?'s about k-wood

it looks like my family and i will be heading out to kennywood on the 27th since allentown is by philladelphia and MIadv. is also very far from us (i am coming from akron). i need a few questions answered.

1st- do you think that next saturday(27th) will be crowded??? should i get there when the rides start? gates open? doesn't matter?

2nd- which rides should i hit first? i am really looking forward to steel phantom even though it gets bad reviews. the phantom will be my first arrow megalooper(unless you count cp's as one, i don't).

3rd- which wooden coaster is the best? in other words, which one should i hit the most in your opinion?
i looked up a lot of info and these are the q's i still have. thank you for any replies as i am looking forward to my first kennywood trip.
-Mike

I can't answer the first two but I would rank the woodies with Thunderbolt first, Jack Rabbbit second and Racer third.

Depends on what you like in a woodie.
Heres my general descp. of each

Thnderbolt- WOW! it in my top 3 of woodies. Its fast and furious. very rough but i would like the ride if it wasnt. Every turn feels like its gonna be your last becasue the train is gonna crash. I love its use of demograpics(drop over the ravine and such)

Jack Rabbit - one word .... AIR The double dip second drop is classic. A lot of fun. Normally has short lines great for back to back to back to back rides.

Racer- All around good coaster. not to rough not too fast. And its dueling of course. Ride in the front. good landscape i suppose.

punk - I was just there last week on a Sunday with my girlfriend. Read my trip report for the details.

To answer your questions...

1. A local told me that Saturday's are the busiest. Although our Sunday was relatively uncrowded. Get there when the rides start would be my guess, the gates open earlier.

2. First hit AERO 360 if you do not want to wait too long to ride in the front later. Exterminator has the potential to back up a bit also. I recomend you ride this early and several times as you can easily miss some of the theming.

3. GeremyG and Ron G seem to have this one covered very well

Hope this helps... Be sure to check out all the other stuff. Kennywood is a very unique park with some rides which are the last of their kind.

Hey Punk be sure to take earings out for your ride on the Phantom. They are strict with the no earing policy. Also you might want to hit the Exterminator early, when we went last year it was an hour or so wait. I didn't care much for the Tbolt I think it was so so. The Jack Rabbit was good I like the stationary lap bars and leather strap. Tons of air on this Ace Classic. The Racer is cool as well be sure to give some Kennywood Handshakes.
I'll be hitting Kennywood this Friday if the weather is going to be decient. Last year when we went there were off and on showers all day.
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Parks hit for 2000!
PKD,BGW,Knoebles,Dorney,Hershey

Even with the most seasoned riders, terminator can very easily trigger a mild case of invertigo that will be with you for a while. As a ride, it didn't really provide me with any stomach drops on the dips, although the first round of tight turns are rather fun to experience. In the latter part of the ride, though, the spin axle is released, and the mean lateral g's that throw your partner into you set in. With the spinning action, any theming KW has added might as well be non-existant, as it is impossible to discern.

IMHO Over-all, a mediocre wild mouse that would be better suited outdoors and with no spinning mechanism. Not worth more than a twenty minute wait.

Regarding Thuderbolt, it's running MUCH rougher than year's past--even in the front seat. Still a classic woodie ahead of its time, though. Well, worth a few rides.

Jack Rabbit: What other ride can you literally remove your seatbelt and partially stand up going down the glorious air-time filled double dip? Always a great ride.

Steel Phantom: Well, I won't go there today. All I will say is that the 225 ft drop is ALMOST thrilling. After that, you might as well take a swim in the Mon River. ;)

Racer: Although the log jammer is just as tall, it's still classic, mild roller coaster fun. Continuous track is a plus which brings you back to the station on the opposite side of departure. (Wow --how'd it do that!!???!!)
Best enjoyed by turning around and hand slapping.

Overall the crowds are very light Mon through Friday afternoon. Saturday is peak attendance, although I must say, since Pittsburgh is a very ethnical town, you don't want to be caught in the park on Italian and Polish Days... *** This post was edited by DaveTKoch on 5/21/2000. ***

Tuesdays are always best, as with any park. Italian Day is the most crowded day of the year always. Thunderbolt is fast and rough but over too soon. The Jack Rabbit is the king of airtime. It is unmatched by any modern coaster. Racer is a classic, you have to keep one arm up and one to the side to shake hands with the next train. The Exerminator has an uncharacteristicly long wait, but has great theming. It is a little rough, though.

The Exterminator -

seat 2 or 4 - spin, spin, spin, = fun, fun, fun.

seat 1 or 3 - smash,smash,smash = pain,pain,pain.

I think I got that right? Unless this coaster spins both ways.

However, if you are with a girl, smash = fun