Philrad71

^ Holy poo-poo.

I got REALLY excited until... Hopefully that won't be the only selection because I would have a hard time paying .99 for a Bud Lite. Also laughed over this one...and beer vomit smells worse than regular vomit, how???

^ My guess is the weather in Darien is probably not any different than it is in Buffalo (or here for that matter) - shi##y and cold.

So I wasn't losing my marbles...the HIE is the one we stayed at when we walked to Carrabba's. It was nice and quite reasonable.

I seem to recall ride op's not checking the restraints at Europa Park as I remember saying to Michael after boarding Silver Star: "Wow, no restraint checks? Like they actually expect that people are going to be smart enough to move to their seat and pull down a lap bar without requiring assistance on how to do it?" That's when I knew that I absolutely loved Europa and Germany. It was also interesting to note the lack of barriers and such around rides like the Bumper Cars at Prater Park in Vienna. While it was raining and most rides were down, I found that a lot of the rides you could go up and touch - in case you felt like prematurely ending your own life.

My local park (which is now a state park) used to have a Dodge Em back in the day with "modern" (think 70's) cars mixed with "old school" (think 50's) cars where you could actually see the wheels. I used to ride the no-see-um "modern" wheeled ones which sat lower to the floor. I remember seeing a couple of people get bloody noses (on the old school models) from whacking their noses on the steering wheel pads from head-on collisions - even with the harnesses (which were always loose as hell). When I would hit the old school models you could actually see the back wheels leave the ground during a head-on collision, of which there were no rules against doing (so of course, everyone did it). There was no island, so it was a total all-out free for all from start to finish. I was actually intimidated to ride these back in the day until I myself turned into a violent little teen - and then it was on. Ahhhh....it's fun to harken back to those good old days. Skooters is the closest thing that can bring me back to that time, so that's why they're so f%cking awesome now.

We stayed at a hotel at the Mason exit just south of KI and I wanted to think that it was a Holiday In Express and it was within walking distance to Carrabbas (for the win). In checking Google Maps, it looks likes there is a Quality Inn and Suites there now...am I losing my mind or wasn't this a Holiday Inn Express before? Regardless, we stayed there one year and it was nice and quite reasonable. And of course, we hit Carrabbas for a delicious dinner.

^ Where are you flying in and out of - Erie, Cleveland or Pittsburgh? That might determine what parks to hit and when.

Nice overview...I'm really looking forward to the new additions this year (and of course, next year). I would LOVE to have a PR job like Tony's at a theme park.

I forgot about Ohio State Day and what a cluster that was last year. But then again, when the weekend forecast looks like this, that alone would make me rule out any theme park visit. Think I'll go hibernate now...wake me up when it's 75 and sunny.

Can't believe that coasterbill let this comment slide on by!!! It has an island, but, but... The island doesn't mean sh%t in terms of head-on collisions. Despite the fact that you are not allowed to perform head-on collisions, they still are mostly unavoidable due to all of the craziness that IS Skooters.

Seems like I recall reading a trip report from thrillrider talking about the interesting visit that he and his family had at the Super 8 near KI. I can't find the link to his report otherwise I would post it. My opinion? Save your money and stay at the Hampton.

Is Taste Of Virginia the new Spring Bloom Festival where they offered the different ethnic food offerings for the past couple of years? Seems like they might be somewhat limited in terms of what they can do with Virginia-esque type of foods, but I certainly like the sounds of Virginia-based beer and wine offerings. It's always nice to try out some of the local micros when visiting a long distance park. Hope to see a report from the festival (hint, hint, Chuck)!

Glad to hear that you are healing up, Bert! Wishing and hoping that Michael and I can make it that weekend of Coastermania so that we can meet up with you and Bill, but it might still be too soon for Michael - we'll see how things play out in the coming weeks. If we can't make it, I at least expect trip reports with lots of food photos from Brew & BBQ from one, if not both of you!

I would love to be able to visit this park this summer, but we'll see how things go. I just got an e-mail last week from our corporate headquarters that they are offering 2-Day tickets to KK for under $20...kinda hard to turn my back on such a great deal!

I had no idea that this park even existed, so thank you for sharing this report! The Tower of Terror looks a bit intimidating while the rest of the park theming & rides look like it would be a very nice family park.

^^ We've parked back there when Soak City wasn't open and it was nice because there were hardly any vehicles. With the new entrance and modified lot, you may want to call before you drive back there - although I really don't think it should be an issue.

Absolutely stunning... really liking the looks of this so far. Can't wait for more to be revealed!

^ It should not be a problem at all with FL+ on a Thursday. We went on a weekday during the summer and got more than enough rides on anything...and that was without FL+. Granted it was like a bazillion degrees and they didn't have Fury at the time. But we still did the water park for a couple of hours, did most of the dry side, left the park and went out for an early dinner, went back to the hotel to have a couple of cocktails (waiting for it to cool down a bit) and then went back into the park for some night rides and to see the fireworks show. I seem to recall riding Intimidator about six times without ever getting off to end the night there.

I would really like to get to this park - some great coasters, flats and beautiful theming. Thanks for sharing!

^ They have a test seat and restraint at the entrance of Delirium so that you can check to see if you fit before you ride it.

Would you be saying 'Go Mud Hens'? Mud Hens are a bit further from KI. Central Ohio, near Mansfield, would be my guess. Mud Hens are in Toledo, so that might not be too far off. ^ That "might" answer your question as to whether the park is open today.

^ The Bat is a decent suspended coaster- one of the more fun ones out there that are still operating. The drop tower and Delerium are also great flats if you're into that sort of thing.

Intellivision...wow, that's a blast from the past! My friend used to have Odyssey, which was the sh%t until my parents bought me Coleco Vision and then it was like I was like the cool kid on the block...for like a couple of months until the Atari 5200 came out.

That happens a lot actually...and I have seen more than one person blame the ride ops for not fitting despite these poor people trying their hardest to squeeze them in. To me, if you're a larger sized person and was the one that was dumb enough to not try the test seat and then not fit, you have no right to bitch and complain to ANYONE. If you have to do the walk of shame, use that as your motivator to lose some weight so you can go back and ride it the following year. There are plenty of people on here that have admitted it and done just that...and I commend them for it.