MASON, Ohio — After months of construction, the wait is finally over — Kings Islands' new themed area Adventure Port is opening to the public Saturday.
The area features multiple new rides and food options for guests at Kings Island.
Adventure Port was first announced in October 2022. It's based off an ancient city that was carved out of stone.
"Over the past several months I've been truly amazed to see how this area of the park has been transformed into telling an immersive story of adventure and exploration," said Mike Koontz, vice president and general manager of Kings Island. "The rides we've added are a perfect complement to the park's offerings, and we took advantage of the new area to continue to showcase the quality of our food and beverage offering."
The area is nearby the Banshee coaster and features two new rides, Sol Spin and Cargo Loco. The Adventure Express coaster, which is located in the area and has been at the park since 1991, also has a new theme where riders go on a treasure-hunting mine train expedition.
Sol Spin "may hold the secrets of the lost city," and riders are suspended in open air as the ride, which is shaped like a gigantic golden Ferris wheel, inverts and spins 60 feet through the air at 25 mph. Longtime Kings Island fans may see similarities between Sol Spin and the old SkyLab ride.
Cargo Loco sends riders spinning, similar to the tea cups at Disney World, as they board shipping barrels where they can manually control the speed of their spin with a wheel inside the barrel.
Other than rides, Adventure Port has new food options for park-goers: Enrique's restaurant and the Mercado Patio Bar.
Enrique's is an update to a previous burrito restaurant near Coney Mall, and the Mercado Patio Bar replaced the beer garden area across from where the Sling Shot used to stand.
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