By Addison Burke

Summer is officially on its way as Kings Island opened its gates for the season last Saturday. While the amusement park looks mostly the same as it did last year, new thrills have arrived, including the Camp Snoopy kid’s zone, which will open later this spring.

Camp Snoopy is an extension of the already existing Planet Snoopy kids area, but it now has a new focal point: Snoopy’s Soap Box Racers. The ride is Kings Island’s first family boomerang ride that will take riders forward and backward on the track. The ride can reach up to 36 miles an hour and has a max height of 70 feet. The ride can fit 20 people at one time, and along the track, riders will see many of the famous Peanuts characters including Snoopy, Charlie Brown and Woodstock. 

Camp Snoopy will also include a new Beagle Scout Acres play area and a new food cafeteria called Pigpen’s Mess Hall. The ride, Race for Your Life Charlie Brown, is now being called Charles Brown’s Rushing River Log Ride, and Flying Ace Aerial Chase has also been renamed to Woodstock’s Air Rail.

Beagle Scout Acres is an area within Camp Snoopy where kids will be able to run around, play or just relax in a shaded area with their family. Pigpen’s Mess Hall will also open later this spring along with Snoopy’s Soap Box Racers and it will be a counter-service food option for guests in Camp Snoopy.

Another new feature of Kings Island is a show called “Under the Stars.” This show is a nighttime finale that will begin on Memorial Day weekend. It will feature hundreds of drones, laser projections and fireworks. It will be a nice way to wind down after having been on roller coasters all day. There is also the new Gazillion Bubble Show, which is a new music and bubble show that will run in the park from June 15 to July 7.

The Chicken Shack and Jukebox Diner food stands underwent a remodel for the 2024 season and are now open in their updated forms. While no new food options have been added in Kings Island other than Pigpen’s Mess Hall, Kings Island’s water park Soak City has added a covered outdoor bar next to the Coconut Cove Café. Soak City will open Memorial Day weekend.

Currently, Kings Island will only be open on the weekend until daily operations begin on May 15. The park will remain open every day until they go back to weekend-only operations on Aug. 23. The fall and winter seasons will feature the Halloween Haunt starting in September and Winterfest starting in November.