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VIDEO: Kings Island's Tropical Plunge is worth the heart palpitations

Posted at 1:48 PM, Jun 29, 2016
and last updated 2016-06-29 14:03:31-04

CINCINNATI — This year’s long Fourth of July weekend will feature a lot of outdoor activities across the Tri-State: fireworks, cookouts, community parades and plenty of time for people to cool off at waterpark attractions, such as the new Tropical Plunge at Kings Island's Soak City.

RELATED: Is a new, wooden roller coaster coming to Kings Island?

During a recent discussion of things to do over the holiday, I suggested that we should try Kings Island’s new attraction. I did not necessarily mean I should try it.

The tower is seven stories tall, with three of its six slides featuring dropout floors. The most intense of those slides rockets riders up to 25 mph into a splash pool below. (Yep, definitely didn't mean me.)

However, after I confessed my fear of vertical drops, my boss thought I would be the perfect test subject. So I rode the yellow slide, which is the shortest and fastest, four times for the video above.

Yes, the slide was intense, especially waiting for the floor to drop. For a guy who hates slides, though, I have to say it was worth the heart palpitations.

How high is it? Seven stories -- and you feel every one of them on the long climb up.
How many slides are there? Six (three tube slides and three free-fall)
Thrill factor on a scale of 1-10: Six to 10 depending on the slide (the yellow one being 10)
Would you do it again? Hell, yes.