For Those That Live Close To The Park

[KIfan73]

After looking at the results of the poll I started, it looks like many people on here live 25 miles or less from the park.

Did any of you actually grow up in that close vicinity of Kings Island? If you did, what was it like? I'm 36 and live nearly two hours from there, and I still get excited when I get close to the park (I grew up near a skating rink, and thought that was exciting when I was a kid!).

Was it no big deal to always drive past it, or did you freak out all the time?

[Beast1979]

I live 10 miles away from it, but I hardly ever drive past it. Whenever I go by I always get excited.

[Joshrzmeup]

I've only lived here for 10 years. For the first year or so it was exciting, to have a theme park within driving distance and it was so cool to see the rides being built before my eyes. Nowadays, meh, no real excitement.

[CincyMan98]

I moved to Cincy (I live 15 min away now) about 3 years ago - before that I lived south of Columbus and was about an hour away. So still pretty close!

[TylerRider]

I live about 20 miles from the park, and the only time I went past it, other that going there, was when my class went to D.C. I was so amazed to see DB.

[jessie8]

Ive roughly live 8.2 miles away from ki my whole life,and I very rarely drive past KI so I still get a Lil antsy when we drive past, especially during the off season,but not so much durig the summer because im there almost everyday.so yes it is extremely exciting living by KI!

[Dvo]

I grew up 16 miles south of the park, and I rarely went out past it, so I definitely got excited when I did see it.

[XGatorHead 8904]

I grew up just off of Fields Ertel, very close to where I live now. As a kid, it was exciting to live so close, especially in the summer. We would hear the the fireworks go off every night, and if we looked out our windows or happened to be outside, we could see the flashes in the sky from them. My family could only afford to go once a year, and that was only possible because we used the tickets that my grandma got from working there. So hearing those every night was a constant reminder that someplace so fun was just a few minutes away, and it built the anticipation up in my sister and me.

That was the 70's and 80's. Now, I live off of Fields Ertel again. I can still hear the fireworks at my house when they go off, but thanks to the amount off growth the area's seen since I was a kid, you can't see the flashes in the sky anymore. Thankfully, my family is a little better off than we were when I was growing up, and we're able to afford season passes. Sometimes I wonder if going so often diminishes the anticipation my daughter feels about the place. But based on her reaction, I don't think it does. She gets excited every time we pass through that gate, and she still asks "When can we go to Kings Island again?" And you know, I do too. Is it April 17th yet?

[mtl2013]

I grew up, and still live about 4 or 5 miles from KI. It was great1 My family always got seaon passes, because it was almost stupid not to. I do sometimes get excited when I go by it, (almost every day, on the way to school), especially when its colse to opening day or a new ride,etc.

[Diamondback FOF]

I have lived in the same house now for my enitre life, or nearly 16 years. I live south of Kings Island by like 10 or 15 miles. I very rarely go past it. The only time I do is if I'm going to see a movie up there. I guess it's kinda cool to see KI then, but sad to not be going there. Living so close to KI has been wonderful. In the summer, my family has the ability to get up one morning and decide we want to go, but we only go every couple weeks. This summer I should be driving there more since I do live so close (unless I get a summer job somehwere, but even then I'll be going to KI more than I have in the past). It's cool.

[KI-ORIG-EMP]

I lived in Kings Mills all my life and used to hike on the land that Kings Island now sits. I would watch the construction of the tower and the rest of the rides while eating lunch and attending classes at Kings High School. When I was first hired in 1972 at the park, I would ride my bike back and forth to the park. I would ride down Columbia Road past the green house and the camp grounds.