We at CityBeat love Kings Island, but we also know that some of the amusement park’s rides and attractions are simply better than others (for example I would rank The Beast at number one).

To figure out which rides and attractions were the best, we asked a Kings Island super fan who gave us their honest opinion. While everyone’s rankings will vary, this fanatic says these rankings are as objective as he can manage.

Kings Island is located at 6300 Kings Island Dr., Mason. Find more information at visitkingsisland.com. 

25. Boo Blasters on Boo Hill Boo Blasters on Boo Hill is Kings Island’s only dark ride and is the fourth re-skin of the Enchanted Voyage attraction. It features broken elements, nonworking guns and obvious leftovers from its days as a Scooby Doo ride. It clearly only exists because Boo Blasters and Flight of Fear are the only rides that operate during inclement weather. Photo: visitkingsisland.com
24. Dodgem Modern safety standards have neutered this attraction. Long dispatch times and not that much bumping contribute to this attraction’s low ranking on CityBeat’s list. Photo: Provided by Kings Island
23. Windseeker Poor capacity and reliability, as well as an inconvenient location are behind this attraction’s ranking. Only good if you want views of the nearly abandoned SpongeBob 4D Theater or the former Vortex site. Photo: Jeremy Thompson | Wikimedia Commons
22. Grand Carousel More of a historical artifact than a ride, says the Kings Island fanatic. The Grand Carousel was built in 1926 and recently had its organ rebuilt in 2022. However, it is hard to deny its gorgeous setting and design, so it’s worth a spin in your downtime. Photo: Hailey Bollinger
21. Charlie Brown’s Rushing River Log Ride A Coney Island transplant and day-one ride. It’s good for kids but will have long lines, lackluster splashes and its formerly wooded setting has been encroached upon over the years. Photo: Provided by Kings Island
20. All Coney Mall Flats (Scrambler; Shake, Rattle, and Roll; Monster; and Zephyr) The park’s collection of twirl ‘n hurls. These rides do more or less the same thing and rarely have a wait. The nostalgia of these attractions do earn them a few bonus points, though. Photo: Provided by Kings Island
19. Congo Falls Kings Island’s Shoot the Chutes ride. Remember to stand slightly off to the side of the exit bridge if you want to get soaked. Photo: twitter.com/kingsislandpr
18. Eiffel Tower The park’s icon is the Queen City’s one-third scale, and for some reason, green take on the real one in Paris. Kings Island’s Eiffel Tower does provide great views and is good for photo ops without a long wait time. (Although in recent years its views are a bit redundant with rides like Drop Tower, Windseeker and Orion all encroaching on its 300+-foot views). Photo: Paige Deglow
17. Viking Fury Viking Fury is a standard pirate ship ride with great views of Oktoberfest Lake. If you’re lucky (or not) a fun ride operator will get the opposing halves of the ship in a screaming match. Photo: twitter.com/kingsislandpr
16. K.I. & Miami Valley Railroad This attraction doubles as an iconic day-one attraction and transportation to Soak City. Fun for all ages, shapes, sizes and thrill tolerance. Additional bonus points for providing a good break from the day on an actual steam locomotive. Photo: Provided by Kings Island
15. Kings Mills Antique Autos This classic antique cars ride was brought back for 2019 after years away. It’s great fun for the entire family and provides lots of fun Easter eggs about Kings Island history. Photo: twitter.com/kingsislandpr
14. White Water Canyon White Water Canyon is Kings Island’s take on the classic river rapids-style attraction. It’s not exactly thrilling but a good, secluded (and wet) break from the day with interactive elements with the train, two nearby coasters and fellow guests. Photo: twitter.com/kingsislandpr
13. Backlot Stunt Coaster An infamous eye sore and the last major reminder that the park was owned by Paramount for 13 years, Backlot Stunt Coaster is a fun family ride with decently maintained theming and a good transition to bigger coasters. Photo: twitter.com/kingsislandpr
12. The Bat Known more for it’s long (literally) queue line, multiple name changes (most locals still call this ride by its previous name “Top Gun”) and short ride time, The Bat is still a fun and secluded ride for the whole family and is a good entry point for inverted coasters. Photo: visitkingsisland.com
11. Adventure Express Adventure Express is a “modern” take on the classic mine train coaster. It has a sort of cult following among coaster enthusiasts, but is infamously know locally for its anticlimactic ending and obvious Indiana Jones-inspired theme. Photo: visitkingsisland.com
10. Drop Tower The only ride at Kings Island I’m still legitimately terrified of. It’s scary. Photo: visitkingsisland.com
9. Invertigo Invertigo is a a large and inverted version of the standard boomerang coaster. It’s not the smoothest or quickest line but plenty thrilling and remains an icon at the front of the park. Photo: visitkingsisland.com
8. The Racer This twin wooden roller coaster features a red car and blue car. Both cars move forward (except for from 1982 to 2008, when one went backward) and literally do race. Well-known park enthusiast Don Helbig — who has ridden the coaster more than 12,000 times — says no one knows which car will win each time. Photo: Provided by Kings Island
7. Delirium Delirium is a standard frisbee ride upscaled for a permanent and major park. Lots of fun, but male riders may have unique issues with the restraints. Photo: visitkingsisland.com
6. Flight of Fear Kings Island’s only indoor coaster and launched thrill coaster, Flight of Fear is a local favorite known for its intense launch and mystery element for first time riders. However, riders should expect a bit of a rattle and long wait times in the air conditioned, low-capacity attraction. Photo: visitkingsisland.com
5. The Beast A local legend known for its “night rides” and refurbished for 2022, The Beast is about as iconic to the city as chili and the Reds. While the ride has great elements like the double helix finale that have held up over the last 40+ years, there are some dull or rough moments that haven’t aged quite as well. Photo: facebook.com/visitkingsisland
4. Diamondback Diamondback is an airtime machine that put Kings Island back on the coaster map in 2009. The ride has great capacity, although suffers from a bit of a rattle and slow speeds in the early or cold hours. Photo: visitkingsisland.com
3. Orion Although fans were disappointed that the ride wasn’t a Fury 325 or Millennium Force killer, Orion has speed, height and airtime worthy of the giga coaster name. Photo: facebook.com/visitkingsisland
2. Banshee Banshee has inversions for days, great capacity and unexpected length, using the former Son of Beast’s hillside to its advantage. Photo: facebook.com/visitkingsisland
1. Mystic Timbers Airtime, laterals, speed, smooth, wooded and wet setting and surprisingly good theming for a Cedar Fair Park earn Mystic Timbers high marks. It’s truly everything you want in a Kings Island coaster. Photo: visitkingsisland.com
Kings Island Photo: facebook.com/visitkingsisland