A visit to Kennywood is a summer ritual and always a good time. Many of the same rides that have thrilled multiple generations of families remain intact and thriving, close to a century after some of them were initially installed. If you are looking to find out anything new about the park with this article, you will not really find much. The park is roughly the same as it has been for a number of years, with yet another year of cosmetic attention paid to the rides, especially with the park's last coaster addition, Sky Rocket. This coaster, dating back to 2010, received a fresh coat of paint from Baynum Painting. This year's new addition is a switch to the Lego Movie in the park's 4D Movie theater. Kennywood is not the kind of park that needs to add a new coaster every other year to pique everyone's interest, for the heart and character of the park is so strong.
We start off with a ride on Phantom. The park had a really strong crowd today, but I am not complaining, especially when it comes to the terrific views you get from the Phantom queue line.
Our next stop took us to Thunderbolt. This was my favorite of the park's wooden roller coasters on this particular visit. Each individual ride is different upon wooden roller coasters, and it seems like one of the coasters stands out from the rest upon each individual visit. Thunderbolt was excellent.
No visit to a park is complete without playing Brit's favorite midway game.
Jack Rabbit's snazzy and recently restored sign.
Racer's classic station is so special and elegant.
The expressions on the faces of the people really tell you how much fun this ride is.
Now headed to the backseat of Jack Rabbit for some of the finest airtime in existence.
The center of the park is so beautiful landscaped and manicured. It is great just taking it in as you walk through the grounds. It seems like the landscaping is particularly excellent this year.
Bayern Kurve! This Schwarzkopf creation is one of the wildest flats that exists. The speed and extreme forces are so disorienting an make you really feel like you are flying through a bobsledding track. Such a fantastic ride.
A little more Thunderbolt action!
Now headed to the Log Jammer! This classic Arrow log flume is one of the best out there. One of my favorite aspects of an Arrow log flume is the fact that you get a nice spritz of water, as opposed to getting fully drenched. Perfect on a hot day! The ride had a full line, though because of the efficiency of the design, the line never stopped, even once, and the wait was only 15 minutes or so. Here you can see me heading down the drop!
Splash!
What a great ride!
No visit to Kennywood is complete without a ride on the carousel! Such a stately and elegant ride!
Gotta love the train ride and the historical narration you get about the park.
Auto Race!
The Mon River, Lock and Dam, and the Edgar Thomson Steel Works in Braddock.
Aside from picnic action during the day, it was all quiet in the woods of the area around Log Jammer and Racer. No visible clues or anything for the rumored project. The last thing I heard that seemed credible was of a possible announcement about something in October.
This area of the midway is so beautiful. The view of Racer standing tall across the lagoon is always so pretty, especially when coupled with the pleasant sounds of the carousel organ.
The Carousel is the heart of Kennywood, and the areas immediately surrounding it make this the most idyllic section of the park.
Sky Rocket is looking terrific this year with its fresh paint. It looks even nicer than when it was brand new.
We closed out our day with a ride on Volcano, the park's Huss Enterprise.
And Kennywood said adieu to us with a valentine and some freshly painted roses.
For more info on visiting, be sure to check out www.kennywood.com
Thanks for the great photos and narrative. As a former 'burgher who grew up in one of the houses on the hill just outside of the park, it's always great to see things like this from "home".
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