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Kentucky Kingdom has unveiled details for Discovery Meadow, the new family-focused land that will feature new additions as well as re-themed offerings in cohesive environment. https://www.kentuckykingdom.com/media-room/discovery-meadow-unveiled/ This Valentine’s season, Kentucky Kingdom is sharing the love with guests by unveiling the full lineup of attractions and renderings of Discovery Meadow— a new $11 million family-friendly land. As part of the $25 million investment over the next two seasons, Discovery Meadow will open to the public on May 10, 2025. The new land features six acres dedicated to family fun with a Kentucky twist and includes three new attractions, 24 new and re-themed experiences, and its very own characters. Guests can look forward to more fun and more ways to make memories worth repeating in an atmosphere that celebrates the spirit of Kentucky. Three Brand-New Family Rides: Redbird Racer – Spin and swoop aboard a vibrant cardinal defending its home. Get ready to dash through the trees on our new swinging family ride inspired by one of Kentucky’s famous flyers. This ride promises an exciting adventure for guests of all ages. Scout’s Squirrel Race – Playful squirrels chase the ultimate prize—a giant acorn. Bounce around on our new family ride nestled in the lush gardens of the new land. This experience highlights one of nature’s most diligent and resourceful foragers, promising fun for the entire family. Cumberland Express – A whimsical garden train adventure wrapped in vines. Hop aboard our family-friendly train that winds through the wilderness. Spot and hear the furry friends who call this beautiful landscape home as you embark on this delightful journey! More Comfort, More Fun: Shaded 4,800 square foot playground – The perfect cool-down spot for explorers of all ages. Two refreshed eateries plus a brand-new Dippin’ Dots cart. More seating & shade – Relax and recharge with added comfort. Games Garden – Classic yard game fun with a Kentucky twist. Two refurbished restrooms. Two new retail locations Discovery Meadow will also feature four "wow" moments offering fans photo ops to capture the beauty of the new land. Of course, Discovery Meadow wouldn’t be complete without its newest characters: Scout the Squirrel and Robin Bloom. "Discovery Meadow is the most exciting addition to Kentucky Kingdom in years, and we can’t wait for families to experience this incredible land," said Sarah Worrell, General Manager of Kentucky Kingdom. "From brand-new rides to reimagined favorites, interactive play areas, and surprises at every turn, Discovery Meadow is designed to spark family joy, adventure, and connection like never before. It’s a true celebration of Kentucky’s beauty and spirit—bigger, bolder, and more immersive than anything we’ve ever done." Discovery Meadow is just the beginning. Following its opening, more details will be shared about plans for $14 million worth of improvements in 2026. Discovery Meadow and Kentucky Kingdom Theme and Water Park officially opens May 10, 2025, but Season Passholders will get an exclusive first look on May 9. For more details and to purchase season passes, visit www.kentuckykingdom.com.

Our final day in Munich was reserved for "on your own time" to explore the city and spend more time at Oktoberfest. For this reason, we used our day to accomplish both. Revisiting Marienplatz was the first activity of the day... Absolutely beautiful. We even had a chance to see and hear the Rathaus-Glockenspiel play. Reinheitsgebot München Viktualienmarkt was a short walk away and worth a stop for one reason in particular... Hot dog, hot dog, hot diggity dog! Despite having been to Las Vegas, New York and several other cities that have an Eataly location, this was my first time actually visiting one. It's like a theme park for Italian foods. I could have done some serious damage here. This was one of the most indulgent meals I consumed on the entire trip. Back at Oktoberfest for our final evening, we spent some time watching Jack enjoy his favorite ride in all of Germany. As the sun sets, many of the rides begin to come to life in new and colorful ways... Out of the fire and into the frying pan? Hupferl was another "never in America" kind of experience and it was awesome. The size of some of these (traveling) flat rides is astounding. One more visit to the Devil's Wheel. We weren't on a log flume... We weren't on a log flume. We grabbed as many extra rides on Olympia Looping as we could on this evening... Just such an incredible experience! While it wasn't my favorite coaster to ride, Alpina Bahn looks great at night. Our last few hours at Oktoberfest were spent roaming the beer tents, each of which has unique entertainment, decor and more. Each tent felt totally different... The Paulaner tent is one of the bigger tents. And the interior is quite vibrant! I was grateful that I had the chance to visit Hofbräuhaus München at the start of my trip, because I wouldn't end up having a chance to drink at the Hofbrau tent. The Hacker tent may be smaller than some of the neighboring tents... But it has one of the most charming interiors of them all. Braurosl was quite busy on this night... Such a neat space! Spatenbrau was too busy to allow walk-in guests to jump in for a drink. We revisited the Lowenbrau tent to see if the atmosphere changed when compared to our daytime visit in the prior afternoon. The vibe was definitely more lively and party-like at this hour. It looks bigger from the outside. But a rock band on the inside was keeping everyone entertained. This looks familiar! Remember how I said I wasn't above riding both sides? I'm not. And somehow this ended up being the last coaster I rode at Oktoberfest...

"Underwhelming after riding XX coaster."

I tightened my lug nuts today preparing for the 2025 season. What are you guys doing to prepare? No pictures. Sorry. Do you think we'll get a new chef with the kitchen equipment?

I personally wouldn't have any problem with that, although I'm not sure how big a logistical pain in the ass it would be for the park. Price increases are definitely a way to cull the herd a bit and the park can legit say it is due to demand and no one would be able to argue with that. I do agree that privileges have been abused or perhaps in my view very very unappreciated. I have seen entitled behavior amongst some coaster enthusiasts increase (of course I guess you could say the same in general across all walks of life) but not necessarily more people feeling entitled but rather those that veer that way getting louder and more insistent. As we were leaving an event very late one night I was thanking all the employees on the way out for staying so late for us to have fun, which I could tell they appreciated, and another attendee kind of mocked me and said "you know they get paid right?".........ummmm, ok, doesn't mean you can't exhibit some gratitude. Geeez.

I changed my oil, today.