WesReviews

I've been going to Kings Island for over 25 years now, but this one summer, when I was around 14 or 15 was one of the most memorable. After riding Whitewater Canyon with my family, we were strolling along the concrete trail through the woods back to the rest of the park, when I looked over in the dirt next to the path. Right there in front of me, coiled up and moving ever so slightly was a copperhead snake, of around medium size. Being deathly afraid of snakes (except the occasional King Cobra ) I ran back to the park as fast as I could, and my family followed suit. Copperheads are very, very dangerous. Has anyone else encountered this at the park or ever heard of it being encountered at the park? And, does anyone know what the park does to prevent snakes and other animals from wandering into the park? I know with the park being located in such a wooded area that snakes and other critters are especially difficult to prevent. I certainly hope their snake prevention has gotten better since my incident. I've just not had much of a desire to ride Whitewater Canyon since.

Is this a live arial shot or put together from arial photos taken a while ago? If it's live, there do appear to still be several pieces of green and yellow track remaining behind a wooden coaster and to the back right area of Flight of Fear. There are also several large signs laying about, but I can't make out what they say. I also spot a few colorful airplane looking objects, possibly from a children's ride. And, good lord...how many old tram buses has Kings Island apparently gone through? wow. What other former rides' bits and pieces can anyone identify from this "graveyard" area? I find this stuff fascinating. Thanks for the link!

Regarding Chang...I live in Kentucky, so I've been to Kentucky Kingdom a few times. A repainted Chang as King Cobra would be...painful. My first and only experience riding Chang ended with me holding my stomach, and walking bow-legged through the remainder of the afternoon. Regarding other Kentucky Kingdom coasters...I miss Vampire. It wasn't a great ride, really. Way too short, but it remains the only coaster to this day that has ever made me dizzy. Starchaser was a much cooler ride, and I have no idea why they got rid of it. It's so much better than Flight of Fear...and doesn't make you feel like you've been in a prize fight after riding it, as Flight of Fear does.

I wouldn't be opposed at all to a new coaster being built or transported from another park and using the name of King Cobra. There was such a cool marketing campaign behind King Cobra. I'd really like to see it brought back. The ride itself had a mystique about it that few others had. I dare say, I heard more "King Cobra" horror stories growing up than any other coaster. "Did you hear that some kid got decapitated on King Cobra last summer?" was a typical story often quoted as being true. These myths alone were enough to instill fear into most around the schoolyard. Then when we got to the park and saw it in person...with it's green and yellow snake-like appearance (not to mention the awesome sign that greeted riders to the wait line)...the image of an intimidating coaster was complete. Few coasters capture this. Even if it was unwarranted, Cobra had it. I'd like to see that return. A ride that people are afraid of even before they go on it. Growing up in the 80s, it just feels like Kings Island isn't really Kings Island without "King Cobra" in the park. As someone has said, it was part of the "big four". I know K.I. has been around longer than that, but to me, this was sort of the "golden age" of the park. Of course, I probably wouldn't actively campaign to get the Smurf ride re-built.

I guess my definition of accident would be... any time there is a malfunction that causes the ride to not go as it is supposed to, leading to or potentially leading to the injury of its riders, followed by a serious enough concern that the ride in question was closed for a period.

Just curious about any and all CONFIRMED accidents on Kings Island rides and coasters over the past 35 or so years. Is there a complete list anywhere? If not, start it here! I guess the most recent would be Son of Beast. Shame they had to remove the loop. Glad I got to ride it (unscathed) before they took it out. I also remember hearing about King Cobra's opening year accident and that there was an original newspaper clipping on here somewhere. Anyone have it? What other accidents have occurred to rides both current and past? Not wishing to sound morbid at all, just a coaster fan with a natural curiosity about "when things go wrong", I suppose.

Any truth to the rumor that King Cobra is coming back (in one form or another) sometime in the next couple of years? I heard this not too long ago and wondered if any of you had heard the same, and if so, what? I miss this ride, and hope it does come out of retirement (with a few modern improvements, of course). Your thoughts?