Opening in 1989 as WaterWorks, the water park is included with the price of admission to Kings Island.

Soak City originally opened in 1989 as a 12-acre (4.9 ha) water park under the name WaterWorks featuring 15 water slides, a wave pool, and a lazy river ride called Action River.

[3] WaterWorks was the first themed area to be added to Kings Island since 1976, bringing the total to seven.

On September 2, 2011, Kings Island announced that the water park would undergo a $10-million expansion, which would include the renovation of the water park's main entrance, a revamp of the existing Lazy River ride, and the construction of additional amenities.

A second, larger wave pool was also added, and the water park's name was changed to Soak City for the 2012 season.