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Roller coaster screams carry across the fields of Mason on summer evenings, because this tidy Warren County city is home to Kings Island, one of the largest amusement parks in the Midwest. Settled in the early 1800s as Palmyra and later renamed for landowner William Mason, the town stayed a farming crossroads until Interstate 71 and the park, which opened in 1972, transformed it into one of the fastest-growing suburbs between Cincinnati and Dayton.
Kings Island is the main event: wooden legend The Beast, the giga coaster Orion, Diamondback's splashdown finale and the Soak City water park, with Winterfest lights in the holiday season. Across the interstate, the Great Wolf Lodge indoor water park keeps families busy year-round, and every August the Lindner Family Tennis Center hosts the Cincinnati Open, a top professional tournament drawing the world's best players.
Away from the thrill rides, Mason is a calm place of parks and lakes, with a compact historic downtown around Main Street. Downtown Cincinnati is about 25 minutes south.
A huge amusement park that opened in 1972, with more than a dozen roller coasters, family rides, a replica Eiffel Tower with views over the park, live shows and a dedicated kids area. In late fall and winter it reopens for Halloween Haunt and Winterfest. Buy tickets online and arrive at opening to ride the big coasters first.
One of the longest wooden roller coasters in the world, opened in 1979 and still beloved for its run through the woods, dark tunnels and a double helix finale. A ride lasts over four minutes. Night rides in summer are especially intense; lines are shortest in the first hour after the park opens.
A hypercoaster with a first drop of about 215 feet, a series of airtime hills and a finale that skims a lake and throws up a wall of spray. Open seats give a floating feel. Stand on the bridge near the splashdown to watch, or ride it as one of your first coasters of the day before the queue builds.
A giga coaster opened in 2020 with a 300-foot drop at about 91 miles per hour, making it one of the tallest and fastest rides in the region. The space-age themed area around it has its own snacks and photo spots. Riders must be at least 54 inches tall; loose items go in lockers at the entrance.
The water park included with Kings Island admission, with large slide towers, a wave pool, a lazy river and splash areas for small children. It opens from late May to early September. Rent a locker, bring water shoes for the hot concrete and go mid-afternoon when the ride lines in the main park are longest.
A large lodge-style resort across from Kings Island with an indoor water park kept warm year-round, plus an arcade, a ropes course and a magic quest game that sends kids through the lobby. Water park access is mostly for overnight guests, so book a room or check for day passes in advance.
A major professional tennis tournament for men and women held each August at the Lindner Family Tennis Center, a key warm-up for the US Open. Early-round tickets let you wander outer courts and watch top players up close. Bring sun protection; the stadium court is open to the sky and summer afternoons are hot.
A city park built around a chain of small lakes, with paved walking loops, fishing spots, boardwalks, a playground and picnic shelters. Ducks and herons gather along the shoreline. It is a peaceful escape from the theme park crowds and is busiest on summer evenings, when local families come for walks.
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