Kings Island - 2001

As I am putting together photo books to be printed I thought I would share a trip down memory lane and share some photos  Kings Island from 2001.   It holds a special place in my heart as I have been there several times, the first being my first ever (and worst) blind date.   I went with my cousin who was dating the guys younger brother and I was stuck with him.   He was a quiet nerdy guy that barely said a word the entire time but seemed easily annoyed.  We had some classes together in school the next year, but we never spoke again.  At least the rides were fun.

Kings Island is an amusement park, the largest one in the Midwest, and is located about 20 miles from Cincinnati, Ohio.

The the back on the right is "The Beast" and it lives up to its name.   It is a wooden roller coaster that whips you around at 65 miles an hour with all sorts of twists and turns.

To the left in back, the white wavy ride is called "The Racer".  It was the park's first roller coaster and it races up and down and backwards at over 50 miles an hour.   Don't ever ride this ride if it is raining (it was when I went on a bus trip in high school); it feels like you are being pierced with thousands of needles on any exposed skin.

This was towards the entrance near the International Food Court and there were smaller rides.

"The Beast" is in the background - you can better see how tall and large it is from this angle, especially in relationship to the other buildings. 

This was a friend and her daughter  up in the "Eiffel Tower" where the above pictures were taken from.

"The Racer".    This wy my son's first ever amusement park ride.  I didn't go with him as he wanted to sit with one of the boys we went with instead.   When he was getting off he looked a little green and terrified and a teenager said "Hey look, that little kid is going to hurl!"

I don't know if they have this anymore, but it was sort of a water maze with pipes overhead that would jet down water.

These are "Dodgem" cars that I realthough I have never been a fan of them).

The boys are enjoying some ice cream in between rides.   I was trying to hook up the guy in the middle with the above friend (they went out once after the park).   I hope I am not frightening small children, but it was hot so it was a no-makeup or jewelry pony tail day for me on the left.  I know it looks like their is grandpa hair growing out of my ears in the pic but I swear it is just my hair coming down, really.

My (ex)fiancée is to the left but I edited him out, which is easier to do online, but if you have a lot of  printed pictures, I highly recommend going to the dollar or craft store and buying some stickers to put over an ex's face - something like SpongeBob or better yet, Shrek, so you can enjoy the happy memories without having to remember the not so pleasant ones in your photos.


I wish I had taken more pictures, but was busy enjoying the day.
 
While there are many family rides, it is more fun if everyone is over 48 inches tall as that is height requirement for many of the rides.  They have some kiddie rides and some rides that you only need to be 36 inches tall, but younger kids or older short for their age kids can feel left out.   Younger children also may lack the physical stamina to walk around the park all day and I would recommend not taking them along or waiting until they are also older.

While they do have a few wheelchairs and scooters that can be rented on a first come-first serve basis and some of the rides have special entrances to access the rides for people with disabilities, but again, unless you are with a group of people who are disabled, you feel left out (I wasn't in a wheelchair during this trip, but did have to use one for several months after a car accident - not fun to sit alone on the sidelines).

Another consideration that is not listed but to consider is being over weight or being overly tall as the rides were designed for average sized people.  Just my opinion, but it looked like people that were over 6"2" and/or 250lbs were cramped, even on the few rides that had an "oversized" compartment for larger people in the front.

When we went we lucked out as a person in line had cut out a boatload of coupons from their local paper and they were passing them out and admission was $20 each with the coupon back then.  

Currently they have online for one day for $37.99, but during the summer they sometimes have "coupons" for a $7 discount on Coca-Cola products.  They also charge for parking - I was a little stunned to see it cost $15.

They don't allow outside food or beverages in the park with exceptions of special dietary needs or baby food/formula.  I recall the prices being what you would pay at a state fair or movie theater for similar items.

It can be a little pricey, but if you don't live too far away or  your budget only allows for a mini-vacation, it creates memories that will last a lifetime packed into one day.

Kings Island Website

Kings Island - Facebook

Kings Island Promotions and Discounts

Disclaimer:  I have no affiliation with Kings Island and received nothing for this post - I am just sharing my personal thoughts and experience.