Nowadays, a modern amusement park is not just a set of attractions, but an entire entertainment complex, which occupies the territory of a small town and includes cinemas, aquariums, bars, restaurants and even hotels. Amusement parks have become an integral part of American culture, and they are dearly loved not only by children, but also by adults. In almost every state, you can find such parks with various attractions, breathtaking roller coasters and children’s playgrounds, and Ohio is not an exception. Even though it’s a fairly small state, its amusement parks are recognized as one of the best in the world. Well, let’s check them out in more detail…
King’s Island
In the south of the United States, in Ohio a small town called Cincinnati is located. Its distinctive feature, from similar numerous American cities, is the presence of a huge entertainment complex, which is called King’s Island. Similarly to other large amusement parks, it’s designed for families and is very popular among tourists coming from all over the world. The park was built in 1972 and now covers the area of 3 square kilometers. On its territory you’ll find more than 50 various attractions. Therefore, it’s simply impossible to leave this entertainment complex feeling sad.
The full address of the amusement park is 6300 Kings Island Dr, Kings Mills, OH, which is 24.8 miles from Cincinnati. Having used Payless car rental at CVG Airport, it will take you only 35 minutes to get there.
King’s Island consists of several thematic areas, a cinema, an aqua park, a variety of shops and a spacious concert hall. In this park, exciting adventures await visitors everywhere, and thrill-seekers can take a ride on a roller coaster. One of the famous extreme rides is called “The Monster”. Its rail interweaving is visible from any spot in the park. Even when you just look at it, you may feel dizzy and your heartbeat will accelerate. Having decided to ride on it, you will feel the rapid ups and downs at the speed of 105 km/h and breathtaking 180-dergee turns. Undoubtedly, you will remember this experience as one of the most exciting adventures that have happened in your life.
The latest novelty of the King’s Island amusement park is a super extreme ride called “Banshee”. By the way, it’s the longest roller coaster in America – the owners of the amusement park obviously didn’t stint by spending $24 million for it. The height of this ride reaches 51 meters, and the length is 1,257 meters, so brave people can enjoy the ride for 2 minutes and 40 seconds, racing at a speed of 109 km/h.
In addition to roller coasters rides, visitors can swim in the water park, appear in the era of dinosaurs, or descend into the gloomy crypt inhabited by mummies, vampires, dead people and other evil spirits. The children’s town will delight young visitors with colorful carousels, labyrinths and other interesting entertainments. The fans of the stage performances will be able to visit the concert hall and enjoy live music. Every day before closing, the performance of talented young teams is held.
King’s Island is open daily from 9 am till 9-11 pm, depending on the season. A few days a year, the park admission is free of charge, but at such times the park is crowded, so you probably won’t be able to fully enjoy your visit. The regular ticket price is $39.99/person.
Cedar Point
If you’re looking for an amusement park where you can get a huge adrenaline rush, then welcome to Sandusky in Ohio. Here’s the most extreme park in the world called “Cedar Point” with a huge amount of entertainment for the brave. Just imagine, out of 75 different rides presented in the park, 16 of them are roller coasters, including 4 ones which reach the height of over 60 meters. Cedar Point is famous for other dizzying entertainment, so every year hundreds of thousands of people come there to experience the local extreme rides.
The Skyhawk is the highest similar ride in the world, and at first it raises passengers to the height of 35 meters, and then it begins to sway, forming the effect of free fall, which causes a lot of enthusiastic emotions.
The fans of heights are offered to enjoy the huge Power Tower. Having seen this unique ride, many visitors start to feel the tremble of the knees. The Power Tower has a choice of two platforms: one of them slowly raises passengers to a level of 90 meters above the ground, and then it suddenly falls down at a speed of 96 km/h. Another platform, on the contrary, raises extreme fans to the sky at high speed, and then falls down by inertia.
Well, and the most popular attraction, which gathers huge queues of those who want to test themselves for courage, is Top Thrill Dragster. This crazy slide is a symbol of an amusement park and it’s visible from anywhere in the park. Within 4 seconds trolleys accelerate to 190 km/h, instantly rising to the height of 125 meters – this is just an ideal option for those who want to experience an unforgettable extreme. While making several turns, and then, reaching the top, the trolley runs down, simultaneously making more a few turns. The duration of the entire trip takes not more than a minute, but this time is enough to get extraordinary impressions.
However, despite the extreme fame of Cedar Point, you can have there a funny day with the whole family. Water rides, roundabouts for kids, as well as ice and music shows will leave pleasant emotions in the memory of all visitors of the park.
Cedar Point is located in Sandusky city, on a narrow peninsula and can be reached by train or by private boat. The park operates from the beginning of May until the end of October, from 9 am till 10 pm. The ticket price includes visits to all attractions, and is available at $45/person.