Ohio theme parks rank in top 15 in attendance

MASON, Ohio (AP) — Ohio’s Cedar Point and Kings Island were the most-visited theme parks in the nation last year outside of the usual hot spots in Florida and California, according to a new report from an industry trade group.

Cedar Point in Sandusky came in 14th in the nation in attendance, and Kings Island near Cincinnati was 15th, the Themed Entertainment Association reported. Both had around 3.2 million visitors in 2012.

Disney’s Magic Kingdom near Orlando, Fla., was the most-visited park in the country — and entire world — last year with 17.5 million visitors. Other parks in Florida and California filled out the top 13.

Cedar Point attendance was up 2.5 percent, and Kings Island’s was up by 2 percent last year, according to the association. Both are owned by Cedar Fair Entertainment Co., which was the seventh-largest theme-park group in the world last year.

The Cincinnati Enquirer reported the rankings today from the Themed Entertainment Association, which represents developers, designers and producers from around the world.