Kennywood Amusement Park, West Mifflin PA report & pics - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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Kennywood Amusement Park, West Mifflin PA report & pics
After talking to several PP friends who convinced me to write a mini trip report on my recent trip to Kennywood Amusement park~Make a New Memory at Kennywood Park, Pittsburgh PA right here in West Mifflin, PA. I decided to go for it & took my camera with me on our school picnic day at the park this past Wednesday.
I am very fortunate to live within a 15 minute drive of this historic park & when I was a teen it was a favorite hang out for my friends & I. Back then, you paid a general admission fee ( $3) & bought tickets to ride the rides. The ticket system was very similar to Disney's A-E ticket with the bigger, better rides being more tickets.
After you go through the turnstiles you are directed to Kennywood's infamous tunnel entrance to the park..
over the years the scenes inside this tunnel have changed from plain walls & grafitti to painted murals.. most kids excitement starts while walking ( or running) through this tunnel.. the fun awaits..
Most of the school districts/Communities in SW PA have what they call Kennywood Picnic days.. One day a year is designated as picnic day & a good part of the Community goes to Kennywood to meet & have fun!
This past Wednesday 6/6 was West Mifflin day at Kennywood & I remembered to take my camera & got some cool photos & I'd love to share my hometown park with you ..
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THe very first thing you see after leaving the tunnels is the Turnpike.. the Turnpike is very similar to Disneys speedway . Built in 1966, this is truly a classic ride & signifies Kennywod..
Right next to The Turnpike is Garfields revenge.. this is a 3D boat ride that I must say.. really disapoints me.. Garfields revenge is the home of the former Old Mill.. the Old Mill was also boat ride but 90% of it was in the dark & it was a great place for teenagers to go & kiss your boyfriend ( not that I ever did that!! )
Walk a little way & you are in the Penny Arcade .. there are tons of games for kids & adults to play to get tickets for prizes.. When I was younger you could go in the Penny Arcade & get postcard size photos for a penny. We always had to by pass this on our way in the park & were told to wait until we were leaving,( probably in the hopes that we'd be too tired to want to play games) The Penny Arcade also used to house the cutest photo booth.. I still have pictures of me taken there 40 years ago.
Okay.. small history lesson over.. we're riding!! Pass the Penny Arcade & you're at the Jack Rabbit roller coaster. The Jack Rabbit was built in 1921. It is best known for it 70’ double-dip drop. that literally bounces you out of your seat. Jim immediately asked Shelby if she wanted to ride & much to our surprise she readily agreed.. Now this is the kid who argued over not wanting to ride Kali River rapids.. She got off & Jim & I decided to press our luck & see if she would ride the Thunderbolt.. Yep!! One of the worlds best wooden roller coasters in the world & one ride that all coaster enthusiasts should ride at least once!
Shelby was actually excited to ride & I HAD to get a picture of her on it..
& up close
that's her & Jim(in white tank) I can't believe she actually put her hands up on the ride..
After the Thunderbolt we had to make a food stop & one place that EVERYONE who goes to Kennywood MUST have is Potato Patch fries.. It is located right next to the Thunderbolt & the lines are always huge..
I must have my fries with vinegar & kennywood doesn't sell malt vinegar.. plain old white for us folks..
these fries are so loved that a local grocery store started carrying them frozen year round!
COMING UP: Bellies full we decided to take a relaxing ride on the train
I went to Kennywood when I was visiting family friends the summer before my 8th grade year (1985). I so remember the Jack Rabbit!! Bringing back great memories.
After our mini lunch we decided to take a ride on the train.. When Kennywood still took tickets for rides there was a booth right at the entrance.. one booth had a animatronic laughing lady & the other a real person.. Let me tell you, when I was little I used to be petrified to ride the train because I thought that laughing lady would come on the train with me. They have tamed the lady down a lot in recent years..
The Kennywood train has been around forever & basically tells the story of Western Pa through scenes & narrative, such as the tale of Joe Magarac - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia the mythical story of the man who bent steel with his bare hands
Some say the story is true, some say it's a tale.. but still pretty interesting.
The train is a very short ride around Kiddieland and the picnic groves
Kennywood is one of a few remaining parks that still has picnic groves & allows people to bring their own food. Years ago, companies would rent these groves to have company picinics in addition to individual families who also liked to bring a picnic basket or cooler.. Moms would set up huge feasts while the kids rode rides.
The train also gives a scenic view over the Monongahela river..
this area in the photo is of one of the Steel Mills & also the locks/dam area of the mon river.
After the train ride it was nearing 2 pm & Shelby had made plans to meet some of her friends over new Garfields Revenge. My idea of a fun day at Kwnnywood is not spending time with a bunch of 3rd graders ( especially ones I see EVERY day at school) but I thought a few rides wouldn't hurt . Well, all of the girls rode the Turnpike together & then Garfields revenge. Shelby then suggested the Jackrabbit.. & 4 of the girls bugged out but one gal, Valerie was game.. Now Val was born with with severe facial deformities & handicaps & has endured several operations in her young life. but I have never seen such a spunky girl.. I don't think Val knows the word handicap.. Val is also very small & it was funny to see her running hand in hand with Shelby up the ramp to the jackrabbit.. Janice, Val's Mom looks at me in amazement & said Val has always been petrified to ride big rides so she was shocked!
They went on Music Express after that & Shelby really really wanted to go on the log jammer.. (think Splash Mountain only shorter) Val didn't want to ride & kept getting in & out of line.. one time she came back with her hearing aid (smart thinking) next time she came back with their SHOES.. then she'd be scared.. I promised her I'd take her pic on the ride if she rode, that didn't work.. she kept getting in & out of line.
I have a ton of family photos hanging on the wall in my office & as I was sitting here I looked up & saw that one of the small pictures I have tucked into the frame of my Moms pic is one of those Kennywood penny arcade pics I was talking about..
The date is ripped off but it looks like it was probably June 1966.. So, I was 4 in this pic.. The ladies in the photo are 2 of the most important women in my life.. My Mom is the one without glasses & my Grandmother .. I miss them both sooo much!
check out my Buba's cool rhinestone rimmed glasses..
I know I've got a similar picture of my niece ( with the same DUH look as I have) & of Jamie from the arcade..
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We left off the last installment wondering if Val would ride the log jammer.. She kept getting on & off but finally I think Shelby threatened her she'd better stay put..
Around this time, I ran into Jamie (hadn't seen him all day since we entered the park) he was with his friends Emily & Ashleigh.. the girls had an appointment to ride the sky coaster... now this is my version of true terror.. It is a sort of bungee jump free fall attraction ( not really a ride) Jamie had done it a few years ago with Jim & Jim's step-father so he was there to give the girls moral support.. I offered my camera for him to get their pic but when it was time for them to go up, Shelby & Val were coming down the log jammer, & I did promise to take Val's pic.
I took several photos of strangers coming down the big drop
before I finally got them on the ride (what little you can see of them! )
After the log jammer Val was getting antsy so we decided to split up for a while. I saw my friend Donna sitting alone on a bench & chatted with her for a bit while Jim & Shelby rode the Phantoms revenge.. I could not believe Shelby was riding such big rides..
We were hungry & I wanted to check out the cafeteria & had a delicious sandwich platter with fruit & veggies.. there were 5 egg salad finger sandwiches, 5 ham finger sandwiches, olives, cucumbers, carrots, celery & a huge bowl of fruit.. all for only $5.. Jim didn't want anything from the cafeteria so after I ate he got a cheese steak hoagie for himself ( it smelled delicious) & Shelby got pizza.. The pizza shop was right next to another Kennywood classic favorite.. chocolate covered ice cream cone.. what makes this cone so unique is it is square shaped, on a double cake cone, dipped in chocolate & covered in nuts or jimmies & topped with a cherry. I wish I had remembered to take a picture as it is really a unique looking cone. Of course, all 3 of us had to have a cone!
As you can tell, one of my favorite pastimes at Kennywood is to EAT!! (as will be evident in this TR)
After our dinner we were going to meet up with Val & some more of Shelby's friends..
We walked across the bridge & went through the merry go round & Shelby took a spin
I saw a group of my friends sitting watching the merry go round go by & didn't pass up the chance to tease them that we were getting old.. When I was little, the merry go round is where all the parents & grandparents sat & was always a central meeting area. I started chatting with them & sent Jim & Shelby off to meet Shelbys friends.. well, 1-1/2 hrs later I was still sitting there gabbing & decided to go find Jim.. my pals decided to come with me so we took another half hour around the park chatting up other friends.. ( that's what's good & bad about West Mifflin day.. you see everyone!!)
I headed into an area of Kennywood called Lost Kennywood which houses many classic rides.. I found jim, Shelby & a bunch of her friends & their parents riding the whip.. Now, the whip is my absolute FAVORITE ride of Kennywood & every time I ride it, I get a little misty as it was also my Mom's favorite ride & I ALWAYS think of her when i'm on it..
The Whip was also the scene of one of the worst disasters to hit the park,in May 2002 when a a microburst came through our town so quickly, it destroyed the pavillion that housed the whip.. killing one woman, injuring quite a few. .. Woman dies in Kennywood collapse as fierce storms tear through region I remember this day as we were at the baseball field which is right above Kennywood & saw the sky turn & weird green & decided to head home.. one the drive we actually saw the funnel start to form.. THe whip is no longer under a pavillion but it's location has stayed the same.
Right next to the Whip is the Pittsburgh Plunge.. yet another water ride. .but this one is a lot smaller than the log jammer.. & much shorter.. you go up a hill then down & get wet & wet all of the people in the viewing/wet zone .. Shelby's friends all chickened out & I was amazed when Shelby went on all by herself.. the lines were short ( kinda chilly day) so she rode it several times non-stop
Shelby's the drenched one in the 3rd row...
She of course was freezing afterward & had to put her jacket on
the girls all decided to go on the Gold Rush.. this is a dark spooky ride.. After this ride the group broke up again leaving only Val & Shelby together.. they rode the bumper cars with new friends they ran into & then decided to be brave & go on cosmic chaos.. If Val chickened out on Pittsburgh Plunge.. I KNEW she would chicken out on cosmic chaos.. so I decided to call Jamie & Brendan in as erinforcements to ride this if Val did chicken out.. this ride looked SUPER scary to me.. It was J shaped & you sat around the outside of a circle & was strapped in ala RnRC & it spun while going up & down this J.. VERY intense .. I was waiting for Bren & Jamie to call me back when I see Brendan in line to ride.. his group was next to go on so I told him to wait after he rode to see if his sister needed him to ride.. I did get a slightly blurry pic of him on it.. he's in the yellow on the right
Well, Bren got off & the ride BROKE!!!! they told us it would be a while before it would be up so Shelby & Val headed to the pirate ship they kept getting off & then getting back in line & going back on.. they must have ridden this at least 6 times. ( I would have been nauseous after the 2nd time)
I was getting a little hungry & it was near 9pm & the taco stand around the corner looked tempting so I left Janice to watch the kids & headed to get a taco.. well for $3 I got a huge 9" taco with everything & it was yummy!!!
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Val is also very small & it was funny to see her running hand in hand with Shelby up the ramp to the jackrabbit.. Janice, Val's Mom looks at me in amazement & said Val has always been petrified to ride big rides so she was shocked! 
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