Famous for its dark, howling tunnels and climactic, movie-like ending, the wooden and steel coaster is among the park’s oldest remaining thrill rides, and has a particularly special place in my heart, as I once spent a high school summer working as an Adventure Express employee. While it may not rank among the tallest, fastest or most extreme of Kings Island’s coasters, Adventure Express’ smooth ride and creepy, cryptic scenery make it a fan favorite – particularly among guests who aren’t as keen on some of the park’s more intense coasters. One of it’s more underrated features: lap restraints are used in place of over-the-shoulder security measures, adding both a level of comfort and intensity to the already awesome coaster. Incredibly smooth, and boasting numerous heart-dropping hills, the serpent-themed thrill ride has established itself as a fan favorite from day one. ![]() Originally opened in 2009, Diamondback measures in as the park’s second tallest coaster at 230 feet. Here’s a longtime local’s look at all 11 coasters winding their way through the Warren County theme park. ![]() Today, the park’s record-breaking collection of rides is as amazing as ever. While I’ve watched with nostalgia as a handful of my favorite childhood roller coasters have closed and become rebranded over the years, I’ve also watched with excitement as new, wilder versions have been raised into the KI skyline. Living quite literally in the shadows of KI’s coasters, my family, friends and I would spend summer night after summer night at the popular theme park, riding everything in sight before finally heading home under the glow of the park’s nightly firework shows. Its record year was 1976 when a park single-season record 3.6 million rides were given.Growing up in Mason, Ohio, warmer weather meant two things: Tucker’s Whippy Dip was finally open, and Kings Island was the place to be. And, he built a lot of them!Ĭelebrating its 50th anniversary in 2022, The Racer has given more than 107 million rides, far and away the most in Kings Island’s history. He considered The Racer to be the finest roller coaster he ever built. It was billed as the most spectacular, longest, fastest and highest leading up to its opening, and the largest that Allen had built. The Racer was the first roller coaster structurally build on the ground with prefabricated sections lifted into position and bolted. In 1982, one side of The Racer was transformed into the world’s first full-length, backwards traveling roller coaster, offering a unique ride experience that lasted for 26 seasons. In addition to acting as the catalyst for other potential high-capacity racing coasters including Racer 75 (formerly Rebel Yell) at Kings Dominion and Gemini at Cedar Point, The Racer has also been the site of several world-record riding attempts and is notable for its appearance in the “Cincinnati Kids” episode of The Brady Bunch, filmed at the park in 1973. The ride’s instant popularity sparked a roller coaster renaissance that has yet to slow down a half-century later. Then along came The Racer with the opening of Kings Island in 1972. By 1965, only about 200 of the 2,000 roller coasters built through the 1920s remained in operation. Literally hundreds of roller coaster built from 1890-1930 met the fate of the wrecking ball. Prior to The Racer, the demand for roller coasters, and more specifically wooden roller coasters, had been in decline since the Great Depression. In one coaster they had: high capacity, graceful aesthetics, and one of the best rides in the country. Kings Island management, in one of the industry's best moves, got exactly what they needed in The Racer. His design was truly inspirational, a twin-tracked, out and back racing coaster, unlike no other ever built. He accepted and was commissioned to design and supervise the construction which began in 1970. ![]() That was the opinion of the renowned John Allen of the Philadelphia Toboggan Company, whose “baby” was The Racer roller coaster at Kings Island.Īllen was asked about the possibility of building a new roller coaster for Kings Island when plans to build the park began in 1969.
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