Amusement Park News

RiverRacers, the first dual-racing water coaster in Ohio, made its debut this summer at Soak City in Kings Island's waterpark, located in Mason, Ohio.

According to park manager and operations v.p. Tony Carovaillano, the new ride recalls an iconic one, The Racer, which was Kings Island's first roller coaster, and a big part of Soak City's parent park when it opened over 50 years ago.

The design also reflects the Little Miami River which borders Soak City and is popular for recreational use such as tubing and rafting.

Manufactured by WhiteWater West, RiverRacers utilizes the company's Master Blaster tech to move two-person rafts upward, in an exciting uphill trajectory. For RiverRacers, the technology has been adapted for a racing design as Blaster Battle, providing a greater force.



Carovaillano notes that the ride was designed to bring an interactive experience to the water park, one that allowed guests to “have that interaction with your friends…When you hit that first drop and then get launched up into the top- that's a great experience…” He adds that the launch element also includes other examples of WhiteWater fun in action, including a constrictor, which allows riders to experience “some Gs coming out of that first turn, then ending with a nice Colorado drop for one last burst of speed.”

The exciting ride does require a bit of an energy investment from riders to enjoy these thrills. Riders have to climb 48 feet to the top of the ride tower, and then, at the peak, up to four guests can board a pair of two person rafts. The rafts rest on a conveyor belt. “When the all-clear is given,” Carovaillano relates, “then the conveyor dispatches the two rafts down the parallel chutes, ensuring an even start for both.” Rafts can reach speeds of as much as 30 miles per hour.

Multiple exciting experiences await guests, from an initial 33-foot, 47-degree drop to a water jet-propelled 22 uphill feet, which takes place at a thrilling 24-degree angle. The water jets are located on the bottom of the chute propelling the rafts upward; large windows on the chute's side gives racers a view of their competition while keeping the rafts safely separated and in place.



Once that 22-foot hill is crested, the chutes diverge from each other. Raft riders now enter an immersive mirrored maze of enclosed tubes that also feature glowing, luminous green and blue patterns. The patterns differ between vertical and horizonal depending on which chute riders are traveling through. This variety assures a different experience for guests through multiple rides.

Next, rafts surge out of the chutes and into the daylight, where they enter the constrictor section of RiverRacers. It's here that riders will feel the increasing intensity of G-forces as they fly through a 180-degree slingshot turn.

But that's not all. According to Carovaillano, another curve awaits, bringing the two racing chutes side by side once again for a final drop as the two rafts race to reach the finish line.



With 530-feet of slide in all, riders have plenty of non-stop action to enjoy as they race.

Along with RiverRacers, the water park also introduced a new area for younger slide enthusiasts this summer, Splash River Junction. The area includes a variety of interactive slides and experiences, from wading pools to a water tower that has a few well-placed, showering “leaks” for cooling fun. At Salamander Sliders, seven new water slides offer easy slopes and dips for young children. The very youngest can enjoy the Tadpool, a toddler slide that gently descends into just 18 inches of water.

The former Aruba Tuba slide has been revamped as Riverbank Slide Out, for slightly older kids to enjoy medium level thrills from both body slides and a two-rider raft experience.

Maintenance and construction v.p. Joel Yankie describes the entire area as a great spot to for families to relax for a day at the park, easily accessible from the kiddie slides nearby and  close at hand to the new RiverRacers. “It's nice how the new attraction ties into that corner of the park,” he points out.

Each of these areas is a part of the Bluegill Lagoon, a freshly imagined area of the park that's styled as an “ol' fashioned” swimming hole with both rustic-looking design and some whimsical touches such as that “leaky” water tower.

Protecting the littlest water park guests, this area also utilizes Life Floor, a comfortably cushioned flooring surface that also helps to prevent slips and falls because of increased traction on the surface.

Also new in this area: the addition of six premium cabanas, replete with everything from flat screen televisions to luxurious chaise lounges. Mobile phone ordering allows cabana guests to order food for delivery without leaving their comfortable perch.

Outside of all the splashing new fun, Soak City also refreshed the park as a whole for the 2025 summer season, from fresh paint to additional seating and cabanas. With new decking also added, this year guests found that there were significantly more loungers and chairs – several hundred, in fact, placed throughout the park for relaxing and a little sunbathing, too. Hungry guests could enjoy dining at Coconut Cover or the Island Smoke House both located within Soak City.
 
Daily admission tickets to both Soak City and Kings Island started at $45 during the 2025 summer season.