Kennywood Amusement Park

Updated 02-23-02

Laurie and I went to Kennywood Amusement Park on August 23rd, 2001. We had a pretty good time and I would recommend Kennywood to people visiting. The day started out rainy and we actually called in the morning to make sure the rides were open. The lady who answered said yes, as long as it isn't raining too hard. So off we went.

Kennywood has a lot of older rides, including a couple of wooden roller coasters and a few rides I never saw before because they were so old. Don't go if you are looking for the newest and greatest rides. Unless you want to see The Phantom's Revenge. For a long time, the top attraction at Kennywood was The Steel Phantom roller coaster. It was getting old and most people I talked to said it was a very jarring ride. Kennywood finally replaced it in 2001 with The Phantom's Revenge. Laurie and I did go on it. Laurie liked it...I hated it. I don't mind roller coasters...once I work my nerve up, I usually have a good time (thanks, Tracey!). But this one...well...the force of it was pushing me down the whole ride and when I got off, my back and neck hurt. So what did I do? Went on the bumper cars...that's good for a bad back! Anyway, most people seem to like Phantom's Revenge, so don't let my one bad review change your mind.

We had a great time riding the wooden roller coasters and the log flume. Oh, but if you go on the log flume, make sure you go early. Seems like that's one of a few rides they close early...and with no warning. We were saving it for last, figuring we could just leave with our wet clothes rather than walk around in them. But we decided to go on it while we were walking by it. Later, when it started getting dark, we noticed it was closed for the day. An announcement like "The log flume will be closing in one hour" would have been nice.

Here's a list of the rides we went on, and a ranking from 1 to 10 (10, of course, being the best).

Phantom's Revenge (Roller Coaster)
Me - 2, Laurie - 4

Jack Rabbit (Wooden Roller Coaster)
Me - 6 (long line, short ride), Laurie - 6

Tunderbolt (Roller Coaster)
Me - 9, Laurie - 10 (our favorite, fun ride)

The Racer (Wooden Roller Coaster, side by side coasters race)
Me - 7, Laurie - 7

The Old Mill (boat ride...100 years old!)
Me - 1, Laurie - 0 (don't waste your time)

Musik Express (basic spinning ride)
Me - 7, Laurie - 4 (nothing fancy, but fun)

Pirate Ship (basic Pirate Ship)
Me - Didn't go on, Laurie - 9

Wave Swinger (swing ride)
Me - Didn't go on, Laurie - 5

Merry-Go-Round (built in 1926...wonderfully old fashion)
Me - 8, Laurie - 8

Kangaroo (can't explain this, but it's fun!)
Me - 8, Laurie 10

Log Jammer (log flume)
Me - 8, Laurie - 8 (got soaked!! Fun!)

We might have gone on some more rides...I'm not sure. But Kennywood is good for a day's diversion. Keep in mind, it's actually in West Mifflin. You can get there in about 20 minutes from Pittsburgh (depending on traffic!). Check out the Kennywood web site for all the details. And check out the pictures below.

Click on the thumbnail to see the larger picture.