Popular Ohio Roller Coaster Celebrates Its 45th Hair-Raising Birthday

I will never forget the first time I rode The Beast. My family visited Kings Island when I was in high school. My sisters and I were dying to ride that coaster. My youngest sister, who was barely tall enough to make the cut, rode with me. She got off the ride completely traumatized. I walked off that coaster completely hooked. It immediately became my favorite coaster that I had ever ridden.

During high school and college, I made lots of trips to Kings Island and made lots of trips around the track of The Beast. It was in the course of one of those trips that my friends and I rode that coaster in the dark for the first time. It was the absolute best. I remember laughing hysterically as we barreled through the woods in the dark at 70 miles per hour. It was exhilarating. I also distinctly remember my friend Jenny screaming and claiming she swallowed a bug as we screamed down the first big drop.

This drop!

The Beast debuted back in 1979 and, thanks to YouTube, a couple of the original commercials for the ride are still around. At the time, the coaster was the tallest, fastest and longest wooden coaster ever built.

The coaster landscape has certainly changed over the last four decades. The Beast is no longer the tallest or fastest wooden coaster on the planet. As a matter of fact, there are taller rides at Kings Island now too. However, after 45 years, it's still the longest wooden coaster in the world and remains one of the most popular attractions at the park.

Speaking of the park, Kings Island just released its official 2024 park map and, as you can see, The Beast is still standing tall and promises that its 45th anniversary season will be "wilder than ever!"

For Kings Island park hours and the complete 2024 operating schedule, CLICK HERE!