Theme-Park-Urge Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 What better way to celebrate America's independence than head out to Kennywood?!? After all, it is a historical landmark... Thanks to TPR, I had a plan that would hopefully allow me to maximize the day, as I feared the potential for large crowds. The only other park I'd been to on the 4th of July was SFGAM years ago and it was a ghost town then. I was praying that my luck would be much of the same this year, but I planned according to maximum capacity and maximum thrills. Early on, the crowds were extremely light; allowing Phantom's Revenge, Exterminator, and Thunderbolt to be walk-ons. Not bad: it's noon and I've got three of the five coasters I plan to ride out of the way. Good thing too coz, after noon, swarms of people descended on Kennywood. I was amazed by the overall atmosphere at the park: old-school flats (Bayern Kurve, Turtle, Kangaroo) mixed seamlessly with newer technology (Cosmic Chaos, SwingShot, Aero 360) to give the air of excitement and thrills that spans generations. Oh yeah, and the coasters are great too! Phantom's Revenge was great in the front but kind of tweaked my back near the end while riding in the rear. What a great coaster! Thunderbolt was such a surprisingly good ride that it's firmly in my wooden Top 5 now. Racer was wonderful, although I was disappointed with the lack of hand-slapping on the turnarounds. Jackrabbit had a uniqueness to it and was fun, especially the double-down. Overall, the park was great and after almost twelve hours I still didn't want to leave. Cap that off with a fireworks show, and I had a memorable Fourth of July! With that, on to the pictures (posted in multiple parts): btw: There are a ton more pics (yes, there's even more) posted to www.themeparkurge.com Part one: But not before one more pic of Phantom's Revenge. Hang tight. Part two is coming... With that, it's time to move on from the Lost Kennywood area of the park. How awesome is this?!? Somehow I can't imagine this scene in a Six Flags or Cedar Fair park... Pittsburg Plunge and fountains... and flowers. Pittsburg Plunge and a fountain. Phantom's Revenge's second drop and a fountain. Phantom's Revenge's first drop and a fountain. And now for the fountain segment of this trip report: Pitt Fall and fountains. However, these kids (and many others) still love drop towers. I hadn't ridden a drop tower since S:TOP at SFKK. Call me spooked. This is Pitt Fall. Clever name. Exterminator! Actually, for an indoor spinning wild mouse, I was dizzy beyond belief from this! The Kennywood Whip looked fun but I was on to more pressing matters... No Wave Swinger for me. Which lead me to ask: Do chairswings have a weight limit? Coz I never feel safe on them... ...which I'm sure is exactly what the dude flashing the devil horns is thinking. I love giant swings coz there's really nothing to hold onto... I will never pass up a paid-with-admission Screamin' Swing. After a couple spins on Phantom, SwingShot's next. ...and a crazy return trip to the station that gave an unexpected spine adjustment the second time around. ...and the high-speed turnaround... Oh yeah, and there's the second drop that's longer than the first... What you can expect after the first drop. Kind of... I love the way this pic turned out! Phantom's Revenge through the bushes (and trees). I tried to avoid the cliché but couldn't resist... The first drop was fun in the front and pretty intense in the back. I must say that I am a fan of swooping drops! However, I am NOT a fan of sun spots in my pics... Much of the same. Phantom's sexy swooping first drop. Phantom's impressive lift hill. Ah yes, that's what I'm here for (among other things): Phantom's Revenge! Hey, it's open now... Simply the nicest looking Musik Express I've seen in person. Musik Express (and a most beautiful one it is) isn't open yet either. See?!? I didn't know that palm trees were native to West Mifflin, PA. I found Pirate amazingly well-themed too. King Kahuna. I love how everyone's hair is being tossed around. Does this count the same as having two different coaster trains in the same pic?!? Didn't think so... Volcano was a cool take on the standard Enterprise. There were times that I felt like I'd be thrown off and splat in the midway below. Thankfully that didn't happen. Cosmic Chaos was pretty disorienting. Comfy, yet disorienting. It was well-themed too. Cosmic Chaos was my first Disk-O. This classic flat was so intense that I got off and thought I had soiled myself. Good times. That's more like it! Bayern Kurve isn't even open quite yet... Gran Prix bumper cars. Very cool façade. And the park was all decked out with American Flags in the beautiful foilage. Upon entering the park, a stilt-walking Uncle Sam was there to greet everyone. The entrance sign, yep. Kenny's Parkway sitting dormant as no one's here yet. That would change in a couple hours. I'm ready to celebrate America! How about you?!? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angryemobeaver Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 Nice photos, This actually makes me want to go to Kennywood. I'm excited for Part II! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Theme-Park-Urge Posted July 27, 2009 Author Share Posted July 27, 2009 Part two: Oh yeah, here's Kennywood's Paratrooper, which they ran in hyper-out-of-control mode. Seriously, I've never seen a Paratrooper swing so much or rotate so fast! Stay tuned. Part three (aka The End) coming right up. And the final drop. Actually there was a girl in line in front of me teaching her young riding partner about double-downs, which I found to be very cool. And again. And here is that "big drop". This is the turnaround that precedes the "big drop". You actually pick up a good head-of-steam before reaching the tunnel. One cool aspect is that after leaving the station, you go down a ravine and up into this tunnel, then down again; all before the lift. Jackrabbit's trains were pretty sweet! Check out the old-school bumper on the front. Either this guy thought that he moving OR he was showing his young riding partner how it's done OR he was hamming it up for the camera. You decide. Everyone who's been to Kennywood has this picture, right?!? Let's keep the classic wooden goodness going, shall we...? Jackrabbit's up next! Red's in the lead. I was in the red train and had the outside track on the first turnaround. My train won. But it would've been more fun if there was a little hand-slapping during the turnarounds. The Racer was a lot of fun. I did not know that... More history for those who care... Seriously, I loved how the park had these posted everywhere, coz I DO care! Which also happens to be right next to this: The Racer! Whoo hoo! More Kennywood history for those who are interested... I found it quite apropos that the Shooting Gallery is located here. People didn't seem to get too wet on this. Log Jammer. Blah, blah, blah... (The ride's not blah, the caption is) I was kind of worried about the woman across me losing her lunch when she said that she's never been on a ride like this and hasn't been to a theme park in many years. Thankfully, she survived. They left us hanging up there for a good while. Yes, it's a double-inverted floorless swinging ship. Or DIFSS for short. Aero 360! Oh yeah, and a miniature version of The Turtle, called Turtle Chase. Cute. Ok, enough with the kiddie rides... You didn't come here for kiddie rides, did you?!? You came here for... Oh yeah, Kiddieland also had this contraption called Dizzy Dynamo; which I can't say I've seen before. Adults can ride, but I did not. I'm no whore. Then there's this: Lil' Phantom. Kennywood also has a pretty nice Kiddie section, most of which are your normal rides: Kiddie Swings, Kiddie Ferris Wheel, Frog Hopper, Rockin' Tug, Crazy Bus, etc... Too cool and cute, all at the same time. Auto Race was another classic ride in Kennywood's arsenal. The obligatory Laffin' Sal pic. The classic Kennywood clock. I then made it through the pre-show of Ghostwood Estate only to have it go down. Sorry, but I'm not waiting an hour for a shooting dark ride. She went for it. And I'm thankful, coz Thunderbolt rocked my world in a good way! Now it's in my wooden Top 5. Suggest to her that she take her frantic kid out of the station and I'll ride with her youngster. (Yeah, it sounds creepy in hindsight) Too bad once it came our turn to board (a mother with her older son and me with her younger son), the older son chickened out. Leaving me to do only one thing... Luckily, just as I got in line, a family of three walked up behind me. I thought all was well... I sure hope that I can find a partner to ride with me coz I ain't leaving the park without riding this coaster... A little history for those who care... I'm thinking about replicating this drawing on my bedroom wall. What do you think?!? Hey, that's my high school's moniker! You don't know how many times I've heard AC/DC's "Thunderstuck" in my life... Thunderbolt! Noah's Ark sits making a very annoying noise while I'm trying to eat my fries. I didn't have time to actually partake in the attraction, coz I was heading here: Yes, I had to get the cheesy bacon fries, but I wasn't brave enough to get gravy on them. Close-up of The Turtle with a little Phantom action in the background. Although extremely simple in its design, I still found The Turtle to be plain good old fun. Yep, it's a turtle. A little history for those who care... Next up: The Turtle! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Theme-Park-Urge Posted July 27, 2009 Author Share Posted July 27, 2009 Part three (aka The End): Don't forget: there's even more Kennywood pics at www.ThemeParkUrge.com. Thanks for reading! And fireworks! But not before one last history lesson... Goodnight. The Windmill. And with that, I say: Bayern Kurve! For some reason, I love this shot. Maybe it's coz I actually know what I'm looking at. Most probably won't... Volcano! (with a different camera setting) Volcano! Musik Express! Even prettier at nite! Fountains, flowers, and the flag. A fountain! Yes, I kind of like fountains... Phantom's Revenge! Lost Kennywood. I love the way this pic turned out. Thunderbolt! Get it? Arrow 360. Kennywood Arrow. Yeah, it actually took me quite a while to realize... Aero 360. Paddle Boats. Jackrabbit. As nite fell, Kennywood lit up! The Merry-Go-Round. And since we're on the subject of daughters, here are seven daughters (of whom, I have no idea...) standing in a row while jugglers perform around and over them. They kept it going for about five minutes! Since we're on the subject of Merry-Go-Rounds, here's Kennywood's. I found this to be adorable. Actually, if I ever have a daughter, she WILL have a Merry-Go-Round horse like this in her bedroom. I'm proud to be an American, where we can display our country's flags in cute little wheel barrel flower planters and not risk persecution. It don't get any more historic than this. Speaking of history... And its history. After conquering just about the whole park, I decided to meander a little. This is the windmill. I thought that this was a nice touch, even if it was sponsored by BP. It's still subtle. Kennywood's antique cars: Turnpike. Garfield's Nightmare. Sorry, I passed since I hadn't heard amazing things about it. Here's a better look. All the ride does is go around in a flat circle until you reach this launch pad. Then, airtime ensues. You can see the launch pad here. Plus, this kid's expression is priceless. Check out the blonde girl's hair. That's how much airtime you got when you hit (what I call) the launch pad. Next up, another Kennywood classic: The Kangaroo! I have no idea how I got this glow... Here's Kennywood's Skycoaster. I only like this shot coz somehow Pitt Fall is in the distant background centered and framed by Skycoaster's supports. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slicknixon Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 Quite possibly the best and most complete Kennywood photo TR of all time. A+ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebl Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 ^ Agreed. All I ever see of Kennywood are the coasters and maybe Pitt Fall. This was a great report! Eric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ctriceman Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 One of the best trip reports ever! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homeboy23 Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 Great photos! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slicknixon Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 here's my full review: The thing that makes this TR so special is the fact that if you were to find the greatest park in the world to visit on the 4th of July, why not visit the park in the heart of Americana, Kennywood. Kennywood represents American history and tradition more than any other park in the US due to it's historical significance in both it's location and it's preservation of historically significant attractions. From the uncle sam on stilts to the fireworks finale, this TR documents the greatest holiday that could possibly be spent at any park. Each coaster was shot with excellent photographic skill complete with the signs, facades, and station shots of each attraction at the park. Not only were the coaster shots amazing, but the scenery shots around the park really bring the full park experience into the TR. Some of my favorite shots were the fountains and Lost Kennywood shots which many people forget to take. To end it out, the night-time shots, fireworks and infamous "Goodnight Heart" make an unrivaled closer to a truly artistic photographer's vision. Photography - 10/10 Park Completeness - 10/10 Captions - 9.5/10 (informative) Overall: 10/10 - the greatest photo TR of all time (on any site) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capitalize Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 Awesome pictures and report. Good job! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kennyweird Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 Awesome pictures. What type of camera did you use? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jer1188 Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 Thank you this trip report has inspired me to add Kennywood to the summer's to do list. Amazing pics and report. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myself Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 I've been considering doing a "Beginner's Guide to Kennywood" with photos I've taken during my many trips to the park. You've done all the work for me. It's that good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CorkscrewFoley Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 God, this is why I love Kennywood, and these pics show me why. It's been four years sine I've been, but it still feels like I just went. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dailey Enterprizes Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 Really great review of Kennywood! Though I've been going there since I was little it's still nice to see other people enjoying their experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jslim39 Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 BEST Kennywood Photo TR of 2009, and EVER!!! Thanks for showing how amazing my home park is, I really can't wait to get back to Pittsburgh on Saturday, and get to Kennywood on Sunday! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Theme-Park-Urge Posted July 28, 2009 Author Share Posted July 28, 2009 Thanks for your replies and kudos!! To answer an earlier question: I actually use a Sony-Cybershot. I hope to upgrade to an SLR soon... I'm glad that you found Kennywood as beautiful and aspiring as I did! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DiSab Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 ^Same here with the camera (although I don't have many photos on the site right now). I love it, and I'm considering going for a DSLR as a secondary camera. Excellent PTR. Kennywood is one park I've been dying to visit if I'm ever in the Pittsburgh area, and this makes me want to go even more. Great job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DBru Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 Wow, great PTR! Kennywood looks like an absolutely amazing park...I had no idea how much the park had to offer until seeing this report. It's funny, because with all of the negative things you hear about Pittsburg, it's hard to believe it can be home to this beautiful amusement park. Thanks for sharing! Do all of the flat rides run good cycles? (Mainly the Top Spin and S&S Screamin' Swing?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Electerik Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 This really is a great TR. I need to make Misty look at it so she'll more easily agree to a Kennywood trip. (I've been, she hasn't.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xChris125x Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 It's funny, because with all of the negative things you hear about Pittsburg, it's hard to believe it can be home to this beautiful amusement park. Ehhem, "Pittsburgh" And what's this negative stuff about Pgh? This was an awesome trip report. You covered the park so well and captured almost every coner of the park in pictures. I'm really glad I now have a great Kennywood TR to show people Kennywood. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sros1fan Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 Awesome PTR it just shows why it is my #1 park. I actually enjoyed Garfields Nightmare when i rode it the last time i was there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KPfreak519 Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 ^It was SOOO much better when it was the Old Mill though...If you have ridden the Old Mill in one of its previous forms then Garfield's Nightmare just seems like an atrocity. Luckily the Garfield contract is *supposedly* up after this year so there's hope they will change it back to something worthy of its former self. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamico2 Posted July 31, 2009 Share Posted July 31, 2009 That was an amazing trip report, the best I have read! It really got me excited for my trip there on Aug. 10. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kennywoodfan Posted November 25, 2009 Share Posted November 25, 2009 I'm so glad you posted this trip report. I love all your pictures! I've been there so many times, and I know for sure you didn't leave any stones unturned! You got the essence of Kennywood. Nice job! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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