Joining the one-third scale replica of the Eiffel Tower overlooking Kings Island are a superb collection of rollercoasters and other rides, including the iconic Beast, the 230ft tall Diamondback, and Banshee, built as the longest B&M inverted coaster in the world.
| Opened | 29 April 1972 |
|---|---|
| Season | March to December |
| Owner | Cedar Fair |
| Attendance | 3,488,000 (TEA 2023) |
| Website | www.visitkingsisland.com |
| Nearby | Kentucky Kingdom (112 miles) Camden Park (114 miles) Holiday World (166 miles) Cedar Point (170 miles) Kennywood (244 miles) |
The Eiffel Tower
Kings Island is a large theme park in Ohio featuring a huge rollercoaster collection, and is part of the Cedar Fair chain.
At the heart of the park is a one-third scale replica of Paris' Eiffel Tower from which visitors can get a birds eye view of the area.
Kings Island has a number of notable rides, both historical and record breaking. The Racer, a racing wooden rollercoaster, debuted with the park's opening in 1972 and is often credited with triggering a renaissance in rollercoaster building following decades of decline after the 1930s heyday. Banshee is the longest B&M inverted coaster in the world. Possibly one of the park's most well-known icons is The Beast, a huge and widely revered wooden coaster that was opened in 1979 and is mostly hidden in Kings Island's surrounding woodland.
The park has famously endured less auspicious installations too. The Bat was the first Arrow Suspended coaster that opened in 1981 but had to be closed just three seasons later due to design flaws and near constant mechanical problems. Trying to duplicate their success with The Beast, Kings Island built "Son of Beast" in 2000 as a world breaking wooden coaster with a 214 foot drop and vertical loop. Again, there were multiple issues and the ride left the park after only nine years.
Kings Island's sister park Kings Dominion in Virginia opened in 1975, and shares a number of similar attractions in common such as the Eiffel Tower, the Flight of Fear launched rollercoaster and a racing woodie that is known as Racer 75 (formerly Rebel Yell).
While many people see Cedar Point as the jewel in the Cedar Fair crown, Kings Island comes a close runner up. Some might even say it is superior, with less focus on being a rollercoaster capital and thus featuring a more well-rounded ride lineup.
Awesome B&M Hyper coaster complete with splashdown finale
Massive wooden rollercoaster through the woodland surrounding Kings Island - consistently ranked among the best in the world
Classic Arrow suspended swinging rollercoaster
Classic 1970s racing wooden coaster
Arrow mega looper which, with 6 loops, once held the record for the rollercoaster with the most inversions (1987-2019)
Inverted boomerang rollercoaster where pairs of riders face each other ... and watch their neighbours' heads smacking into the restraints
Arrow mine train rollercoaster
Italian Job Mini chase themed rollercoaster
One-third scale version of the Eiffel Tower - one of the Kings Island's most iconic landmarks
Spinning observation tower ride, offering views high above Kings Island
Family friendly wooden rollercoaster built by Philadelphia Toboggan Company
Feel good stage show featuring classic rock songs
USA Road Trip 2016: Days 9&10 at Kings Island