Coney Island is a water park located on the banks of the

Ohio River The Ohio River is a long river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly from western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of Illino ...

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

, approximately east of the downtown area in Anderson Township. One of its notable features is its Sunlite Pool attraction, which is the largest recirculating pool in North America. The park sits adjacent to

Riverbend Music Center Riverbend Music Center is an outdoor amphitheater located in Cincinnati, Ohio, along the banks of the Ohio River. It has a capacity of 20,500 (6,000 reserved pavilion seats and 14,500 general admission lawn) and was built for the Cincinnati Sympho ...

and

Belterra Park Belterra Park, formerly known as River Downs, is a racino located in Anderson Township, Hamilton County, Ohio, just outside the southeast limits of Cincinnati. It is owned by Gaming and Leisure Properties and operated by Boyd Gaming. History ...

. Beginning in 1870, the original owner called the area Parker's Grove, which was later renamed Ohio Grove, The Coney Island of the West after the Ohio Grove Corporation purchased the park in 1886. The name was shortened to Coney Island the following season. Over the years, the park expanded with dozens of rides and attractions, leading to its popularity as an amusement park destination. Coney Island was sold to

Taft Broadcasting The Taft Broadcasting Company (also known as Taft Television and Radio Company, Incorporated) was an American media conglomerate based in Cincinnati, Ohio. The company was rooted in the Taft family, family of William Howard Taft, the 27th Presid ...

in 1969 with intentions to move the park to a new, larger destination away from frequent flooding. The new park opened as

Kings Island Kings Island is a amusement park located northeast of Cincinnati in Mason, Ohio, United States. Owned and operated by Cedar Fair, the park first opened in 1972 by the Taft Broadcasting Company. It was part of a larger effort to move and expan ...

in 1972, although Coney Island's Sunlite Pool remained in operation. Smaller flat rides eventually returned, and additional investments and improvements were made to the Sunlite Pool area. These changes, along with the opening of the nearby

in 1984, allowed the park's attendance and profitability to recover. In 2019, Coney Island removed amusement rides in an effort to focus its operations exclusively on water park amenities.

History

Coney Island's founding dates back to 1867 when apple-farmer James Parker purchased approximately of land along the shores of the

. Parker soon realized the popularity of the farm's location, and that renting it out was more profitable than his apple orchard. He named it Parker's Grove and eventually added a dining hall, dancing hall, and bowling alley. He later sold the land in 1886 for $17,500 to a company called Ohio Grove Corporation headed by two steamboat captains. For the opening on June 21, 1886, the name was officially changed to "Ohio Grove, The Coney Island of the West" in an effort to link the park with the famous New York destination. With its riverfront location, the riverboat became the most popular method of transportation for park visitors. In 1887, "Ohio Grove" was completely dropped from the name as the park became known simply as "Coney Island". The Sunlite Pool was added in 1925. It is an outdoor freshwater pool with surface area, ranking as 12th-largest pool in the world . It remains the largest recirculating pool in North America. Over the years, Coney Island became a full-fledged amusement park, complete with rides and

carnival Carnival is a Catholic Christian festive season that occurs before the liturgical season of Lent. The main events typically occur during February or early March, during the period historically known as Shrovetide (or Pre-Lent). Carnival typi ...

games. Notable additions included the first and second

Island Queen The ''Island Queen'' was a series of two American sidewheeler steamboats built in 1896 and 1925 respectively. Both vessels were passenger carriers cruising along the Mississippi and Ohio rivers as both an excursion boat and tramp steamer. The fi ...

in 1896 and 1925, respectively, Moonlite Gardens dance pavilion in 1925, the Wildcat and Twister wooden roller coasters in 1926, the Land of Oz children's section in 1934, and the Shooting Star roller coaster (a renovation of the former Clipper roller coaster) in 1947. Coney Island became a Cincinnati institution. It was desegregated after being sued in 1952 by

Marian Spencer Marian Regelia Alexander Spencer (June 28, 1920 – July 9, 2019) was an American politician who served as Vice Mayor of the Cincinnati City Council in Cincinnati, Ohio. She was the first African American woman to be elected to the Council. Th ...

. The park's proximity to the river made it prone to frequent flooding. In 1968, park management entered into talks with

for the purpose of developing a new park on higher ground. Taft responded by buying Coney Island outright in 1969, and construction began the following year on a new site located in Deerfield Township of

Warren County Warren County is the name of fourteen counties in the USA. Some are named after General Joseph Warren, who was killed in the Battle of Bunker Hill in the American Revolutionary War: * Warren County, Georgia * Warren County, Illinois * Warren County ...

north of Cincinnati along Interstate 71. Coney Island closed its amusements on September 6, 1971, as most of its rides were moved to the newly completed

theme park. After Kings Island opened in 1972, Taft Broadcasting intended to sell Coney Island's land for redevelopment. However, with the company's decision to open another theme park in Virginia (

Kings Dominion Kings Dominion is an amusement park located in Doswell, Virginia, north of Richmond, Virginia, Richmond and south of Washington, D.C. Owned and operated by Cedar Fair, the park opened to the public on May 3, 1975, and features more than 60 ri ...

) and its acquisition of

Carowinds Carowinds is a amusement park located adjacent to Interstate 77 in Charlotte, North Carolina. The park straddles the North Carolina-South Carolina state line, with a portion of the park located in Fort Mill, South Carolina. However, it has an of ...

on the North Carolina-South Carolina border, the property's redevelopment became a low priority. Less than two years after closing, Coney Island reopened permanently in 1973. The park was only a shadow of its former self but still featured several popular attractions. The Sunlite Pool was one of those attractions that helped Coney Island remain a popular summertime destination. The park donated of land for the construction of

which opened in 1984. The land was the former location of the Wildcat and Shooting Star roller coasters. The Riverbend amphitheater serves as the summer home of the Cincinnati

Symphony A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, most often for orchestra. Although the term has had many meanings from its origins in the ancient Greek era, by the late 18th century the word had taken on the meaning com ...

and

Pops Pops may refer to: Name or nickname * Pops, an informal term of address for a father or elder * Pops (nickname), a list of people * Pops (Muppet), a Muppets character * Pops (Johnny Bravo), a character from the Cartoon Network animated television ...

Orchestras, as well as a concert venue for other musical acts. In 1991, Coney Island was purchased by Cincinnati businessman Ronald Walker. No longer held back by a corporate entity, management has been able to restore Coney Island as a traditional amusement park with familiar rides such as the "

Tilt-A-Whirl Tilt-A-Whirl is a flat ride similar to the Waltzer in Europe, designed for commercial use at amusement parks, fairs, and carnivals, in which it is commonly found. The rides are manufactured by Larson International of Plainview, Texas. Des ...

bumper cars Bumper cars or dodgems are the generic names for a type of flat amusement ride consisting of multiple small electrically powered cars which draw power from the floor and/or ceiling, and which are turned on and off remotely by an operator. Bumpe ...

, carnival games and musical shows.Jacques, Jr., Charles J., ''Cincinnati's Coney Island: America's Finest Amusement Park'', 2002, Amusement Park Journal () Coney Island announced plans to remove all amusement rides from the park on September 21, 2019, but continues to operate as a water park featuring the Sunlite Pool and other water-related attractions. The decision was based on attendance, consumer feedback, and rising costs associated with maintaining ride operation.

Current attractions

Sunlite Water Adventure

Family attractions

Former attractions

Pre-1972

Post-1972

Events

Coney Island serves as the location for several festivals, includin
Summerfair Arts Festival
the "Cincinnati Celtic World Festival", the Appalachian Festival, and th
Cincinnati Flower and Farm Fest
Concerts are also held in the Moonlite Gardens area of the park, most notably by

Over the Rhine Over-the-Rhine (often abbreviated as OTR) is a neighborhood in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. Historically, Over-the-Rhine has been a working-class neighborhood. It is among the largest, most intact urban historic districts in the United Sta ...

. Scenes from the old children's TV show ''

The Banana Splits ''The Banana Splits'' is an American television variety show produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and featuring the Banana Splits, a fictional rock band composed of four costumed animal characters in red marching band hats with yellow plumes. ...

'' were filmed on location at Coney Island.

References

External links

*
ConeyislandCentral.com
*{{RCDB, 4740, Coney Island Amusement parks in Ohio Tourist attractions in Cincinnati Buildings and structures in Cincinnati Defunct amusement parks in Ohio 1886 establishments in Ohio 1974 establishments in Ohio