The Kings Island Amusement Park delivers rides not for the faint of heart, including the world’s longest wooden rollercoaster, disorienting, fast, and generally terrifying attractions with names like Slingshot and Flight of Fear. These are balanced out by a carousel and a train ride, as well as a large water park; Planet Snoopy provides rides for children, and there is daily live entertainment. One visitor rated it the best amusement park in the country. Stay on Kings Island for some less heart-pounding activity when you play at the Golf Center at Kings Island, featuring the Grizzly, an 18-hole championship course used by the Senior PGA. Get a little practice first at the Academy Course and you will be good to go. If you did not get enough water fun at Kings Island, then head over to the Beach Waterpark for a Caribbean-flavored adventure. These rides are somewhat less frightening than those at Kings Island and may be more suitable for children (and the adults who accompany them!). It features 2,600 tons of beach sand, 150 live palm trees, and two million gallons of water in the various rides and activities.
Head over to Cincinnati and plan on spending the whole day at the Zoo and Botanical Garden (many visitors say that six hours was not enough to see everything) where older children and adults will enjoy the 4D show, and younger kids the petting zoo section. There is a cheetah show and manicured grounds to enjoy as well as the usual display of wild, endangered and exotic animals. If you would like something tamer than the zoo, then the American Sign Museum will teach you how neon and argon gases produce a rainbow of colors. Older visitors will enjoy a tour through memories of the past, and younger ones will love watching the artisans next door crafting neon signs. And while you are in town, check out the Cincinnati Art Museum with its significant Impressionist collection and outstanding Rookwood pottery and local Cincinnati artists’ collections. Admission is free, as is parking if you spend $10 at the gift shop. Mason is the place to go for family activities, whether you want water slides, fast rollercoasters or museum visits.
With a number of great Choice hotels, Mason Ohio gives you a great place to stay—and return to, when you find yourself exhausted from too much fun.