Kennywood

Nextinline

Nextinline

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I've been surprised by the number of Pennsylvania-area residents posting here & I thought a Kennywood thread could be a good idea.

Feel free to share any news, rumors, questions, comments, memories, or whatever you'd like regarding Kennywood park.


First order of business: bring back the Old Mill!
 
Soarin' Over Pgh

Soarin' Over Pgh

Well-Known Member
Yes please! The Garfield overlay is a disgrace! I was so angry the first time I went on and saw it that I vowed to never ride it again until it was removed.

I haven't been to kennywood this year, work and life have gotten in the way, but I'm hoping to hit up fright nights or whatever they're calling it.

There's quite a few PA residents on this board!

@Steel City Magic is another one. :)
 
Nextinline

Nextinline

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Soarin' Over Pgh said:
Yes please! The Garfield overlay is a disgrace! I was so angry the first time I went on and saw it that I vowed to never ride it again until it was removed.

I haven't been to kennywood this year, work and life have gotten in the way, but I'm hoping to hit up fright nights or whatever they're calling it.

There's quite a few PA residents on this board!

@Steel City Magic is another one. :)
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Beyond the ride changes (which speak for themselves) I'm upset that the line queues into the area between the loading dock & the mill. I thought it added an to the feel of the ride to have it off in the distance. There was an article that came out a few years ago saying Kennywood was talking about bringing the Old Mill back. Of course, there were also claims that the Turnpike was coming back which has yet to happen...
 
Soarin' Over Pgh

Soarin' Over Pgh

Well-Known Member
Nextinline said:
Beyond the ride changes (which speak for themselves) I'm upset that the line queues into the area between the loading dock & the mill. I thought it added an to the feel of the ride to have it off in the distance. There was an article that came out a few years ago saying Kennywood was talking about bringing the Old Mill back. Of course, there were also claims that the Turnpike was coming back which has yet to happen...
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I remember there being whispers about the Old Mill returning but ultimately I think the new owners just don't care enough to do anything to it. I agree, I don't like the queue location now... there used to be a sense of forboding that surrounded the Old Mill that is now gone.

The last time I was at Kennywood (last summer) I had a miserable time. And that's the first time I've ever had a less than stellar day there. It was SO CROWDED. Food prices were much higher than I remember them being. Less shade, less benches (they took that one out of Disney's playbook) and there were games everywhere. The ones that bothered me the most were the basketball games and some other tall-ish booths in front of the Railroad. The laughing frightening AA used to draw folks walking past from 80 feet away but now there's games parked in front of her... and obscuring the view of the Railroad itself. And how they changed that is a travesty. Billboards everywhere, really?

I like to remember the Kennywood of my childhood. It was at it's best then. Now it's commercialized and has lost it's 'family' feel.

It makes me sad.

I also haven't been to Sandcastles in years, but I heard its the exact same park with a higher price tag.
 
Nextinline

Nextinline

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Soarin' Over Pgh said:
I remember there being whispers about the Old Mill returning but ultimately I think the new owners just don't care enough to do anything to it. I agree, I don't like the queue location now... there used to be a sense of forboding that surrounded the Old Mill that is now gone.

The last time I was at Kennywood (last summer) I had a miserable time. And that's the first time I've ever had a less than stellar day there. It was SO CROWDED. Food prices were much higher than I remember them being. Less shade, less benches (they took that one out of Disney's playbook) and there were games everywhere. The ones that bothered me the most were the basketball games and some other tall-ish booths in front of the Railroad. The laughing frightening AA used to draw folks walking past from 80 feet away but now there's games parked in front of her... and obscuring the view of the Railroad itself. And how they changed that is a travesty. Billboards everywhere, really?

I like to remember the Kennywood of my childhood. It was at it's best then. Now it's commercialized and has lost it's 'family' feel.

It makes me sad.

I also haven't been to Sandcastles in years, but I heard its the exact same park with a higher price tag.
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I agree that the basketball game is terrible for the atmosphere of the park. The game itself is bad enough, but then to take away the surrounding attractions is even worse. That area went down hill fast with the removal of the Swing Around and the stage area that was underneath. Now its Kennywood's version of the giant stage in front of the hat at DHS.

If you don't like the commercialization of the park, I hope I'm not the first to tell you that there are now commercial food vendors setting up shop within the park. Johnny Rockets opened near the Merry-Go-Round and there is a Rita's Italian Ice near the Pittsburgh Plunge. Hopefully that doesn't mean the end of classic amusement park fare.

Even with the commercialization Kennywood kept its character for so long that I think it is well behind the curve & retains a lot of its old school feel compared to most other parks in America.

As for Sandcastle. I live 5 minutes from it & haven't been there in about 15 years lol.
 
abeachchick

abeachchick

hi
Grew up in Pittsburgh. My family still lives there and my nieces go to Kennywood all the time. They were just there on Monday when their high school band marched in the parade, and they had a great time.

Unfortunately, It's not the same to me. I have very fond memories of being a regular at that park for a good 30 years before things changed. I am old enough to remember swimming there :oops: lol

kwswim.jpg
 
Soarin' Over Pgh

Soarin' Over Pgh

Well-Known Member
Nextinline said:
I agree that the basketball game is terrible for the atmosphere of the park. The game itself is bad enough, but then to take away the surrounding attractions is even worse. That area went down hill fast with the removal of the Swing Around and the stage area that was underneath. Now its Kennywood's version of the giant stage in front of the hat at DHS.

If you don't like the commercialization of the park, I hope I'm not the first to tell you that there are now commercial food vendors setting up shop within the park. Johnny Rockets opened near the Merry-Go-Round and there is a Rita's Italian Ice near the Pittsburgh Plunge. Hopefully that doesn't mean the end of classic amusement park fare.

Even with the commercialization Kennywood kept its character for so long that I think it is well behind the curve & retains a lot of its old school feel compared to most other parks in America.

As for Sandcastle. I live 5 minutes from it & haven't been there in about 15 years lol.
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I actually wasn't aware and that's... not surprising, but still makes me sad. :(

I'm about 15 minutes from Sandcastles and drive past it often to go to the Waterfront, but it's never crossed my mind to go there. Nothing about standing on those long wooden platforms with no shade or covering, waiting to load into a too-small tube to go down a too-short water slide appeals to me. :) But I wonder if they still do the 'adult' party in the evenings/weekend evenings with the bar. That was nice, when I was like, 22. I think that's probably the last time I was there.

And I didn't know KW got rid of the stage! That's heart breaking. I don't recall if I remember seeing it last year or not... Hm. Maybe it was two years ago that I was there. Man my memory is bad today. LOL

Le Cache was always the best. I still miss that ride. And the old Gold Mine. Classics.
 
Bparso87

Bparso87

Well-Known Member
Kennywood has been so bad the past two years for me. It has just lost something for me over the yeas not sure if it is going to Disney every year that makes Kennywood seem bad r if it is the new ownership it doesn't seem as clean as it once did they r putting stuff in areas that look bad like the beer garden I love beer but it looks horrible. Sandcastle on the other hand is great I live in Braddock so 10 min from both and having season passes at sandcastle is great for me and the kids. I would not buy regular admission to go one day not worth it.
 
Soarin' Over Pgh

Soarin' Over Pgh

Well-Known Member
Bparso87 said:
Kennywood has been so bad the past two years for me. It has just lost something for me over the yeas not sure if it is going to Disney every year that makes Kennywood seem bad r if it is the new ownership it doesn't seem as clean as it once did they r putting stuff in areas that look bad like the beer garden I love beer but it looks horrible. Sandcastle on the other hand is great I live in Braddock so 10 min from both and having season passes at sandcastle is great for me and the kids. I would not buy regular admission to go one day not worth it.
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New management seems more interested in cramming as much "buy me" stuff into the park as possible- games, food booths, souvenior stands- than they are interested in the history, legacy and future of KW. It's not nearly as clean as it used to be. The last time I was there, several smaller rides were all down, which made the park that much more crowded... and there wasn't anyone actively working on any of them, at any point in the day. The Enterprise (Volcano), the Turtles, the new-ish alien spin thing that's by the Enterprise/Volcano, the Music Express and the new Swing ride were all down. At once.

It's a shame what's happened to that park, really. I used to LOVE going there, and went there every year. The prices kept climbing, the quality kept dropping, and I stopped going.

abeachchick said:
How about the Turtle?

View attachment 61961
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I've always wanted this in my backyard and I just don't understand why I can't have one in my backyard. :) LOVE the turtles.
 
Soarin' Over Pgh

Soarin' Over Pgh

Well-Known Member
I do remember getting a concussion and bad nose bleed from the Steel Phantom (original) and was very happy when they decided to rebuild and reinvent it. That concussion/nose bleed landed me in their first aid building for four hours. :(
 
Nextinline

Nextinline

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Soarin' Over Pgh said:
I do remember getting a concussion and bad nose bleed from the Steel Phantom (original) and was very happy when they decided to rebuild and reinvent it. That concussion/nose bleed landed me in their first aid building for four hours. :(
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Was the injury due to your head banging around in the head restraints? I only rode the Steel Phantom a few times before they changed it but I remember having some serious neck strain afterwards.
 
Soarin' Over Pgh

Soarin' Over Pgh

Well-Known Member
Nextinline said:
Was the injury due to your head banging around in the head restraints? I only rode the Steel Phantom a few times before they changed it but I remember having some serious neck strain afterwards.
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Yes. I was tall enough to ride, but my head banged so hard after the first loop and I wasn't able to control it. When the ride ended my nose was gushing blood and the ride operators called the first aid staff before letting me off the coaster.

As a kid, it was embarrassing, because they wouldn't let me get up, so I was holding up the entire ride. Now I realize why they did what they did, but at the time... ugh, I hated it.
 
Nextinline

Nextinline

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Soarin' Over Pgh said:
Yes. I was tall enough to ride, but my head banged so hard after the first loop and I wasn't able to control it. When the ride ended my nose was gushing blood and the ride operators called the first aid staff before letting me off the coaster.

As a kid, it was embarrassing, because they wouldn't let me get up, so I was holding up the entire ride. Now I realize why they did what they did, but at the time... ugh, I hated it.
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That's pretty rough. You were probably first in line when the took out the head restraints.

Its amazing how quickly the Phantom went to being one of the largest & fastest coaster in the world to needing a major overhaul, while the Jack Rabbit is 94 years old & remains virtually unchanged!
 
Soarin' Over Pgh

Soarin' Over Pgh

Well-Known Member
Nextinline said:
That's pretty rough. You were probably first in line when the took out the head restraints.

Its amazing how quickly the Phantom went to being one of the largest & fastest coaster in the world to needing a major overhaul, while the Jack Rabbit is 94 years old & remains virtually unchanged!
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Technology, eh? ;)

I'm just happy they fixed it. It was a flawed design from the very beginning. T still has it's issues, but it's not nearly as terrible as it once was.

I'm convinced the jack rabbit will outlive me. I don't know how they built that damn ride, but my god, what an incredible design, layout,and execution it has. It'll last forever.
 

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