Is everybody just as excited about summer coming as I am? That's actually not typical for me, but I'm also not as hot-natured as I used to be either.

I just like being outdoors and it's easier in the summer. There you go.

And with summer unofficially kicking off with Memorial Day Weekend, many of us will be thinking about travel plans, large and small. Hey, we've already a weekend picnic planned at Barren River Lake, one of my favorites.

Get our free mobile app

Naturally, summer plans usually include visits to theme parks. And we have some excellent ones very close, close, and close enough. Respectively, I'm talking about Holiday World, Kentucky Kingdom, and Kings Island. Oh, and I guess Six Flags in St. Louis.

But let's talk about Kings Island. If you're planning to go this summer, remember that the park will be reducing its summer hours of operation.

It kind of raised my eyebrows, too, but the fact is they don't have the bodies. Yep, Kings Island is currently facing a labor shortage, according to Cincinnati Local 12.

But I gotta be honest, the hours of operation after taking into account the labor shortage don't really look that bad. And the reduced hours will only be in effect through June 10th.

The park will open at 11 AM and close at 8 PM, with season ticket holders able to get in and enjoy the rides at 10:30. Also, the Kings Island water park, Soak City, opens this weekend.

So, yeah, plan accordingly if you're heading to Cincinnati for some summertime fun. I'd love to make a weekend of it and take in the zoo, as well.

Now, if they'd just extend the Central Time Zone a little farther east, that would be perfect.

LOOK: Here are the 50 best beach towns in America

Every beach town has its share of pluses and minuses, which got us thinking about what makes a beach town the best one to live in. To find out, Stacker consulted data from WalletHub, released June 17, 2020, that compares U.S. beach towns. Ratings are based on six categories: affordability, weather, safety, economy, education and health, and quality of life. The cities ranged in population from 10,000 to 150,000, but they had to have at least one local beach listed on TripAdvisor. Read the full methodology here. From those rankings, we selected the top 50. Readers who live in California and Florida will be unsurprised to learn that many of towns featured here are in one of those two states.

Keep reading to see if your favorite beach town made the cut.

More From WOMI-AM