Kings Island
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cedar Fair Entertainment
 Park News - (9/27/17) In a move that I think has been a long time coming, a sign was posted at Kings Island the other day confirming that the Dinosaurs Alive walk-through attraction would be leaving forever after Oct. 29th. Kings Island was the first of the Cedar Fair parks to open a Dinosaurs Alive attraction back in 2011, with several others opening at sister parks over the next two years. With this in mind I'd expect to see the rest of the chain's Dinosaur Alive attraction also go extinct over the next 3 years. It should be interesting to see what Kings Island uses the site for next.
(8/28/17) According to the latest park video posted by CoasterCritque on YouTube, the Tower Gardens area at Kings Island that was closed recently is now confirmed to be used for a WinterFest attraction area, as large candycane shaped truss structures have been installed as you can see in their brief video report below.
So either the rumored return of the Antique Cars will be going somewhere else, or they wont be needing this space for it until after WinterFest is over.
(8/18/16) Kings Island has confirmed that after 12 long years WinterFest will return in late 2017.
The focal point of WinterFest will be the world’s largest Christmas tree display with the park’s iconic 314-foot tall Eiffel Tower decorated with thousands of lights which will be seen for miles.
Below the Eiffel Tower, International Street will be transformed into a colorful and quaint winter village, featuring the fun of holidays past – outdoor ice skating on the park’s Royal Fountain, Christmas carolers, and homemade crafts. Tasty foods, colorful gifts, live stage shows, fun rides, and of course, Santa’s workshop will all be part of WinterFest’s warmth and excitement.
Rides will include the Grand Carousel and a journey through the park’s Rivertown area on an authentic steam train.
Operating dates, hours and ticket prices for WinterFest will be announced at a later date. The event will be included free for 2017 Gold and Platinum season passholders.
2018 - New Attraction / Return of the Antique Cars - Rumor - (10/4/17) Some great photos showing off the demolition taking place at Kings Island next to the Scrambler that we mentioned last week have been posted to Twitter. It is worth mentioning that the building coming down is connected to the Tower Gardens site, and the removal of the building could be connected the rumored return of the Antique Cars.
(9/30/17) An odd tweet appeared on Twitter from an Orlando based news reporter that seems to reveal that a new ride may be coming to Kings Island. According to the tweet, Kings Island may also be adding a Skyline Attractions SkyWarp ride if we are interpreting it correctly. Stay tuned... (UPDATE: Rumor has it that the tweet about the SkyWarp may have just been poorly written and misleading and no such ride is planned for the park at this time...)
Possibly on a semi-related note, it looks like some construction has also started in Kings Island, but we're not sure what for. According to a park guest the building 'to the right of the Scrambler" has been partially demolished and surrounded by a wooden construction fence. This building used to be home to a laser maze, Attitudes store and one of the midway games. No signs were up on the wall to announce anything new was coming yet.
(8/15/17) A video report from Kings Island posted by Ohio Valley Coasters shows off the freshly walled off and closed Tower Gardens site, which was where I was guessing that the returning Antique Cars ride could be going.
(7/29/17) According to one source, there was a plan floating around Kings Island many years ago that talked about bringing back the Antique Cars at that time which had narrowed the possible sites down to two: the basic area where Mystic Timbers ended up going and the other recommended site at the time was to put it in the 'Tower Gardens' area, which I believe is usually put into use for Halloween Haunt each fall. Since only the Tower Gardens site is left, and this matches up with my previous rumor, it should be interesting to see if they retire or move the haunt that was located there, which I believe was the Backwoods Bayou.
Of course there is also a good deal of open space left next to the Backlot Stunt Coaster that could be put to use as well, though it has less attractive landscaping. The more lush green area of the Tower Gardens could be left mostly intact and provide for a more scenic drive experience.
Either way, time to keep an eye out for survey markings on the ground and trees.
(7/28/17) Screamscape has heard an interesting rumor for what Kings Island has in store for 2018. In an unexpected move, but one that may delight long-time Kings Island patrons, I'm hearing that we can expect to see the return of an "Antique Cars" attraction to the park in 2018, this time said to be located somewhere between the Coney Mall and International Street area. Just a guess, but I'm thinking it may not be far from the park's Grand Carousel.
According to our source, construction is expected to begin within the next couple weeks, so keep an eye out if you visit the park.
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