A first look at what the new water coaster, RiverRacers, will look like. Rendering: Provided by Kings Island

Kings Island’s water park, Soak City, is getting some new attractions for the 2025 season.

Next year, Soak City will debut RiverRacers, the first and only dual-racing water coaster in Ohio, along with seven new kids’ water slides in Splash River Junction, the riverside-themed kids’ play area in the park.

“Whether you’re a new water slide rider or an experienced thrill seeker, Soak City offers the largest outdoor water park experience in Ohio,” Mike Koontz, vice president and general manager of Kings Island, said in a press release. “Our park guests have wanted the thrills of a water coaster for a long time, and you can never go wrong adding new experiences for kids and families to cool off together, especially in Soak City.”

Related

On RiverRacers, riders will board side-by-side rafts at the starting line before being launched 30 mph down the first drop. Then, water jets will propel the racers upward, where they’ll then split off and enter a tunnel featuring special lighting effects. Riders will face more twists and turns as they move toward the open-air, high-banking slingshot, which will turn them 180 degrees into a final mega drop to see who will cross the finish line first.

As for Splash River Junction, the new water slides, called the Salamander Sliders, will feature a variety of gentle slopes, dips and turns. Bluegill Lagoon will also be reimagined as an old-fashioned swimming hole, with a water tower that will seem to have sprung a leak or two to help swimmers cool off on a hot day. The area will also feature plenty of new loungers, chairs and umbrellas to help visitors relax in the shade.

A rendering of the reimagined Splash River Junction Rendering: Provided by Kings Island

While you’ll have to wait until next year to enjoy these attractions, Kings Island and Soak City are open for the 2024 season through Labor Day.

Kings Island, 6300 Kings Island Drive, Mason. More info: visitkingsisland.com.

Related Stories

This article appears in Aug 7-20, 2024.

Katherine Barrier is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati’s journalism program and has nearly 10 years of experience reporting local and national news as a digital journalist. At CityBeat, she...