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This Trip Report is a little over a month old, but while I was out in the Pittsburgh area, I had the oppertunity to visit Kennywood for the first time. To be awnest I wasn't really expecting much from the park, but it absolutely proved me wrong!
The prices were really affordible with addmission costing $28.50 a person when purchased online.
When we were approaching the park, we got off of I-376 and went through some ghetto neighborhood. Just before we got to the river we encountered some heavy traffic which left us sitting for nearly 20 minutes. When we arrived, we thought that cost $6 for the lot, but if you parked on the 2nd or 3rd level, it was free and you also could've got a free ride on the ski-lift or escalator to the entrance.
We parked in the second level, walked to the entrance which was nicely landscaped, enter and then got in line for our first ride: Garfield's Nightmare.
The ride was not as bad as most people have said. I personally find the Hershey's Tour Ride more annoying.
One of the cool retro Old Mill boats.
My first coaster was the Jack Rabbit which had a full line and even with running two trains, I only had to wait 10 minutes at the most. There was some flater air here and there, but the double dip was extreme.
Overall it was a good ride, but not the greatest I've ridden.
The Racer on the other hand was a cool ride as well. Unlike it's newer relative at Hershey, this one is more about the hand-slapping instead of who wins. The line could've been better if they allowed you to pick your seats in queue form.
Nice station.
I just don't understand the concept of having three trains and not having a fourth. If they did, but the wait would've been better.
It had a decent layout as well.
From here I rode the Aero 360 and got a front seat. Gotta love the hangtime on this thing.
To take in some history, we rode the Auto Race next. I'm guessing back in the day people were smaller because it was an absolute pain getting in those cars. The ride was good, but they needed gas pedals.
You can't really steer much which was cool.
It had a station fly-by. 
Next we rode the train and saw Laughing Sal.
Next were two laps on Raging Rapids which was a pretty cool raft ride. There were only one or two waterfalls and the rest was rapids, but since it was me, I got the waterfalls on both of my rides making me almosted water-logged afterward. lol
If you remember, Hershey sold Kennywood the rest of their rafts. So what happened to them?
Well, while waiting in line I noted that each raft almost each had 3 different kinds of seat backs and that a few rafts had labels on them possibly covering up the old logos.
Here's a closer look.
Next was the famous Thunderbolt which turned out to be the best wooden coaster in the park. While it's not as incredible as the Phoenix, it is the 2nd best on my wood list.
The laterals were great, the drops were nice, but the only great airtime I got was heading onto the lifthill.
This had to be the coaster with the shortest line in the park. It was almost practically a walk-on.
From here it was over to Ghostwood Estate which had a 15 minute wait. I was really interested in how the vehicles moved. The system was trackless and was computer-controlled.
The targets were tougher to hit compared to Hershey's, the score-counter went up to only 10,000, but not even half-way through the ride, we stopped.
At first I thought it was the block system, but after sitting for close to 10 minutes shooting at the same target in a very warm room, the operator came around, unloaded us and we walked through the rest of the ride with the lights on. I did get 10,000, butI had to switch to the controller next to me to continue shooting.
The reason? Someone got hurt and as we were leaving the paramedics were arriving. The next ride was the biggest suprise of my visit.
When I saw Phantom's Revenge, I thought that this ride wouldn't be anything special except for the 230 foot drop. Thankfully I was proven wrong and after wandering around Lost Kennywood trying to find the entrance and waiting for 20 minutes, I got a backseat ride on the wildest coaster I've riden so far.
The first drop whipped you around the curve over the 2nd hill and down the massive drop. From there, the rabbit hops were extreme with launching you out of your seat on every hill. This ride was extreme and is now my number 1 steel coaster.
Next I rode the Pit Fall which had to be the first ride in awhile I was scared to ride. While I was nervous, this has to be a flat that ranks high on my list.
3 sides were operating.
Next was the last new credit, Exterminator. The loading was similar to Ghostwood with the pre-show, but the ride was done nicely with theming, total darkness, and spinning.
The Lost Kennywood area was themed well too. Next I rode my first S&S ride, the SwingShot. The ride worked using compressed air and could've been a bit longer.
Bayern Kurve was closed
But I did get some nerd shots.
Next I rode the Cosmic Chaos Disko which seems like a good ride for the family and then ate at the Parkside Cafe. For under $9, I got 6 or 7 chicken strips, tons of fries, a roll and butter, and a drink. The food ranks up there with Knoebels IMO.
I then rode the Gran Prix which could use new bumper cars then the Paratrooper. I next went back on all the coaster except Exterminator until the park closed. The last ride was Phantoms Revenge in the front row which rocked!
Here are a few more photos:
Retro fountain goodness.
The SkyCoaster looked interesting to try if it wasn't $25.
Raging Rapids goes under Thunderbolt's lifthill.
Overall I thought Kennywood had to be the best park I have visted so far. The rides, atmosphere, food, shows, and staff were all great. Maybe once this new coaster is built I might return.
The prices were really affordible with addmission costing $28.50 a person when purchased online.
When we were approaching the park, we got off of I-376 and went through some ghetto neighborhood. Just before we got to the river we encountered some heavy traffic which left us sitting for nearly 20 minutes. When we arrived, we thought that cost $6 for the lot, but if you parked on the 2nd or 3rd level, it was free and you also could've got a free ride on the ski-lift or escalator to the entrance.
We parked in the second level, walked to the entrance which was nicely landscaped, enter and then got in line for our first ride: Garfield's Nightmare.
The ride was not as bad as most people have said. I personally find the Hershey's Tour Ride more annoying.
One of the cool retro Old Mill boats.My first coaster was the Jack Rabbit which had a full line and even with running two trains, I only had to wait 10 minutes at the most. There was some flater air here and there, but the double dip was extreme.
Overall it was a good ride, but not the greatest I've ridden.The Racer on the other hand was a cool ride as well. Unlike it's newer relative at Hershey, this one is more about the hand-slapping instead of who wins. The line could've been better if they allowed you to pick your seats in queue form.
Nice station.
I just don't understand the concept of having three trains and not having a fourth. If they did, but the wait would've been better.
It had a decent layout as well.
From here I rode the Aero 360 and got a front seat. Gotta love the hangtime on this thing.
To take in some history, we rode the Auto Race next. I'm guessing back in the day people were smaller because it was an absolute pain getting in those cars. The ride was good, but they needed gas pedals.
You can't really steer much which was cool.
It had a station fly-by. Next we rode the train and saw Laughing Sal.
Next were two laps on Raging Rapids which was a pretty cool raft ride. There were only one or two waterfalls and the rest was rapids, but since it was me, I got the waterfalls on both of my rides making me almosted water-logged afterward. lol
If you remember, Hershey sold Kennywood the rest of their rafts. So what happened to them? Well, while waiting in line I noted that each raft almost each had 3 different kinds of seat backs and that a few rafts had labels on them possibly covering up the old logos. Here's a closer look.Next was the famous Thunderbolt which turned out to be the best wooden coaster in the park. While it's not as incredible as the Phoenix, it is the 2nd best on my wood list.
The laterals were great, the drops were nice, but the only great airtime I got was heading onto the lifthill. This had to be the coaster with the shortest line in the park. It was almost practically a walk-on.From here it was over to Ghostwood Estate which had a 15 minute wait. I was really interested in how the vehicles moved. The system was trackless and was computer-controlled.
The targets were tougher to hit compared to Hershey's, the score-counter went up to only 10,000, but not even half-way through the ride, we stopped.
At first I thought it was the block system, but after sitting for close to 10 minutes shooting at the same target in a very warm room, the operator came around, unloaded us and we walked through the rest of the ride with the lights on. I did get 10,000, butI had to switch to the controller next to me to continue shooting.
The reason? Someone got hurt and as we were leaving the paramedics were arriving. The next ride was the biggest suprise of my visit.When I saw Phantom's Revenge, I thought that this ride wouldn't be anything special except for the 230 foot drop. Thankfully I was proven wrong and after wandering around Lost Kennywood trying to find the entrance and waiting for 20 minutes, I got a backseat ride on the wildest coaster I've riden so far.
The first drop whipped you around the curve over the 2nd hill and down the massive drop. From there, the rabbit hops were extreme with launching you out of your seat on every hill. This ride was extreme and is now my number 1 steel coaster.
Next I rode the Pit Fall which had to be the first ride in awhile I was scared to ride. While I was nervous, this has to be a flat that ranks high on my list.
3 sides were operating.
Next was the last new credit, Exterminator. The loading was similar to Ghostwood with the pre-show, but the ride was done nicely with theming, total darkness, and spinning.
The Lost Kennywood area was themed well too. Next I rode my first S&S ride, the SwingShot. The ride worked using compressed air and could've been a bit longer.Bayern Kurve was closed
But I did get some nerd shots.Next I rode the Cosmic Chaos Disko which seems like a good ride for the family and then ate at the Parkside Cafe. For under $9, I got 6 or 7 chicken strips, tons of fries, a roll and butter, and a drink. The food ranks up there with Knoebels IMO.
I then rode the Gran Prix which could use new bumper cars then the Paratrooper. I next went back on all the coaster except Exterminator until the park closed. The last ride was Phantoms Revenge in the front row which rocked!
Here are a few more photos:
Retro fountain goodness. The SkyCoaster looked interesting to try if it wasn't $25. Raging Rapids goes under Thunderbolt's lifthill.Overall I thought Kennywood had to be the best park I have visted so far. The rides, atmosphere, food, shows, and staff were all great. Maybe once this new coaster is built I might return.
