Kentucky Kingdom (SFKK, KK) Discussion Thread

[prozach626]

I think a terrain focused Raptor would be a good fit for HW.

As for KK, it's coaster line-up is pretty solid. I don't see the immediate need for a new addition, until Herschend introduces its own flavor. I suspect they'll diversify their entertainment first, as indicated by their announcement.

[ytterbiumanalyst]

^ Agreed. I'm really just hoping for a discount to KK with SDC passes. I would be very happy with some HFE-quality shows added.

[mikeykaise]

On 2/27/2021 at 8:42 AM, grsupercity said:

My Dream scenario would be a chance hyper with a 160ish lift hill into a tunnel. I believe there are only a couple spots on the property that can have a ride that tall so they would have to get creative 

What would be awesome is a 100 ft tall lift hill to make the FAA happy and then a 200 ft drop with a 100ft of it below ground, might need a chain or launch lift coming back up  but that would be awesome, not many coasters if any go 100 ft underground.

[prozach626]

It's neither cheap, easy, or practical to dig a 100 foot deep tunnel. Apparently Roller Coaster Tycoon is catching on again.

[boldikus]

I see the KK thread got that good crack again.

[Hilltopper39]

On 3/3/2021 at 3:29 PM, prozach626 said:

It's neither cheap, easy, or practical to dig a 100 foot deep tunnel. Apparently Roller Coaster Tycoon is catching on again.

Eh, there's caves all over that region, might not be a hard as you think.........

[mikeykaise]

14 minutes ago, Hilltopper39 said:

Eh, there's caves all over that region, might not be a hard as you think.........

He's right you know.... there's a cave that runs under the zoo, i264, and it's huge. It's a year around storage facility that has zip lines, dirt bikes, yearly christmas lights, and is huge!

[ytterbiumanalyst]

On 2/28/2021 at 12:55 PM, mikeykaise said:

What would be awesome is a 100 ft tall lift hill to make the FAA happy and then a 200 ft drop with a 100ft of it below ground, might need a chain or launch lift coming back up  but that would be awesome, not many coasters if any go 100 ft underground.

Wouldn't require any sort of lift to get back up, any more than Magnum requires a lift after its first drop. The energy in the train depends on the height of the drop, not whether it's above or below ground. I suppose there could be some differences in air resistance, but unless that tunnel the train's going through is a wind tunnel, I doubt it'd be significant enough to prevent the train from coming back up 100 feet. The main problem with a tunnel that deep is economic, not physical. 

[bill_s]

^^-- unless the rest of the coaster is also mostly underground, everything after the first drop would be rather lackluster.

[thepoint4life23]

I am about 95% sure that I will be making my first trip to the park this summer. Any good food places and or breweries near the park. What hotel would people say is worth staying at.

 

Thanks

[grsupercity]

We stayed at the Rodeway Inn on Phillips Ln. It was a no frills hotel but was right next to the park and had some good views of the park from the parking lot 

[jconsolmagno]

Highly recommend - Tru by Hilton Louisville Airport 

It's across the street.

For food, last time I was there it was August, 31 2020. What is not being covered by the mainstream news is the protesting continuing in the city well after the peak across the country. A lot of the restaurants were closing at 9 PM due to it and some of them had not been repaired yet (Eddie V's). You may want to look into that if things pick up again and perhaps eat at the park before it closes.

[mikeykaise]

The protesting has pretty much died down, and restaurants are able to open with more capacity, the 9pm closing was related to the governor's restrictions more than the protests but restaurant service is pretty much back to normal operations. There are quite a few good hotels around the park and downtown has some great food places. My fav is Old Spaghetti Factory. 

[ytterbiumanalyst]

Or if you want something local, not a chain, Spinelli's downtown is great pizza, and I like Highland Morning on Bardstown Rd for breakfast. Their grits menu is insane. Bourbon is of course the thing here, and several bars have whiskey flights. For atmosphere, the best bar downtown is Troll Pub Under the Bridge. It's actually next to the bridge, not strictly under it, but we'll let that go.

 

All this is pre-pandemic info, so I hope these places have all survived. They're wonderful and deserve to stay around.

[thepoint4life23]

Quote

How far is downtown from the park? 

Thanks everyone 

[ytterbiumanalyst]

15 minutes or so

[Hilltopper39]

22 hours ago, thepoint4life23 said:

I am about 95% sure that I will be making my first trip to the park this summer. Any good food places and or breweries near the park. What hotel would people say is worth staying at.

 

Thanks

Drake's is a pretty solid place that I'm pretty sure has a location not far from Kentucky Kingdom. Just a typical sports bar but really good "bar food" and big beer selection. It's a chain that started in Lexington so it's kind of local, but they've got quite a few locations across the area now.

 

Depending on when you're there in the Summer Churchill Downs is right across the street from Kentucky Kingdom and has live Racing May-June. They do a Twilight Session on Thursdays and Downs after Dark on Saturday nights which is a lot fun. General admission is like $5 so it's a pretty fun way to spend an evening even if it's just to check the place out for a few hours. 

[DBru]

I'll definitely second Drake's! The food is totally delicious (and my face is on all the promos).

Bardstown Road is also full of fun bars and restaurants. Hammerheads comes to mind.

[prozach626]

Has anyone made it to the park?

[Midgetman82]

Twice, opening day three weekends ago and then yesterday. Opening day crowds were pretty intense, only did two rides.  Came back yesterday and it was really easy going, got every major coaster except Thunder Run which was closed.

[SharkTums]

^^Cinnamon Bread won't be open till July 1st so maybe wait?

Seriously though, if you follow us on Instagram we went last weekend...when there were some issues outside the front gate on a Saturday.  The employees and rides were all great, but it was VERY busy most of the day.  Storm Chaser and Lightning Run were running amazing. 

[prozach626]

Thanks for the info.

[Canobie Coaster]

Reading through old posts, I see the park used to close most of their coasters in the rain.

However, that was before the park was purchased by Herschend and I know Silver Dollar City and Dollywood are rather aggressive about running their rides in rain.  Does anyone know if Storm Chaser and Lightning Run still close in rain?

[grsupercity]

We went to beech bend last weekend. We drove right by Kentucky Kingdom and it killed me seeing the park as we drove by. I have not been here since 2016 and really need to get back. 

[ratdogg68]

Herschend has arrived:

Kentucky Kingdom & Hurricane Bay

@KentuckyKingdom

*SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT* Come see the Harlem Globetrotters for a week-long showcase from Saturday, June 19th through Friday, June 25th! Enjoy the Globetrotters showcase of their renowned ball handling and trick-shot skills at 2pm, 4pm, and 6pm daily. Visit http://KentuckyKingdom.com/Globetrotters

11:41 AM · Jun 7, 2021·Twitter Web App