KI makes many memories and ideas come to mind, so I must ask what do you think KI is to you? To me its the feel of the July days and nights, going to BB (Dont be hatin!), Top Gun, riding The Beast and The Racers at night, and going through the haunts of HH, which I hope could be better. I will post more after more comments have been posted.

What is Kings Island to me? A lot of things; my first ride on Son of Beast (as it was my first looping coaster), putting my hands up on The Racer, riding other classic coasters like Flight of Fear, Vortex, and The Beast, great thrill rides like Drop Tower and Xtreme Skyflyer, the smell of hot pavement and grease on The Racer's track, and lots of fun!

EDIT: Oh yeah, can't forget the 3-day awesomeness that is Sprit Song, had so many great times seeing such great bands like Skillet, Family Force 5 and Newsboys rocking out!

I cannot wait for SS 2012!

Kings Island is so many things that it would be impossible to describe it as eloquently as it deserves - it is an escape, a place that feels like home, a special park that has been involved in developing many memories over the past 32 years.

I've visited with my family (parents, brother, cousins from Europe, wife, kids, in-laws), my friends (high school, college, work, those I've met through the park, those I've met through my kids), and by myself and have memories of each.

From rides on Bayern Kurve with my Dad, to Antique car hi-jinks with my friends (when I was young and dumb). From marathon rides on King Cobra/Racer as a kid to marathon rides on Diamondback as an adult. From family outings with three generations riding Fairly Odd Coaster to first Racer/Vortex/Beast rides with each of my boys. Shows, fireworks, water rides, games, pizza, coasters, ice cream, and flats - there are memories everywhere at the park for me, and more to be created on my next trip.

My second home.

When I was a young kid, and we moved from the relative serenity of my birthplace, Mason, Ohio, to the loud, urban maelstrom of suburban Detroit, I suffered from homesickness and often expressed my desire to return to my home by drawing the Eiffel Tower on everything...Etch-A-Sketch, drawing paper, making it out of wood blocks and Legos (obsessed much?) I was like the people in "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" with their [although implanted] fixation on Devil's Tower, Wyoming.

Teachers and social workers picked up on this, and tried to talk me into accepting that I might not return for many years. I kept believing, though and, through circumstances in my parents' lives, finally moved back to Mason in 1980 with much peace and jubilation.

First stop: Kings Island, where I got to go up into the tower for the first time in a long while. I can't explain how special that was, but to a kid it's pretty neat. I never visit the park without at least a stop at Tower Drinks. The tower, as well as the whole park, is a landmark of happiness in my otherwise stormy young life.

I also think of this

Frischs after KI days

Wendys at the time of fireworks

Hannah Barberra land

The Tomb Raider statue near the Antique Cars

The Bat ride in HB

The push carts in HB (Quick Draw Mcgraws?)

Skeletons of HH

FearFest nights

KI's always been a fun place to just enjoy the day, the rides and the experiences with your friends and family. It's a place I've grown up going to, made a lot of memories in, and conquered a lot of fears within. It's nice to be able to go there and forget the stress of life and most of your worries while enjoying the fun.

Kings Island to me is a lot of things. It's my favorite hobby. It's my favorite place to spend time with my girlfriend. It's night rides on The Beast. It's a place I wish I could have seen in its former glory, before even the Paramount years. It's two fantastic summers spent with a very dear friend that I will never be able to see again. And finally, it's my escape from the stresses and responsibilities of adulthood so I can enjoy feeling like a kid, even if it's just for an afternoon at a time.

When my life sucks, it's a place to go where I can't help but be happy.