What to See and Do at King's Island in Cincinnati, Ohio

King's Island has been open since 1972. It has been visited by the Brady Family and numerous other stars. Through changes upon changes, the amusement park still continues to attract visitors to the Cincinnati suburb of Mason, OH for a day at the park. Only a handful of original rides and attractions are still open, notably the Eiffel Tower and the Racer roller coaster. The park now boasts an outdoor concert center called Timberwolf and a water park called Boomerang Bay. New for 2007 is an indoor water park (Great Wolf Lodge) located at the far end of the parking lot and a brand new roller coaster - Firehawk.

My wife, two kids and I recently went to King's Island. We hadn't planned on going but we had little else to do and the weather was mild - mid 80's with no chance of rain. So, we traveled the 40 minutes to Mason and arrived at the park near 10 AM. Despite the pleasant weekend day, the park wasn't nearly as crowded as we expected. The following are the Top 10 things my family enjoyed at the amusement park:

10. Little Bill's Giggle Coaster - I liked this ride more when it was still named for the Top Cats, the old Hanna-Barbera characters. Nothing has changed except for the name. This mini roller coaster is the perfect size for my pre-school daughter.

9. Congo Falls - my son loves this water ride. You go up a hill and then down a hill in a "log flume" style boat that seats 20 to 30 people. The plunge at the end causes the majority of the people on the boat to get very wet. As the boat rounds its way into back to the starting point of the ride, water jets shoot more liquid at the boaters. Exiting the ride can also be an adventure as the exit ramp forms a bridge that is close enough to the downhill plunge to soak people leaving the area. This is a great ride to go on when it is very hot outside.

8. The Racer - the old wooden coaster is a legend in the area. My brother's close friend, Don Helbig, holds an unofficial record for riding it over 10,000 times. My son and wife rode it and said it was bumpier than ever. A little too bumpy for their liking.