What was the old name for Kings Island?

Kings Island eventually got its name after a public contest. The “Kings” came from the town where it was built, Kings Mills. The “Island” came from its predecessor, Coney Island.



Kings Island, located in Mason, Ohio, did not actually have a different name for the park itself, but it was essentially the successor to the famous Coney Island amusement park in Cincinnati. In the late 1960s, Coney Island was plagued by frequent flooding from the Ohio River and had no room to expand. The owners, Taft Broadcasting, decided to build a completely new, much larger park on higher ground further north. When the new park opened in 1972, they named it Kings Island, combining the name of the local area (Kings Mills) with the "Island" part of Coney Island. Many of the original rides, including the beloved Grand Carousel and the Scrambler, were physically moved from the old Coney Island to the new Kings Island. So, while Kings Island has always been "Kings Island," its spiritual and physical "old identity" is inextricably linked to the legacy of the original Cincinnati Coney Island.

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Flight of Fear is an indoor launched coaster located in the Area 72 section at Kings Island. The ride opened in 1996 and was originally known as The Outer Limits: Flight of Fear, and themed to the 1995 TV series The Outer Limits.

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Grand Carousel Family Ride at Kings Island Kings Island's magnificent carousel was manufactured by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company, Philadelphia, Pa., in 1926 and is the oldest ride in the park. It is one of approximately 90 carousels built by the company from 1904 to 1934.

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But by the 1970s, no one lived here year-round; most residents had moved to Nome, on the mainland. While several forces drove the migration, King Islanders say a main cause was the decision by the Bureau of Indian Affairs to close a school it ran on the island in the late 1950s.

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In addition to our chaperone policy, we strongly recommend that minors (under 18) be accompanied by an adult. The park does not assume any responsibility or liability for unattended minors.

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Based on the French structure of the same name in Paris, the tower has been the primary symbol of the park ever since opening, and serves as an observation tower of the park.

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Rather than interfere with the burial grounds, Kings Island officials elected instead to simply build their amusement park around the small cemetery. Today, legend has it that those same officials inadvertently paved over a grave when creating what is now the park's guest parking lot, resulting in an agitated spirit.

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In 2024, Kings Island's new Camp Snoopy will feature the park's newest roller coaster, Snoopy's Soap Box Racers.

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The ride experienced its first major incident on July 9, 2006, during which a train passed over a structural track failure that severely jolted riders. Son of Beast closed for the remainder of the 2006 season while repairs were made, and Kings Island decided to replace the original trains with lighter models.

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It proved a good place to ride out a pandemic. King Island did not record a COVID-19 case among its population of fewer than 2,000 people until January 2022.

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Early in its history, Kings Island appeared in popular sitcoms and received widespread recognition for its record-breaking attractions and events. One of the park's most well-known attractions, The Racer, is often credited with reviving worldwide interest in roller coasters during the 1970s.

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