Insider Tips for Enjoying a Trip to Kings Island in Cincinnati, OH

Kings Island is one of the region, if not the country's best amusement parks. The mix of excellent thrill rides, great kiddie fun, and a gorgeous, wooded setting make Kings Island a great destination for locals and tourists alike. With tickets upwards of $50 each, visitors to Kings Island want to get the most bang for their buck. How can you get the most out of your visit to Kings Island? How can you avoid long lines at Kings Island? Take the advice of a local frequenter to Cincinnati's Kings Island amusement park and get the most out of your visit.

Choose a cloudy day. While this might be a little hard to predict, a cloudy day is a much better day for visiting Kings Island. Not only do you feel less hot while walking around on all that concrete and asphalt, but somehow clouds magically thin a crowd. Choose an overcast day to visit Kings Island and you'll be more comfortable and spend less time waiting in line.

Choose a cool day. If you are not interested in the water park at Kings Island and if you don't mind skipping the water rides, visit Kings Island on a cooler day. Days with temperatures in the 60s or low 70s are wonderful days for visiting Kings Island. The crowds are smaller and you will feel great whizzing through the cool air on King's Islands wonderful roller coasters.

Bring a picnic lunch. Like just about all amusement parks, Kings Island asks astronomical prices for their food and beverages. Fortunately, Kings Island offers an abundance of picnic tables just outside of the park entrance. Visitors to Kings Island can bring a cooler with a picnic lunch and enjoy it just outside the park and really save money. Just remember that your cooler is not allowed to be brought into the park itself.

Choose a hotel with a shuttle or parking pass. If you are visiting the area overnight or for a few days, choose a hotel with a free shuttle to King's Island or discount parking passes. As if the price of admission is not enough, King's Island charges an arm and a leg for parking. Getting to the park without paying for parking is certainly a positive.

Go to the back of the park first. If you show up at Kings Island right at opening time, head to the back of the park first. Wonderful classics such as The Beast roller coaster are located way back in the park. Instead of hopping in line at the first thrill ride you see, go to the back first and you may not have to wait in line at all for your first Kings Island thrill.

Ice water is always free. Every beverage vendor in the park will give you as much ice water as you want for free. If you don't want to pay the high price for soft drinks at Kings Island, just ask for ice water. The cups may be small, but nothing beats free ice water when you're standing in the summer heat at an amusement park.

Where to cool off. If you are ready to escape the heat during a visit to Kings Island there are many places that are air conditioned where you can cool off. Many of the shops around Kings Island are air conditioned. The buildings that Scooby Doo and the Haunted Castle and Flight of Fear are located in offer air conditioning. Many restaurants, including the Festhaus are also air conditioned and offer some relief from the Kings Island heat.

Armed with these insider tips in hand, your trip to Kings Island in Cincinnati, Ohio is sure to be to filled with fun and free of frustration.