Photo TR: Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom

We’d driven by SFKK several of times in the past (on our way to Holiday World and such), but we’d never actually gone. Since we had Six Flags annual passes this time, we decided to finally give it a shot.

The verdict? Well, it was mediocre. But considering that, going in, I thought SFKK might end up being one of the worst parks I’d ever been to, “mediocre” is probably a victory.

One weird thing, though. I knew Twisted Twins was SBNO, but there’s seriously a whole area of the park that’s just closed off and (presumably) rotting.

…but she was a little bit skeptical about some of the merchandise inside.

And now, Erik’s 5-Step Plan to improve Kentucky Kingdom:

1. Don’t brake Greezed Lightin’ through the station.

2. Buy some sit-down trains for Chang, and then run more than one of them at a time.

3. Install a shooting dark ride.

4. See what can be salvaged over in the Twisted Twins dead zone.

5. Intamin Mega-Lite.

Of course, number 5 is pretty much my answer for everything....

Thanks for reading. Bye bye.

Smisty enjoyed getting her photo taken with Petunia in front of the park’s biggest gift shop...

TPR Vacancy: Guy (or Gal) Who Really Loves Himalayas

Oh well, maybe Larry can use it.

A good way to get yourself mentioned in lots of TR’s is to totally love something really specific. This one is for Thai.

Back across the bridge.

We didn’t eat here...but only because we were saving ourselves for Holiday World pizza later.

I thought this was cute.

Yes, a new ice cream sundae souvenir coaster container credit!

Aw...it looks like a shoe.

There’s also a Roller Skater called “Roller Skater.” It wasn't too busy when we hit it.

I actually kind of like how it looks just a little bit worn.

The park also has a really cool old carousel.

This is the part of the Belgian Village.

There’s still some old theming that hasn’t been totally crushed out.

I never really researched this park, and I thought Thunder Run was exactly the same as The Hurlers at Carowinds and King’s Dominion--but it’s actually slightly different.

Note Twisted Twins, standing but not operating, in the background. There’s also a Shoot-The-Chutes and some kind of drag racing attraction (upcharge?) closed off, and quite possibly more stuff that I couldn’t see. Yikes.

The midway to Thunder Run is really cracksmoking--totally surrounded by wooden fences, with not much on it. Perhaps this is the new route created since they now have the area by Twisted Twins totally closed off?

No wonder the Penguin carries an umbrella.

The boats do seem to have a bit of a drainage problem, though. (Photo by Speedmetal.)

Come on, admit it, that’s pretty cool. (Photo by Speedmetal.)

What’s this? Actual theming at a Six Flags? That villainous RapidsNerd and his steam-powered robot army must be behind this!

Yes, the ride ops do actually scoot around on that center piece checking seatbelts.

So, the best ride in the park might actually be this thing.

We did actually walk all the way up to the load platform, since Misty has never been on a Vekoma SLC--but we bailed when we saw the line and how slowly they were loading their one train. (Note that the empty gate that looks like it’s in front of us doesn’t actually lead anywhere.)

T2 towers over the wave pool. What the hell kind of name is “T2” anyway? Of course, this is from the same park that brought you “Chang,” so....

Deluge. Yeah, I know, I should have ridden it. We weren’t wearing bathing suits or anything, though. But it did look fun.

The water park is located right in the center of the park's upper loop. I’m thinking they used to be separate parks, on opposite sides of the road, that were later connected via bridge because the water park had room to expand and the amusement park didn’t. Am I close?

Chang exits into this warehouse-themed gift shop. Obviously, I don’t need to explain the theming connection here.

Chang as seen from the Giant Wheel. With some proper sit-down trains, this might be a pretty good ride.

Not a bad ride. Rather similar to Mantis at Cedar Point, but I think I like this one better. Still, stand-ups are a rather silly gimmick, in my view.

These signs were posted throughout the queue (and that of many other rides). They went all the way to 120 minutes, all clearly based on one train. So which is worse: the idea that they would mislead people into buying Flash Passes by posting wildly inaccurate wait times, or that they might really only run one train with a 120 minute wait?

The park’s biggest coaster is this oddly-named B&M Stand-Up.

Hey, a Giant Wheel! Maybe this park isn’t so bad....

The park is also really close to an airport. Really close.

Of course I’d heard that, I’d just never actually seen pictures of said bridge. You’re welcome.

So the park is kind of a figure 8, in the sense that it’s two loops connected by a bridge over a highway.

I had no idea this park even had a car ride. It was good, too. There were cows.

Is it wrong that this almost felt like a kid’s ride to me? Oh well, a least it was lapbars only and no seatbelts, just as God/Schwarzkopf intended.

This picture shows just how weird this park’s location is--as well as our second ride of the day, Greezed Lightnin’. Yay for Schwarzkopf Shuttle Loop goodness, even if it was braked through the station (just as it was when it was at SFOG). I guess I’m just spoiled growing up with Montezooma’s Revenge at KBF.

Our first ride of the day, Roadrunner Express. It was fun enough. A fairly typical wild mouse, but I like those.

One of these people looks like an idiot.

Misty just had to get a photo of me with Green Lantern, since he’s my favorite superhero. Of course, I prefer Hal Jordan--but I guess John Stewart will do.

I now know why most parks open at 9 or 10, instead of waiting until there’s a crowd. SFKK didn’t open until 11:00am, and it was a zoo.

We parked by the dump station. Is that a bad sign?

Seriously, though, this place makes a worse first impression than Kennywood.

^ I hope you didn't think the few hours you had there were pointless, I would feel terrible suggesting it and wasting your time. I agree that something needs to be done back in the Twisted Twins area, but seeing as though it seems to be the armpit of Six Flags company (excluding the travesty at SFNO) I don't expect to see them develop the park much more than it is. It's hard to coexist with HW and KI nearby, and I think that Six Flags feels that their market in the area is minuscule and the people that want to ride rides will travel the under 2 hour trip to either of the other parks.

Another great TR from you!

I thought that SFKK was one of the worst parks that I have ever been too.

I think besides Chang, all of their coasters suck. Personal opinion, of course.

I guess Greezed Lightnin' was OK due to nostalgic value.

From what I remember, you didn't miss much by not being able to ride Twisted Twins. I remember being kind of excited to ride it, but I was badly let down. The only good thing about it, is that it looks like planes are going to crash right in to it.

On a good note, it looks like the park is cleaner than when I was there in 2007.

The drag racing ride has been closed for several years, so it didn't just close with Twisted Twins.

Nice photos and trip report. It seems like you have a lot of the same opinions that I do of the park. It doesn't really deserve it's reputation, but if given the chance, most would visit the other parks in the area. Yeah, T2's line moves extremely slowly. When I was there last year, I waited 20-30 minutes with barely going anywhere, the line was just a crowd in the station, before using a flash pass ticket.

What happened with Twisted Twins?

A band called "Twister Twins threatened to sue if they didn't change name. Sorry for spelling, I am still learning English.

this is nothing but an upscale carnival. it needs to be burned down completely. skip this park and drive 1 hr to holiday world.

A band called "Twister Twins threatened to sue if they didn't change name. Sorry for spelling, I am still learning English.

Twisted Sisters sued Six Flags........

-Tatum

I visited SFKK in '04 and from the sounds of it, it has only gotten worse. You aren't missing anything at all with Twisted Twins, it was one of the most boring "dueling" coasters I have been on. This is definitely the worst park I've ever been to.

 

Twisted Sisters sued Six Flags........

 

-Tatum

If that was true, couldn't they just change the name and keep it open while they go to court?

I guess it's good to at least get the credits out of the way and it probably will make Holiday World seem even better.

GURR!!! Tidal Wave er Greezed Lightnin should be at CGA!!! NO FAIR CGA had to loose that ride!!! & What is funny is that it is BOTH Tidal Waves(the one from Six Flags Great America) combided into one ride since they used parts from the other to make the other run. Greezed Lightnin looks so bare without it's Tidal Wave theming!!!

I love that Carousel, too. You may be surprised to know that it's actually a Vekoma.

T2 is interesting. Not only is it a prototype, but it once operated with Three 10-Car Trains. Its also the most violent SLC I have ever been on.

The ride originally opened as Twisted Sisters causing "We're Not Gonna Take It" creators Twisted Sister to threaten to sue the park if the name were not changed. The name change occurred in 2002 and has nothing to do with the coaster not being open now. The ride had gotten quite rough in the years leading up to its closure, which leads me to believe that the ride was in pretty bad shape structurally.

^You know I was being sarcastic?

^Uhh no.

-Tatum

Also remember that the giant drop ride accident didn't help this park at all. This park may go the same route as Astroworld.

I visited SFKK in '04 and from the sounds of it, it has only gotten worse. You aren't missing anything at all with Twisted Twins, it was one of the most boring "dueling" coasters I have been on. This is definitely the worst park I've ever been to.

 

 

Twisted Sisters sued Six Flags........

 

-Tatum

If that was true, couldn't they just change the name and keep it open while they go to court?

 

I guess it's good to at least get the credits out of the way and it probably will make Holiday World seem even better.

^I don't think you understood... Twisted Twins used to be called Twisted Sisters. In 2002, the band Twisted Sister threatened to sue SFKK because of copyright issues, so the park changed the name to Twisted Twins.

The ride's status has absolutely nothing to due with the name change. After the STOP tragedy in 2007, a law was implemented in the state of Kentucky that requires all ride operators to be at least 18 years old. Because SFKK had always relied on teenagers to run the rides, they were very understaffed when the 2008 season rolled around. To compensate for the loss of employees, they closed off the Northwest Territory, because it was the least-visited area of the park.

They are supposedly rehabbing Mile High Falls, but have released no information regarding the status of Twisted Twins, other than stating that "it is not in the budget for the 2009 season." I don't think it's much of a stretch to say that we can kiss the Twins goodbye.

Anyway, great PTR! The park is actually looking really nice this year. The whole front area seems to have had lots of work done to it over the off-season. Can you confirm that the Rainbow has been removed? (It would have been over by Enterprise, if not.) Also, how was Thunder Run running?

Glad to hear you didn't have too bad of a time!

Oh, and T2 stands for "Terror to the 2nd Power"

^ The Rainbow has been removed this season.

Nice Pictures! I think an Intamin Mega-lite would fit nicely in Twisted Twins footprint.

My bf and I are considering checking this park out seeing as we are only a few hours away and they have the Six Pass thing going on for $29.99. Nice TR though and the park doesn't look too horrible to me, even if only for the credits and Greezed Lightning. Of course I'll post a TR (and like most of mine it will be completely ignored on here), but I post them anyway...

Great TR! You're not missing much with Twisted Twins. When I rode it in 2007 it was slow, poorly paced, and just in general a big non-event. I'd rank it in my bottom five woodies. Chang, however, is fantastic.

Great TR.

During our Midwest/East Coast parktour last year, of the 13 parks, SFKK was the worst. Beating SFA by an inch.

Mainly because of the worst operations I've ever seen at a park.

Very nice TR of a terrible excuse for an amusement park.

Mind you, I was there the day of the STOP accident, so the mood may not have been very good, even before it occurred.

Still, worst park I've ever been to, without question.

T2 is the number one worst roller coaster I have ever been on. Twisted Twins is horrible. It is completely and utterly forceless and very badly designed for a "dueling" coaster - there's only one flyby on the ride that ever actually happens. The two tracks meet a lot, but the trains pass at way different times.

From the looks of this TR, the park has gotten a little cleaner, but that isn't much consolation.

Chang was thoroughly okay, which made it the second-best ride in the park for me. Thunder Run was my favorite, despite the molasses-slow crew. Good airtime, not too rough, IMHO. Actually, Chang was my third-favorite behind Thunder Run and STOP before I learned how ridiculously unsafe it was to ride STOP that day.

From this TR, I wish I'd ridden Blizzard River and Deluge, but we just didn't have time and we all wanted to get to Holiday World as soon as possible.

Just to be clear, we did enjoy ourselves. No, it's not the best park ever. But it also wasn't the worst. It's the kind of park I'd love to inherit, because I see some really easy ways to make it a lot better.

We spent about four hours there, then moved on to Holiday World. Misty (aka, Speedmetal) is supposed to be posting a HW TR soon, but we'll see.

A couple of other things I forgot to mention about SFKK:

The Giant Wheel's entire queue and load area is built on top of a network of metal grating three or four feet off the ground. It's really odd.

The name of the Enterprise is apparently "Ride The Enterprise," judging by its sign. Which I find hilarious. (It's listed as "The Enterprise" on the park's website.)

The advertising throughout the park is ridiculously distracting. "Hold On To Your Buns."

The park's "main street" is five feet long. Sure, you don't have to have a "main street." But it just kind of felt like this park does have one--it's just comically short.

And, finally, we never made it over to the Looney Tunes Movie Town area of the park--but this picture makes me wish we had.

"Main Street"

The Giant Wheel's metal grate home.

first of all, and because its my home park, SFKK is not that bad. it is not a concrete park, yes there are places that need more trees but there is some pretty good landscaping. second, Twisted Twins was the first dueling coaster ever made, so its not going to be as good as newer dueling coasters. third, the whole T2 area was originally going to be re themed as Gotham City but the idea was shelved due to budgets hence the black paint on T2 and Attitudes whare house look. and the path underneath Thunder Run has always been there. and for the people who say SFKK hasn't expanded when the park first opened it was on one side of the road, the other side where the water park and chang are were just parking lots and fields so it shows how much can be done.

some other facts are

the park has height restrictions due to the airport across the street(the airport was built after the park opened)

the park was originally fully themed hence belgium village and the northwest territory.

Chang translates to Long because when built it was the longest tallest fastest stand up coaster, it is in second place today.

during the state fair the park serves as part of the midway making it the bigst state fair around(the park originally opened as just a permanent midway for the fair hence small size

T2 was the first SLC in the united states so all the bugs were not worked out of it so hence the roughest but a couple years ago SF put new wheels on it that smooth it out so much that it was a entirely different ride.

SFKK IS NOT A HORRIBLE PARK it just needs a little tune up

Twisted Twins was the first dueling coaster ever made, so its not going to be as good as newer dueling coasters.

So, Gemini came after Twisted Twins??

-Tatum

Mark from Six Flags really need to visit this park and add a Thomas Town or Wiggles World. For pete's sake, the state of Kentucky doesn't really have a major amusement park outside of this. Back when Six Flags bought Kentucky Kentucky, that they bought up more line behind Twisted Sister and T2. I don't know if that is true but it help out if they wanted to improve the park.