Coney Island “Coney Island. I will never get over it. Give me back my pool. I also miss Hot Summer Nights, the summer season of musicals that used to be at CCM. Broadway calibre performers and productions that I guess are just gone now?” -u/real_actual_tiger “Dude those diving boards had so much spring. I remember this dude that used to absolutely dominate one of those. He’d do triple flips and stuff. I remember he had his chest hair shaved into the Tri force. One of my favorite NPCs from childhood.” -u/ChunkDunkleman Photo: facebook.com/coneyislandpark

Coney Island’s Opening Day 10 a.m.-8 p.m. May 27 Coney Island lovers get ready, because the park is planning to add even more activities this summer. The park plans to add an even bigger splash of fun with pickleball, fowling (a combination of football and bowling), disc golf and Sports Alley — a fun-filled arena for the kids. Sports Alley includes soccer pool, a combination of billiards and soccer (players kick the “billiards ball” into the corner pockets of the arena), and street curling, in which players slide heavy stones across a synthetic surface toward a target to win points. Whatever the activity, there’s fun for the whole family. 10 a.m.-8 p.m. May 27. Coney Island, 6201 Kellogg Ave., Anderson Township, coneyislandpark.com. Photo: facebook.com/coneyislandpark

Cincinnati’s Coney Island will be opening to the public for the season on Friday, June 12. 

This news comes after Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine gave amusement parks and water parks the go-ahead to open their doors on June 10.

There will obviously be some health and safety updates made to accommodate COVID-19 concerns, which you can read about in full here on the park’s website. 

Some changes include:

  • The Typhoon Tower splashground and Twister water slides will be closed for at least the next several weeks.
  • The Challenge Zone obstacle will not open until 2021.
  • Guests are encouraged to practice social distancing at all times and to wear masks when not in the water. Do not wear a mask in the water.
  • There will be no tables or cooler racks in the picnic area this year.
  • If you’re in the water, you can only congregate with members of your own household.
  • Bathroom capacity will be limited. 
  • All retail store fitting rooms are closed. 
  • You must stand in a designated waiting area at the concession stand while waiting for your food.

Coney has already announced that those who purchased season passes for 2020 will be allowed to use those in 2021 as well. And if you haven’t bought one yet, that deal still seems to be going on.

Other Coney attractions — paddle boats and mini golf — will remain closed.

Last year, Coney actually removed all of its amusement rides to focus on water attractions and events instead.

“All of our consumer research, all of our consumer feedback and all of our in-park data shows that the vast majority of our guests come to Coney Island because of the fun they have while in the Sunlite Pool area,” said Rob Schutter, Jr., president and CEO of Coney Island, in a release at the time.

According to the release, splitting employees’ time between the rides and the water attractions limited the amount of attention each area could receive. So they removed the rides to focus on the water.

The location has been an amusement area since 1870 and has been known as Coney Island since 1887. The park’s famous Sunlite Pool has been in operations since 1925 and benefited from a $6 million renovation in 2016.

This article appears in May 6 – Jun 14, 2020.

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