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Photo #14 Lets see if anyone can guess what this is from, before I explain the photo.

If not, I will... Two roads diverged after some treated wood. Will the park take the road less travelled by? That wood make all the difference. Even though I only live seven minutes from the park, Saturday was the first time I'd been by there since closing day. I said to Mrs. Gator, "Something seems to be missing." I can't wait to test GatorGirl about what's missing when we drive by there again this Saturday. It certainly looks different, but I'm old enough to remember quite a few years without it being there in the first place.

Easy: Firehawk... Hard: ...At night... Expert: ...With fireworks in the background!

Not sure why the embedded image isn't working, here's the URL https://dl.dropbox.com/s/kzbvrgc18hllfwe/IMG_5288.JPG Easy: any landscape area Hard: Beast leaving station with water in the lagoon Expert: Concert at Timberwolf

Potato Works guy told me 2014 will be a big year.

We have gone down to Holiday World the first week in June the past couple of years and it has proven to be a great time to be there. The Children's Museum is an amazing place. The only downside is that, especially for an indoor attraction, it can be a lot of walking for the little ones. The different exhibits are very engaging and the train area is great. I'm sure your 4 year old will be in heaven. As a heads up the food at the food court is very expensive but they do allow you to bring your own food if you wish. As for Holiday World, as stated above, hit the water park right when it opens and have a plan for your first few rides. You can usually get a couple of rides in on some combination of Wildebeest, Mammoth, Zinga, Bukali, and Zoombabwe before the lines for those get too crazy. The lines in the dry side really let up in the middle of the day on weekdays with station waits not uncommon for the three coasters. Gobbler Getaway and Liberty Launch are the two flats that I would recommend. Hope you have a great time!

In a way I'm a bit glad SoB was never reopened... I say this because I gotten older since 2008 (last time I rode it) and I could of had bad experience(s) on the ride in 2010-2012. I got taller broad shouldered and what not more between then and now and lord knows if the ride reopened I might hate it now. So all in all I'm glad I my last ride was on a high note but I do wish I could of rode it one more time before being torn down. I actually had a dream that they reopened it and they were testing it with some new themed cars. You could ride in trains that looked like monster truck, taxi, and a police car (I think their was others but can't remember).

Photo #13 - The Beast Station 1980's

It's 2013 and just under four more months until Kings Island opens its gates. For the 3rd year, each day I will try my best to post a "vintage" Kings Island photo from my massive collection of photos I've saved and came across over the years. Most of the photo's I will be posting are not my personal photos and I do not claim them to be mine. If anyone has a problem with a certain photo they wish not to be posted or anything else feel free to "Personal Message" me on KIC rather then posting in the topic. If you have photos of your own you'd like to contribute feel free to "Personal Message" me or simply add to the topic discussion. And try not to quote photo's that are directly above your post, its annoying. Past Topics: Flashback Till Opening Day 2012 http://www.KICentral.com/forums/index.php?/topic/24872-flashback-till-opening-day/?p=448460 Flashback Till Opening Day 2011 http://www.KICentral.com/forums/index.php?/topic/23316-flashback-till-opening/?p=414128 Photo #1 will be posted later "today" its 4am lol

Thinking about doing a "long weekend" b/w the kids museum in Indy and a day trip to HW. We've been wanting to do the Kids museum for a couple of years, I believe they have a hotel in the area where some of the rooms are crafted out of old train cars. My 4 year old loves trains, so this was put on our "bucket list" when we heard about it. As part of the trip, we thought we'd swing over to HW having never been before, and thought I'd come seeking advice on what/where to eat in the park, perhaps where to stay, what to ride, etc... For background, we'll have two kids along w/ us, a girl who will turn 1 in May and the boy who will turn 5 in June. Obviously the girl will be too young to ride much of anything aside from rides where she can sit on our lap (are there any rides there like that?), but the boy is pretty tall for his age. He measured out at 48" the last time he was at the doctor, so he should have a ride or two on The Racers, Beast, Adventure Express, etc... (so far he's yet to meet a height appropriate ride at King's Island that he doesn't like, so hopefully that won't change for coasters beyond Woodstock Express and Flying Ace Ariel Chase) Aside from the 3 wood coasters (all 48" height restrictions, IIRC?) and the pop included in the price of admission, there's not much I know about HW. What other rides should we be sure to hit? Anywhere specific to eat? Any hotel recommendations? We don't need the nicest hotel, but we don't want to stay somewhere dirty, rundown, etc.. My wife is a teacher, and gets out late may, so I believe anytime in June or July would work, any recommendations for when to go? What day of the week to visit (I assume mid week is less crowded than a weekend, how busy are weekends? I'd rather not wait in line all day for things) If anyone has advice on Indy or the children's mesuem, I'd be happy to hear those as well. TIA.

Well, what's a diversion? I'm hoping for entertainers and entertainment. (Does anyone remember "Talking Turkey"? He sat on a tower on a corner in Octoberfest. He was like Don Rickles with feathers. I knew the actor. He was behind this black veil, hidden from the crowd, and punk kids didn't know how Turkey could see them throw ice at him.) They just cleared away two piles of junk, SOB and TA, but when we speak of that area, Terpy keeps saying 'diversion'. Perhaps it's not where any new attractions are going to go, perhaps the space left is diverting us from seeing clearly. Ouimet keeps speaking about 'staycations' and in my mind, he's on the money. I don't see Wolf Lodge handing over the keys any time soon, but it would bring more money to the park if KI had their own lodge.

Just curious, when did it become popular to put characters into parks? I'm guessing Disney started the trend, but I wasn't around then so I'm not positive. Coney Island had The Wizard of Oz, the Banana Splits, and some of the Hanna Barbera characters walking around. I would imagin that Disney started the trend

If only they could use Universal's ideas: http://www.coroflot.com/eric_williams/Art-Direction

An awesome video was posted on PointBuzz about Gatekeeper and some future stuff going on with Cedar Fair! Check it out below http://pointbuzz.com/c/WhereTheRollerCoastersComeFrom.aspx

I've only seen 4 Cedar Fair kiddie areas: Cedar Point, Kings Island, Kings Dominion (in 2010), and Michigan's Adventure. (If you individually count each kiddie area at Cedar Point, then that number's higher. But you get my point.) Personally, I find KI's and KD's to be the best in terms of variety and quality, though fairly similar, with KI having a slight edge. Of course, my experience in Kings Dominion's was three years ago, and it's getting a huge addition this year. I'd wager that, if your son enjoys KI's Planet Snoopy, he'll probably like Kings Dominion's version, though I don't know how much variation there will be between the two with the new expansion. Your mileage may vary, and you may want to check out what they have and what they will be getting to make your own judgement. (From a coaster nerd perspective, you'll get airtime on their version of Woodstock Express in the last row, which is awesome, haha.) Cedar Point's kids' areas are good and have the benefit of being spread across the park, but it doesn't feel like there's much to them to me. (Then again, checking out the kiddie areas has never really been a focus of any Cedar Point trip for me.) The benefit with CP is that there also are kid-friendly rides mixed through the rest of the park, too (e.g. Ocean Motion, Jr. Gemini, maybe Wave Swinger, etc.), but the dedicated kid areas don't seem to have much more than several versions of the same sit-in-a-row-of-cars-that-travel-in-a-circle-and-honk-the-horn ride. That's not always the case, of course, but I feel like I might have gotten bored with the kid areas if I were a child participant. Again, it's what your son likes and what the park lists on its website; this is just my $0.02. Michigan's Adventure's, like much of the rest of that park, is a quintessential representation of Kinzel's Cedar Fair: a ton of bland concrete and not much else. Zach's Zoomer is a decent CCI remake of the Woodstock Express layout, but it's the only thing that stands out in my memory as noteworthy about the kiddie area. They have electric cars for the kids, but they're nothing exceptional compared to CP's versions. The Falling Star could be fun for the family, but I'm not sure if it's still there. They're getting a set of for 2013, which I vividly remember as one of my favorite rides when I was around your son's age, but I don't know if that justifies driving to The Middle of Nowhere, Michigan (a 7-hour drive for me.) I'd sooner drive to Stricker's Grove or Holiday World for them than revisit MA, because the grown-up rides there didn't do much for me, either.Whatever you decide, I hope you and your family have fun!

I went to HW for the first time this year, and I can't think of a time I was disappointed with the food. You can't really go wrong with any of them, but I liked the Kringle Kafe a lot. They have a pretty good variety there...

The hotel with the trains is the Crowne Plaza in the very first Union Station.

The Children's Museum will be an all day event. I am 25 and could still spend the entire day in the building and not see everything it has to offer. If you are trying to fit everything in the children's museum in then I would advise a two day trip that way you can take your time through the exhibits and see everything. I haven't been in about 2 years but The dino's exhibit in the old "cinedome" is pretty unique. They have a science/habitat exhibit on the 5th floor that you can make your own boat and float it down a "river". They have a playplace that represents what its like to live underground plus a construction site all in this one spot. Not sure if they still do the star show downstairs but if they do check it out it is interesting (at least it is to me haha). They have a egyptian exhibit that I always find interesting. The list goes on and on. Again I havent been there in two years so some of the exhibits have changed but it is a blast especially with kiddos. As for HW I only visit about once a year. So I couldnt give you a best time to go. I would assume that the weekdays would be less crowded but again that is an assumption. I think the height restrictions are 48" for all the rides so your son should be good to go. If you are a waterpark person I would advise to get to the park when it opens stay in the dry park for the first 1-2 hours then head to the waterpark until it closes then you should still have about 1-2 hours for the dry park. I usually dont have a specific place to eat or stay because I make a day trip but the Santa Claus Inn is pretty cool from what I hear. That is how I do my trip. We also buy tix from a local gas station on our way down there. I think the station is on 231 but can't remember the name. Usually it cheaper by $2 than if you buy online or at the gate with the Pepsi can discount. (shop around for the tix to find the best deal). I hope you have a good time. It sounds like you have a great vacation planned. Enjoy it!

whoops, you're right. Feel free to help me out on an Expert idea - I'm tapped out (heck, I can't even get my direct link to work today!)

My four year old and I waited for 30 minutes to ride Monster on the right side,right before we get on they open the left side and people just walked right on. I hate that! I just stood there thinking,"Dang,my timing stinks today"!

I loved the park but I don't see Louisville getting another park, nor this one reopened, as much as I would like to see it happen, with Holiday World, the Park in Bowling Green and Coney and Kings Island to the north along with the Beach reopening. I feel that some of the blame is the fair board, as much as I would like to see this happen it may just not be right , also dealing with the fair board!.

Mr. Ouimet seemed so enthusiastic in that video and, on PB, Jeff said that he (Ouimet) was as giddy as any enthusiast in the building. I remember another time when Jeff and they were by Mantis and Ouimet said how proud he feels to be a part of this . I am truly impressed with him and so excited about the future.

Kings Island opened with Fred Flintstone and the HB characters everywhere. Then again, Taft Broadcasting owned Kings Island. The Looney Tunes have been at Flags since the days when TimeWarner owned Flags.

Attempting proper grammar shows class & respect for those who read it. Blatantly disregarding grammar is a sign of laziness.

I would like a big, nice, sit-down restaurant with a nice view like the Crown Colony Restaurant in BGA http://seaworldparks.com/buschgardens-tampa/Dine-and-Shop/Dining/Crown-Colony-Restaurant

I easily overlook small grammatical, spelling and punctuation errors...because God knows I create them myself...but is it really that hard to capitalize the first letter of a sentence? Making it easier for your fellow members is just common courtesy.

I, for one, am thoroughly sick of classic flumes being 'upgraded' to drench the guests, be it by coconuts, elephants, beagles, geysers or fire hydrants. And I find Shoot the Rapids to be Cedar Point's most blunderbus addition since, perhaps, Mean Streak.

Woah woah woah, The Beast and Racers came from trees, that is a lie. I am intrigued on the topic of the fountain of the Kings park as well, possibly some Disney Magic in the fountain's movements? I just hope for one thing, keep them as close as possible to the past, but new as possible as well. All in all I like the steps he is making, wise but profitable to the market, I can tell near the end he was beginning to show how he wants to theme parks (like Knott's) and possibly he could expand the street-mo-sphere characters in many parts of the parks.

Scooby was really rolling on those Scooby-Snacks at this point wasn't he? hehehehehhehehe

Those rides are awesome! I really wish they could lower all the arms at once though to make the line bearable.

Monster did come from Coney Island.

Never heard of Murica before, so the first thing I saw when I read the title was:

The Fair Board is not negotiating this matter. The State is.

Photo #10 - Tomb Raider The Ride - 2002

The people I work with and interacting with park guests.

It was asked of all Coasting for Kids participants to remain in the Coney Mall area by The Racer until all areas of the park were open at 10am so guests weren't going through areas of the park that were not open, unescorted. It is important that all participants follow the guidelines that have been established when parks have these types of events.

We get a new show in the Festhaus, presumably replacing American Country as that show has run it's typical 2-year run. @KingsIslandPR I'll keep my personal thoughts out of this, mostly because they look like this

Racer, the biggest and flagship coaster in the park, almost always had very long lines. The queues were often full, with lines spilling out into the midway. When Beast opened, it often had multi-hour lines.

^ I would like to see this return at Kings Island, the plant covered walkways look great in amusement parks in my opinion. Six Flags St. Louis still had theirs last time I went there and it still looked really cool.

Photo #7 - Plant Covered Walkway - Once located behind Planet Snoopy Ice Cream Big file lol, didnt have time to resize it... CYAwl

The first couple times I rode it were my favorite. Just seeing the red and yellow trains menacingly roll into the station and getting in and clanking down those huge premier lap bars. That spill they played in the station also still puts chills down me every time I hear it. If anyone has that spiel would you please post it by the way. You would then roll slowly out of the station and hit the lift hill and the clank of the chain was deafening, then what seemed like an eternity later you would crest the hill and begin that dive all the way down. One thing I will never forget however is the first time I ever rode SoB. I was riding and my uncle and aunt were in front of me and as we hit the mid course brakes my uncle turned to me and said, "Here comes the loop." As soon as he said that the supports parted and in front of me all I saw was a huge wooden structure and sitting there right in front of me was that HUGE loop. The rest was history. I would like to thank you Son of Beast for all the memories and you will be missed.

Glad they came up with a good name. It would have been silly if they had called it a Slime Jeffery. Yes, I know what a Derrick is.

When did you say you would never ride Mean Streak, Gator? Have you tried it the past 2 seasons? SOB Memories: I remember visiting the park and seeing them starting to build it. If I remember right, they were building the lift hill and rose bowl at the same time, and were 2 separate structures. It was amazing to think they would be able to match them up and make everything fit. I really don't remember my first ride for I was not an enthusiast at that point, but the first drop is still my favorite first drop on any wood coaster. The loop was awesome as a structure, but personally just seemed out of place on the ride. Location was fine, but maybe could not get over a loop on a woody, I always liked the theme of the original trains.The G trains were never a favorite of mine. Although, I did like not having to get my feet under those feet restrains that were in the original trains.I was like Gator, I would ride it if others wanted to ride it, but never made a point to ride it each visit. I still loved that first drop though, and that was the one element that drew me to the ride. I will miss SOB for it's first drop, but understand the parks decision and am looking forward to what they are planning for the land in the future.

IT'S NOT THE SAME! Correct. The year before the move, a new motor was obtained. A slightly less powerful one. Still the best set of Flying Scooters in the country, in my opinion. And yes, I've been to Knoebel's Grove Amusement Resort.

^ Or a car, so you can drive to Carowinds.

Kings Island will open its gates for its 42nd season in 2013.

This site used to have an aerial photographer.

Doesn't look like like any new B&M coasters are headed to KI for 2013. You must be happy about that... I'm happy every year that KI doesn't get the Geauga Lake treatment.

Doesn't look like like any new B&M coasters are headed to KI for 2013. You must be happy about that...

2013: