The Beast, the longest wooden coaster in the world, opened on April 14, 1979 at Paramount`s Kings 
Island. This four million dollar coaster was built by Charlie Dinn and Kings Island Construction.
When The Beast first opened, it broke all the existing records as the longest and fastest coaster in the world. As time went on, other coasters broke The Beast`s records, except for one. The Beast has kept the record of the longest wooden roller coaster in the world, unbroken. It has a remarkable length of 7,400 feet.
The Beast is located at the "Rivertown" section of the park. It has two lift hills, three tunnels, and a 540 degree helix which is partially tunneled. What makes The Beast even more thrilling is the 35 densely wooded acres on which it`s built. Most of the trees hide the view on The Beast, so you don`t know what thrill is in store for you next.
The Beast was built with southern pine lumber and stained in a redwood finish. It was a very successful three year project.
This year, Paramount`s Kings Island announced that they will build a sequel to The Beast, which is to open in the year 2000. This coaster will be called the Son Of Beast and is expected to break seven world records. What will make this wooden coaster unique is the vertical loop it will have. It will be the first wooden coaster to have one. Let`s hope that this project will be as successful as The Beast`s.
