Day 2 - Kennywood
Going into this day, Pittsburgh was supposed to just get wrecked with thunderstorms and hail like all day. Kennywood had posted on there website that due to the weather, there was a good chance many rides would not be open and they would probably close early. Knowing that this was our only day to go, we decided to go anyway. Well, while we were picking up camp, that storm went right over us, putting us about an hour and a half behind. In the back of my mind, I knew if we were able to get to the park before the storm, nobody would be there. Boy, was I right. We were blessed with walk-ons and station waits. Even after they came around and told all the ride ops to get ready to get wet and that they were going to close as soon as the storm hit....the storm totally missed us! It rained/sprinkled for maybe a half hour, but all the rides stayed open! Got to the park around 1 and left at 7 to get to our next campground.
On to the rides...
Exterminator
A pretty rough wild mouse in a box. The theme was pretty cool, but Dark Knight is better. My least favorite coaster at Kennywood. Waited 3 cars to board and still wasn't worth my wait. Sits at number 55. D+
Jack Rabbit
Being the oldest coaster at Kennywood, I wasn't expecting much, even with the double down. Yep, I was wrong. That double down has some of the most amazing airtime ever! The hype is real. Sit in the back and you will get flung over that thing and that seat belt is the only thing holding you there. Jack Rabbit is my favorite woodie at the park and is very re-rideable. Waited one train all three times I rode it. It gets my number 10 spot, bumping down Thunder Run at Kentucky Kingdom. Solid A-/B+.
Lil' Phantom
Skipped because that is a waste of time when you could be riding its older brother.
Phantom's Revenge
I knew going in that this was going to be pretty amazing, and it still somehow exceeded my expectations. How? The airtime on this has to be the most violent/strong airtime on any ride I have been on. We'll see if that changes with SkyRush, but Phantom is so good! The hill right before the double down is like you are standing up, because of the awesome custom made lap bars from those Arrow trains. Also, this has to be the smoothest Morgan which is really weird because it still uses the Arrow trains. Kind of funny that they really could not care less what you bring on this ride as they just tell you to hold on to it tight. A kid in front of me rode with a backpack on and did they say anything? Absolutely not. This is the star of the show and makes the trip worth is already! Waits ranged from walk on to 10 minutes due to one train op, and the fact that it was closed for a wedding in the middle of the day. (check out Kennywoods Twitter for more on that) The ride gets an A+ and sits at number 3, behind Maverick and Millennium Force.
Racer
This is a pretty fun ride, but is really just a family ride. The racing aspect is neat because you are so much closer (within reaching distance) of the other train. Solid ride, and runs pretty smooth, but is my least favorite woodie at the park. It is pretty cool though that it is the last Mobius Loop in the country (I think :? ). Walk on all day due to both sides running all the time, because they have to. Gets my number 21 spot. Probably a C. Not bad, just not really great.
Sky Rocket
Very meh ride. There was so much potential, but Premier really dropped to ball with this one. The two "dives" give a decent amount of airtime, and the fact that it is so smooth helps, but the launch is average, the second half of the ride just drags, and it really isn't that special. I wish this one was a good strong Premier launcher from the late 90s. Now this ride probably had the best operations in the park, but it never had a line. We went up there one time and they were waiting for riders. This is probably not a good sign for the park. It lands my number 31 spot. B-
Thunderbolt
Now my expectations were probably a little high for this one, but it did not even come close to meeting my expectations. The NAD trains were fun, but it was really rough and the hills that should offer airtime with a buzz bar, did not. The sliding around in the "boat" of teaisn that they were was fun, but nothing spectacular. Once again, one train waits all day. Number 15. Solid B
Notable Flats...
Aero 360
Not a huge fan of going upside down, just for the sake of it, but I really liked the huge Kennywood Arrows on the arms.
Black Widow
We need one - nuf said.
Cosmic Chaos
This Disk-O runs a really long cycle and makes for an enjoyable ride.
Garfield
Waste of time if it wasn't over 100 years old.
Ghostwood Estate
Strong shooter dark ride, but the preshow really slows down the process for this one. Like all the targets worked and I got second in the family.
Kangaroo
If you go to Kennywood, you need to ride this! Airtime galore!
Noah's Ark
This is really fun and seems totally against modern safety standards, but it is so odd and so much fun.
Swing Shot
We need one of these too, but this one is not as good as Skyhawk at Cedar Point or the one at Valleyfair.
Turtle
It's a classic, but doesn't really do anything besides go in a circle. Fun to ride for nostalgic reasons.
Volcano
Had to ride their Enterprise and this thing spins really fast and stays vertical for what seems like forever.
Whip
I wish more parks still had these because these are a ton of fun to ride. Kennywood's is really quick ad provides an enjoyable ride.
Some pictures...
The very long line to get in 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Who needs an airgate? Don't pass the red line of death. The only coaster with air gates was Sky Rocket.
Scorecard
Aero 360 1
Black Widow 1
Cosmic Chaos 1
Garfield's Nightmare 1
Ghostwood Estate 1
Jack Rabbit 3
Kangaroo 1
Noah's Ark 2
Phantom's Revenge 6
Racer 2
Sky Rocket 2
Swing Shot 1
The Exterminator 1
Thunderbolt 1
Turtle 1
Volcano 1
Whip 1
Total 27