MASON, Ohio — In a year full of ups and downs, Kings Island's new giga coaster Orion was voted the Best New Amusement Park Attraction.
RELATED: Kings Island's Orion first ride: Thrills, chills and, oh, what a drop
After four weeks of nationwide voting, fans of Orion showed up and flipped out over the new ride in a poll from USA Today and 10Best.com.
"I have to admit that I must have checked the live results throughout the contest at least a thousand times," said Chad Showalter, Kings Island spokesman. "(I) was at the edge of my seat when the official results were revealed."
Orion has a 300-foot drop at the start of the ride before sending riders along 5,321 feet of track at speeds up to 91 mph. The ride is the tallest, fastest and longest ride at Kings Island.
The coaster was built by Swiss manufacturer B&M, and the ride is so smooth that even when it brakes near the end you aren't thrown forward.
