Every year, without fail, I go on a trip to visit my family in Pennsylvania. The great majority of the Cain clan lives in this northern state, mainly in the small town-esque counties of Washington and Allegheny. As tradition dictates, we drive throughout the two counties during our stay, visiting all members of my extended family and simply enjoying the beautiful forested landscape. It is the other part of our annual foray into beautiful Pennsylvania that I look forward to the most, however. After paying a visit to all of our relatives, my parents, brother, and I then travel to my grandma’s home in Bethel Park. My father’s sister and her family meet us there from North Carolina and some more familial commingling ensues before we pile into a car (or two) and head out to the city of West Mifflin. It is there that we arrive at one of my favorite places in the United States: Kennywood Amusement Park. It is not just the park itself that holds a special place in my heart. It is all the memories that I have made there during my 17 years that make Kennywood one of my most favorite places to visit.
Aside from the beautiful scenery that one passes on their way to Kennywood, there is a little “game” that people travelling to the park often play. Upon entering the West Mifflin borough, small signs start appearing every so often on the telephone poles. The signs are of the Kennywood Arrow and point in the direction of the park. Usually, people enroute try and spot the signs before the other people in the car, a task that is harder said then done. I know that on more than one occasion my brother, cousins, and I have gotten into a heated battle trying to locate the Arrows. The signs were originally put up to help lead people who were walking to the park, something that was not uncommon when Kennywood first opened. Although people usually don’t opt to walk the distance to Kennywood, the “Sign Game” will most likely remains as a time honored game for park goers for years to come.
Now for the information that everyone needs in order to visit the wonderful Kennywood Park. Kennywood is located at 4800 Kennywood Boulevard, West Mifflin, PA 15122 and the park operators can be reached at (412)461-0500. The park opens its gates at 10:30am and the ride start to open at 11:00am. The park typically closes at 10:00pm, but the time is subject to change, depending on the weather and crowd conditions. In accordance with their traditionalist history, tickets for Kennywood can only be purchased at the park itself, which can be a bit of a bother to those who wish to get into the park with little to no wait. However, I find that if you arrive when the park opens at 10:30, you really don’t have to wait long at all to get your passes. The ticket vendors are also very courteous and like most of the other park employees have worked for Kennywood for years. Therefore, they know their job inside and out and do an excellent job of getting you through the lines. Kennywood offers numerous ticket pricing option, which can be found in the table below. There are two parking options for Kennywood: Preferred and Free. Preferred costs $5 per vehicle and the lots are situated right at the front of the park, allowing for easy access to the gates. Free Parking, also known as the Back Lot, is not so easy to walk to the gates from. Situated on a hill above the park, people have the option of taking the stairs or the newly added escalator down to the the far end of the Preferred Lot and then walking to the gate. They can also take a ski lift that will take them to and from the lot. Some people park in the Back Lot solely to take the ski lift, which has been apart of Kennywood for decades. However, this is obviously not wheelchair friendly or a good choice for people with small children who are afraid of heights. The website for Kennywood is http://kennywood.com/.
Ticket Pricing | |
FunDay (All Day Rides) | $36.99 |
Junior (less than 46”) | $23.99 |
Seniors (55+) | $17.99 |
Night Rider (after 5 pm) | $21.99 |
Senior Night Rider | $10.49 |
Kids 2 & Under | FREE |
It would be impossible to talk about Kennywood without mentioning one of my favorite parts of the park: its colorful history. Kennywood was founded in 1898 by Andrew Mellon and Anthony Kenny. Mellon, who owned part of the Monongahela Street Railways Company, wanted to create more revenue from his end of the rail line. He approached Kenny, the proprietor of a large amount of farm land, and asked if he could use part of his property to create a trolley park, a common attraction at the end of streetcar lines. The deal was sealed and Kennywood was born. A carousel, casino hall, and dance pavilion were the original attractions of the park, with many more being added in later years. By 1906, the streetcar company decided it no longer wanted to run the park and Kennywood would have been closed had it not been for A. S. McSwigan. The manager at the time, McSwigan began to lease out the park, which has kept it open since. Eventually, Kennywood took on the amusement park title as more thriller-like rides were built. Now, it is home to six full-sized roller coasters, three of which are original wooden models, along with numerous other rides that will fill any thrill-seeker's wishes. In 1987, Kennywood was named a National Historic Landmark, one of only two amusement parks to be added to the registrar. By 2007, the deed to Kennywood had been sold to a different set of owners, and although it is now under new leadership, the park is still dedicated to making sure its visitors have the most fun.
So let’s get to park itself. Upon entering Kennywood, you will see several shops and eating areas, remnants of the old trolley park. Immediately to the left of the main entrance way is my Gramms’ favorite part, the Kandy Kaleidoscope. We always buy some of their delicious treats to take with us to eat throughout the day and to bring home afterwards. A handy tip to use at Kennywood (and at most amusement parks) is to start at the back of park and work your way towards the front. By doing this, you will avoid most of the heavy lines and be able to ride more attractions. Although I could list every ride in detail and describe how much I love each one, my goal is to not ramble. As such, I will talk about three of my favorite ones: the Pitt Fall, Noah’s Ark, and the Phantom’s Revenge.
Kandy Kaeleidopscope
The Pitt Fall, named in honor of Pittsburgh, is probably the first ride visitors will see upon arriving at Kennywood. They might even see it before they get there as it towers above the other rides. Standing at 251 feet (100 feet taller than the Statue of Liberty!), the Pitt Fall is one of the tallest drop towers in the world. Painted in the Steeler’s colors of gold and black, the Pitt Fall is situated near the back of the park in a corner. The ride can hold 12 passengers, three on all four sides. Your feet dangle as you are hoisted high above Kennywood and you had best leave your stomach on the ground with your shoes. At the very top of the hulking tower, you are afforded a momentary panoramic view of West Mifflin, including the Monongahela River. This only lasts for about three seconds, of course. When I am on the Pitt Fall, I rarely look at the scenery. Instead, I’m listening for the fateful click of the locking mechanism above my head. For when you hear that noise, you have about one moment before you plummet more than 200 feet down. I typically ride the Pitt Fall around three times during each visit and every time there never fails to be at least one person who is crying by the end of the ride. I once had a woman have to hold my hand the whole way up and down because she was so scared! I have always been a person who loves rides that scare me senseless, and the Pitt Fall is definitely one of these!
My second favorite Kennywood attraction is Noah’s Ark. Sounds pretty innocent, no? This walk-through ride is anything but what its misleading moniker implies. I first went on the Ark when I was 4, believing it to be a real life representation of the boat Noah built and filled with animals. I was expecting a cute, kid-like environment filled with fake giraffes and elephants. I was wrong. Noah’s Ark is a slowly swaying building in the shape of a boat. Inside, there are animatronic animals that pop out from the dark and bang the glass of their “enclosures”. Many parts of the floor have trick boards that either violently shake when you walk across them or have the two halves jerk in different directions. Once you get past all of this, all the people who are currently in the ride mass in a closed off room that resembles the boiler room of a ship. Suddenly, sirens start blaring and the “captain’s” voice comes through the intercom, announcing that the boat is sinking. The walls begin to shake and then burst forward, spewing water and spraying the guests. Water also begins to rapidly rise from beneath the walkway everyone stands on. Before it reaches the platform, the door opens and the riders are able to escape back into the park. Needless to say, when I was a young four year old, Noah’s Ark scared me to death. Nowadays, though, it’s an attraction I go on for old time’s sake, so that I can look back on and laugh at my four year old self.
Last on my much abbreviated list of favorite rides is the roller coaster known as the Phantom’s Revenge. The first steel coaster to be built at Kennywood, the Phantom is one of the most popular attractions in the whole park. It is not uncommon for dedicated fans of the ride to wait at least two hours in the rain in order to board the hypercoaster. Just as the Pitt Fall can easily be spotted, so too can the Phantom. It’s tell-tale black and teal tracks rise into the sky for all to see. The Phantom’s Revenge features a unique drop that actually goes through the structure of the neighboring Thunderbolt, one of Kennywood’s wooden coasters. This ride is by far my favorite in all of the park. It was the first roller coaster that I was allowed to go on and I vividly remember wanting to sob as the car slowly climbed the steep incline towards the top. By the end of the ride, though, I was all for doing it again. The thrill and the speed of the coaster are what always draw me back to it during every one of my visits. Come high heat or pouring rain, I am always willing to endure so that I can ride the Phantom.
The drop through the Thunderbolt
Besides the main attraction of the rides, Kennywood hosts a multitude of other things that draws its visitors in. These range from the large array of restaurants in the middle of the park to the Midway styled games found by Old Kennywood. One of my favorite places to eat when I visit Kennywood is a little eatery called the Potato Patch that sells nothing but homemade french fries. It is one of Kennywood's most popular food vendors as evidenced by the snaking line that can almost always be seen in front of it. This, of course, can be a problem. I have yet to find a truly good time to go to the Potato Patch where there isn't such a line, though it is typically shorter earlier on in the day. The wait is beyond worth it though when you sit down to eat the most delicious of fries. My brother's favorite part of Kennywood is by far the classic games that run up and down the streets where the park was originally built. It's a place where all can go back to a time when things were simpler and games consisted of throwing darts at balloons or attempting to pick a duck up with a magnet. There are amazing prizes one can win, including the typical overstuffed animal. What I like about these games is that it's not too hard to win at least a small toy, which can be really nice if you have children with you wanting something. I find that at other similarly styled places, the operators are far less likely for even trying.
Year after year my family and I are drawn to Kennywood Amusement Park. Not once have we grown bored of its time-honored traditions or historic rides, both of which add to the lustrous appeal of the park. For close to two decades I have been a regular visitor of Kennywood and I plan on remaining so for many more to come. I hope that if my readers ever find themselves in Pennsylvania, they manage to take the chance to visit one of America’s greatest amusement parks.
Heart above Kennywood's exit
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