We continue our series of one-day road trips available for residents of Mansfield and Richland County during the summer of 2017. In each, we are profiling new and interesting attractions to tempt day vacationers.
Many Mansfielders have made the trip down I-71 to Mason, Ohio since Kings Island opened in 1972. This year, two new attractions will greet visitors to the park – the new Mystic Timbers roller coaster and Soak City Water Park improvements.
Themed to an area surrounding a lumber company becoming overrun by a mysterious medusa-like overgrowth of vines as nature reclaims its land, Mystic Timbers is 3,265 feet in length, reaches 109 feet in height and weaves along steep cliffs, down ravines, cross over water and through an extreme S-turn, among a forest of trees, at speeds up to 53 mph.
The ride features a total of 16 airtime hills, a mid-course tunnel and interact with parts of the Kings Island & Miami Valley Railroad and White Water Canyon attractions.
“Mystic Timbers is naturally exciting because of its setting in a densely wooded area,” Kings Island’s vice-president and general manager Greg Scheid said. “The natural rugged terrain and tunnel ensures a unique and memorable ride experience.”
Mystic Timbers was custom designed and built for the topography of Kings Island by Great Coasters International, Inc. (GCI) of Sunbury, Pennsylvania. Three trains accommodate 24 passengers each (four riders per car and six cars per train) with a capacity of 1,275 riders per hour. Guests must be at least 48 inches tall to ride. The ride experience lasts more than two minutes. It features an interactive, every ride-changing experience inside “the shed.”
“Everyone who enjoys the fun and thrills of riding a roller coaster will want to experience this attraction,” Scheid said.
Mystic Timbers is Kings Island’s 16th roller coaster and its fourth wooden. With the addition of Mystic Timbers, Kings Island’s wooden roller coasters will combine to measure 18,804 feet of track, which will be the most at any amusement or theme park in the world.
Soak City Water Park visitors will see the addition of a new smokehouse style restaurant as well as other new amenities and improvements including additional shade structures, changing rooms, cooling mister fans, and expanded deck space doubling the number of chaise loung chairs.
With more than 100 rides, shows and attractions, Kings Island offers the perfect combination of world-class thrills and family attractions. Guests can experience the park’s 15 thrill-inducing roller coasters, including Diamondback, the tallest and fastest roller coaster at Kings Island, and the world’s longest wooden roller coaster, The Beast! Families can spend the perfect day together in the 13-time, award-winning Planet Snoopy kids’ area, or step back in time to periods between 245 million and 65 million years ago in Dinosaurs Alive!. Admission to Kings Island includes Soak City – the park’s massive 33-acre waterpark! Call (513) 754-5700 or visit www.visitkingsisland.com
Take a ride on Mystic Timbers in the video below. Remember — “Don’t go in the shed!” (watch to the end).
Source: Kings Island; Photo: Creative Commons License
