Kings Island to Double Size with $10M Water Park Expansion

By Adrian Maties, Associate Editor

The Kings Island amusement park in Mason, Ohio, announced it will undergo a major expansion and redesign, replacing the current park, Boomerang Bay, with the all-new and exciting Soak City. Before the announcement was made, Kings Island gave fans some hints on its Facebook page by posting a picture with question marks and a picture of a random surveyor.

The $10 million project will more than double the size of the current water park to 33 acres. The new theme will entail bringing in a 650,000-gallon, 39,000-square-foot wave pool with rapids, waterfalls and spray hoses next to the existing one. The new one will not only be bigger but more agressive, with bigger and faster waves. Water depth will be as much as six feet and waves will reach heights of as much as four feet. It will also feature an Action River that will replace the lazy river. The upgrades to the 2,000-foot river include more water effects, waterfalls and an interactive viewing area for spectators.

Also new will be a beach volleyball court, more changing rooms, 1,000 new chairs, restaurants, lounge areas, more shaded areas for pool-goers and new family dressing rooms, as well as a new entrance. The area’s 30 water slides will be refurbished.

The water park expansion is just the latest enhancement at Kings Island. The park also added WindSeeker, a 301-foot-tall spinning tower that opened in June, and Dinosaurs Alive, a 12-acre animatronic dinosaur park featuring more than 60 life-size, moving dinosaurs, in April.

Places like Kings Island and its competition help drive local economies. People don’t just visit the amusement park, they eat in local restaurants, shop in local stores and stay in local hotels. And the park will add about 100 new jobs.

Kings Island is owned by Cedar Fair Entertainment. Soak City has been planned over the past 12 years and is scheduled to open Memorial Day weekend 2012. Paid admission to Kings Island will include the water park.