Kings Island at 50: Looking at the changes to the park that created memories
MASON, Ohio (WKRC) - Kings Island is one of those iconic Tri-State locales and the amusement park is celebrating its 50th season this year.
The Racer has been at the amusement park since the beginning and even has a brand-new paint job for the 50th season. But there are a lot of rides from when this place opened and that folks experienced through the 70s that are no more.
Rides like Skyride Buckets that allowed people to ride a wire above the park and Shawnee Lookout Canoes are long gone.
The Enchanted Voyage was once a nice place to see some popular characters.
Eventually, the Smurfs would take over the area before Boo Blasters and a Phantom Theater dried it out.
One ride that has withstood the test of time is The Beast, unlike the King Cobra which was around from 1984 to 2001. Shortly after the King Cobra opened, the Vortex spun its way into the pounding hearts and dizzied minds for the K.I. faithful. And it stuck around until 2019.
These days, The Diamondback and the gigacoaster that is Orion thrill the thrill seekers.
Plenty of memories were made at a milder pace at K.I., like The Cuddle Up, The Turnpike, and Gulliver’s Rub-A-Dub.
The park created memories in a different way when an episode of the Brady Bunch was filmed at King’s Island
For a time, Kings Island was Paramount’s King Island, and the kids’ area was full of characters from Hanna-Barbera Land to Nickelodeon Universe to Planet Snoopy.
Kings Island is still going strong, and it will only create more memories in the future.
People can share some of their Kings Island pictures and videos at this link.
