiere on April 18, 2009.

Diamondback will be the tallest, fastest and meanest roller coaster at Kings Island. The ride will stand 230 feet at its highest point with a first drop of 215 feet at a 74 degree angle and reach speeds in excess of 80 miles per hour. The ride features 10 vertical drops overall, six sending riders over 100 vertical feet downwards. The ride ends with a spectacular splashdown ending. The ride experience on Diamondback will last more than three heart-pounding minutes.

The trains on Diamondback will feature unique, open-air stadium-style seating that will allow riders to experience an unobstructed view of all the thrills and excitement on one of the world's best roller coasters. Kings Island will be the first park in the United States with trains of this style on a roller coaster.

Diamondback will be located in the western themed Rivertown area of the park and will prey over flat land, woods, water and rocks, slithering along over one mile of track through gut-wrenching drops, twists and turns, leaving riders feeling snake bitten.

Diamondback will be the biggest investment in Kings Island's 36-year history at $22 million dollars and will be the park's 15th world-class roller coaster.

[Update this description | Read previous versions]

Photos:

Photo of Kings Island

[See all photos | Submit Photo]

Readers' Tips for Visiting Kings Island

[105 + / 14 -] Visit on days that there is a light drizzle, the park will be mostly be empty and you'll get a lot of rides to yourself!

[60 + / 26 -] Ride the most popular rides first.

[28 + / 3 -] Buy a 2-day pass if you are able to spend the extra day. It costs a fraction more than a single-day and you can enjoy all the attractions and the waterpark for one price

Kings Island Hotels

Readers' Opinions

Attractions

Action Zone(Rating)(Height)
Delirium852
Drop Tower848
Flight Deck748
Congo Falls744
Son of Beast748
Invertigo654
Coney Mall(Rating)(Height)
The Racer844
Flight Of Fear854
Firehawk854
Vortex848
Shake Rattle and Roll7
Backlot Stunt Coaster6
Scrambler6
Action Theater544
Monster544
Zephyr544
Dodgem348
International Street(Rating)(Height)
Scooby-Doo and The Haunted Castle8
Grand Carousel736
Eiffel Tower7
Nickelodeon Universe(Rating)(Height)
Avatar: The Last Airbender842
SpongeBob Squarepants Bikini Bottom Bash7
Fairly Odd Coaster740
Plankton's Plunge736
Runaway Reptar644
Wild Thornberrys River Adventure636
Nick-O-Round5
Little Bill's Giggle Coaster536
Phantom Flyers540
Swiper's Sweeper5
Nick Jr. Drivers4
Backyardigans' Swing-Along436
Jimmy Neutron's Atom Smashers436
Blue's Skidoo436
Lazytown Sportacopters3
Timmy's Air Tours3
Go, Diego Go!336
La Adventura de Azul3
Oktoberfest(Rating)(Height)
Viking Fury7
Adventure Express744
Rivertown(Rating)(Height)
The Beast948
Diamondback954
White Water Canyon836
Kings Island and Miami Valley Railroad7
The Crypt554

[Add a missing attraction]

Dining

Action Zone(Rating)
Stunt Crew Grill4
Coney Mall(Rating)
Juke Box Diner8
Subway1
Midway Treats & Eats
Skyline Chili - Coney Mall0
International Street(Rating)
Skyline Chili - International Street9
LaRosa's Pizza - International Street8
Chick-Fil-A
Nickelodeon Universe(Rating)
Central Grill
Oktoberfest(Rating)
Festhaus8
Bubba Gump Shrimp Shack6
Rivertown(Rating)
Potato Works10
Rivertown Junction Dining Hall9
LaRosa's Pizza - Rivertown9

[Add a missing restaurant]

Events and Features

Safety

Search Theme Park Insider

Reader Reviews, by Theme Park

United States/Canada Top 20 *

Other U.S. parks

International parks

Water parks

Theme Park Insider on Twitter

@ThemePark

RT @Shamu: @ThemePark Yup, the resume is right there in the name. After all, we're not "Lets Sit Down and Talk About It" whales.
2010-02-08 18:55 Link

The Grammys, the Super Bowl and now this? http://bit.ly/ca3CCP Wow, @shamu. Just... wow.
2010-02-08 18:44 Link

Today's Best Theme Park Attraction spotlight nominee is Busch Gardens Tampa's Katonga: http://bit.ly/bFsQyB
2010-02-08 17:30 Link

This week's cast member story is about finding things in life you didn't know you were looking for: http://bit.ly/9O28hA
2010-02-08 15:18 Link

Theme Park Reviews, Features, Advice

Theme Park News Archive

2010

Jan. Feb.

2009

Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May Jun. Jul. Aug. Sep. Oct. Nov. Dec.

2008

Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May Jun. Jul. Aug. Sep. Oct. Nov. Dec.

2007

Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May Jun. Jul. Aug. Sep. Oct. Nov. Dec.

2006

Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May Jun. Jul. Aug. Sep. Oct. Nov. Dec.

2005

Dec.

2004-2005

Staff column archive