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To be honest, I think I would rather want to see some improvements to our pre-existing areas and flesh them out. Oktoberfest is a shell of what it once was, and frankly it's a travesty that they haven't expanded it or made it more classic. Planet Snoopy just needs a full refresh as the signs are fading and a lot of that area needs a recoat. Now, with that out of the way, I don't really feel as if putting flat rides in that section would be my best bet. Rather, I would place some flats next to Racer or maybe annex the backlot and move it to another location as it is in an odd location next to Racer. Maybe even have it as a smaller kiddie area with space themed attractions so that the adults have Orion and the kids have some enterprise attraction that the grandparents can enjoy too.

I did not say BLSC, I said the backlot as in the backstage area where they have storage and the like. The left side by FOF, Racer and AE has space, plenty of space for a flat ride or two. The backstage area has enough space to fully flesh out that part of the park and really give Area 72 a new life and space to grow.

Due to members requests, you may have noticed by now that we have added a new Kings Island History forum. I have went back through the Kings Island Forum to the start of 2014 and moved any thread that was about KI history. I hope this helps keep all of the awesome history of our favorite park a little more organized.

This is a weird topic to start but I'm gonna start it regardless. What is the first thing you smell at Kings Island or what do you like to smell at there. For me, its the grease on the wooden coasters.

Hello fellow KI junkies, hope you all are doing well, I thought I’d just share some thoughts and photos from my recent trip to the Magic Kingdom back in January. I flew out of CVG and landed in Orlando at about 3 or so, I first went to Disney Springs and was definitely surprised at not only the lack of people there but one good piece of news is that everybody was following safety protocols and wearing masks which really put me at ease for the whole trip. After doing some shopping and eating at Disney Spings I packed up and went to the hotel for the evening excited for my Magic Kingdom trip the next day. I arrived via Lyft at the Magic Kingdom around 11 and planned to stay until about 10 that night. I took the monorail over to the actual park and after temperature check I was in! I rode Pirates of the Caribbean and Haunted Mansion the most and the only differences due to Covid were the plexiglass that was in place in most of the queue lines, separation on boats and roller coasters of about two rows, plus on The Haunted Mansion, if your familiar with the Stretching Room, it was turned off and stretched to the top. For those unfamiliar with the room it is the preshow for the Haunted Mansion, essentially it’s a room that seems to stretch from bottom to top and reveal hidden portraits and things. A neat gag but Covid prevented the room from being used right now as you are tightly packed like sardines in there. So essentially you just walk through to the doom buggy loading area. The most I waited in line was 35 mins for Space Mountain, and overall crowds were small. Lines looked very long due to Covid restrictions like social distancing, but the waits were very minimal nonetheless. I rode everything I wanted to, and had brilliant weather. It was a great time if only it could have lasted longer. Also it was nice to see everyone having a good time even with mask wearing and other such things required. Overall though I had a wonderful time at the happiest place on Earth! Final ride count Pirates of the Caribbean- 4 rides Haunted Mansion-5 rides Peter Pans Flight-1 ride Space Mountain- 1 ride Splash Mountain-1 ride Big Thunder Mountain-1 ride This is the Haunted Mansion graveyard scene just FYI.

It’s a storage warehouse. source: I’ve been in it.

Lucky, its my favorite woodie.

Speaking of storage buildings, does anyone remember that building that they were building behind the Orion site in 2019. Does anyone know what that ended up being?

Twister at Knoebels the first week of September.

Kings Island Theatre, chain grease, and that Festhaus smell.

Backlot Stunt Coaster is not beside Racer. Adventure Express is on one side, Orion on another. Flight of Fear is sorta beside it. So is the old FX theater. Now if they could move or retheme Backlot great but I do not see that happening.

Thank you @Shaggy and @Gordon Bombay for your insights and knowledge. I absolutely love KK. I live a little over an hour away in Kentucky. But I consider KI my home park and go there twice as much as KK. I suppose that is for the sake of nostalgia--my first memory is of being scared of the log flume (after waiting for over an hour) and being consoled in the wisteria tunnel. That being said, KK is vital to our region and has done amazing things since reopening in 2014. What they did there was nothing short of miraculous and Ed Hart's vision has enabled that.

To be fair, we don't actually know that answer anymore. It might be sinking in whatever scrapyard it's in. Or maybe someone dropped their track slice in some quicksand, so a little bit of it is sinking.

I'm very interested to hear @Shaggy's take on this, but in the meantime here are my thoughts... Culture, industry, geopolitics, economics, and entertainment trends have changed A LOT since the "heyday" of Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom—an era when SIX was truly invested in that park and its potential. A time back when there were talks of big-budget investments that forced then-Paramount's Kings Island to respond in kind (i.e. SFKK's plans for a "Gotham City" that allegedly led to the creation of "Action Zone" up north). Since then, KI flourished and SFKK, well, we know how SIX treated that park. One of the reasons that I've always heard from industry folks about why SIX backed off so much from KK was that the park always had a strong season pass base. Essentially, even if the new additions were paltry compared to other similarly sized parks, the season pass holders kept coming. A strategy that might work for a short time, but certainly doesn't work in the long term (especially if you keep cutting and are under the corporate umbrella of a debt-ridden Six Flags corporation). At the same time, (P)KI has also always relied on a very strong season pass base, but also attracted (and presumably still does) a good amount of travelers, particularly regional travelers. So, all that being said, is there a "threat" (not implying that this is Baconator's word, but I mean this from a competition standpoint) from a rejuvenated Kentucky Kingdom? That depends on how many people in the Louisville metro/market/region currently make a trip or two to KI and spend money at that park. Will they now be wooed away by Herschend's (or previously Ed Hart 2.0's) Kentucky Kingdom? Hard to say and even if they are... does that even make a difference to KI? Back in 2006 (so, yeah, this is an old example and a one-off interaction), I had a conversation with a family from Louisville who was visiting Kings Island for the day. This trip was one of their vacations that summer. They had a great time, but were disappointed that Kings Island's Action Theatre was showing the same Spongebob movie Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom was showing (they had waited in line for a decent amount of time). They wanted to make the most of their day because this trip was a real treat for them. My point in mentioning this is that family, despite being from Louisville and having Six Flags in their "backyard," viewed (Paramount's) Kings Island as a superior experience or at least a destination worth going to even with a theme park of their own. I'm not sure how much, if at all, Kings Island advertises in the Louisville market, but I do think it's interesting that Kentucky Kingdom (ever since its rebirth) has advertised in the Cincinnati market. When I paid a visit in 2017, they even had a great deal specifically for "out of state" visitors that was clearly geared at this market (billboards all over Cincy had advertised the deal). I don't think the two parks will ever compete for season pass bases (their bread and butter), aside from maybe a handful of guests that live somewhere in the middle. But they may (especially depending on how Herschend develops the park) compete for regional tourism dollars. But to that point, the industry (and entertainment in general (and entertainment post-covid)) has changed a great deal and the two parks themselves are very different from the PKI and SFKK movie theme park days. Kings Island is certainly a much bigger heavy hitter compared to the two, but the distance doesn't make this a PKI vs Americana situation. Herschend is probably more concerned (I assume) with establishing and growing a loyal season pass base and if they do feel competition, it's from a park in Santa Claus. No doubt both KI and KK currently do (and will continue to) keep an eye on each other's movements, but I'd say until (or if) KK becomes some sort of true destination, there's going to be peaceful coexistence. In regards to Herschend becoming a "heavy hitter," I'm very excited to see what they do with the park. I've never personally been to Dollywood, but that park's reputation certainly speaks for itself. It's an industry darling and its attractions, events, and staff are well regarded. Louisville is an interesting market (a large metro, even if it's not a "major league" city) and the park has great potential to be a true crown jewel of the area's tourism/local pride. The first time I ever visited Kentucky Kingdom, it was shortly after Six Flags had abandoned the property. Ed Hart's group was pushing for a new plan (before Bluegrass Boardwalk was a thing) and I was able to tour the property. I assumed there was absolutely no way that park was ever going to reopen given the state it was in (some sections had been closed even longer), the ridiculous land and lease situation, and trying to find a viable group. After the Boardwalk fell through, I just assumed the park was done. I was certain of it. Lo and behold—I finally got to visit it in 2017. I was so happy to have been so wrong. What a great park that's really doing some great things these last few seasons.

You should have showed them a pic of the ground now, and told them the wet ground from the snow sank it like quicksand, I bet they would have bit.

Bump: Had a person ask me the other day if Vortex is sinking.

I don't want a big wheel for the reasons @IndyGuy4KI said. The Eiffel Tower is our centerpiece and looks great at night. I'd rather see Racer feature color changing lights underneath the support structure

Bring on the zoo

^I mean, it's not like Cedar Fair is actively bringing food events and events in general to several of their parks to interact and get people to come back to the parks. Many people didn't even go last year so for many people what was "new" last year is new this year. I think if anything this is the year to go to parks like Knott's Berry Farms, Cedar Point, etc because they will be having new experiences and will probably try to bring guests to the parks with new, exciting experiences. To each their own honestly, I can say I'm already going to CP, KBF, Dorney and KI but I have a Platinum pass with all of the goodies attached that's good for this year too.

I believe they're gender segregated. Also, I'm sure there's plenty of creeps under 45. It's not a factor of age. I work with so many people over 45 and none of them are creeps.

Do you speak for all 18 year old girls? Are all 45 year old males creepy? Your statement is sexist and age discrimination.

Had to look back at my pics! Mystic Timbers, July 23, 2019 2020 was the first season I've missed since 2003.

The view of the Royal Fountain from the band stand on July 4th 2020

I think Adventure Express has a unique smell. I also enjoy the smell of grease on The Racer and hot pavement. 33 days!