In what appears to have become a summer time tradition, our Residential kids once again visited Kings Island.  There’s something magical about stepping through the gates of Kings Island. Whether it’s the smell of funnel cakes drifting through the air or the distant screams from the towering roller coasters, the excitement hits you the moment you arrive. The magic seems to intensify when taking kids that either have never experienced a roller coaster, or are terrified to experience them again.  The day started early, with the sun shining and a perfect forecast for roller coaster hopping. Our first stop? Orion, the park’s massive giga coaster. Standing at 287 feet tall, it looked both terrifying and thrilling from the ground. The first drop was a rush unlike anything we’d felt before—wind whipping past, stomach dropping, and a mix of fear and exhilaration that had us laughing uncontrollably by the end. After that it was a constant blur of massive drops, and high banked corners, followed by constant laughs alongside comments like “Oh my gosh! Can we ride that again”? Or “Oh my gosh I’m never riding that again”! 

   After a lite lunch, a few more rides, along with half a dozen trips to the beverage center, it was time for a Kings Island classic.  LaRosa’s pizza!  We each devoured a few pieces of pepperoni pizza and a couple of breadsticks and hit the rides again.  Over the course of the day we rode all the classics: The Beast, a wooden coaster that feels like a wild trek through the woods, and Diamondback, with its smooth drops and iconic splashdown at the end, and Banshee, an inverted coaster that feels like you are flying.  As the sun began to set, we slowly made our way to the main entrance (after one last stop at the beverage center), to get a good view of the nightly fireworks/drone show.  Tired, and sweaty we made our way back to the van to begin our long trek back to Portland. During the day this staff person heard something I will never forget.  After we had successfully rode all the coasters, one resident turned to me and said “this is like one of those good memory days, because I faced my fears and rode everything”.  I’m not sure it gets any better than that.