Kennywood advice?

Your loss. Most beautiful city I know.

I agree, Seattle was a real surprise when we went back in 2003. Great seafood. Beautiful city. And the best damn waffle cone I've ever had anywhere! I'd have no reservations about going again.

A little late to the party but Kennywood is truly a gem of a park. It has the classic nostalgia and some incredible modern coasters. SkyRocket is decent, but PR is OMG level awesome. The air on that ride is ridiculous and I cannot stop laughing whenever I ride it. All three woodies are great, but I second the back seat Jack Rabbit ride. Even the most jaded enthusiast will be reaching for something to grab on that double down.

I also really like the Kangaroo. It's got a nice little pop of air. If the line isn't too long, they also have a nice S&S swing and Black Widow is pretty decent as well.

Bunky, Lakemont and DelGrosso's is two hour before you get to Kennywood. They are both pretty small. You could easily do them both in a day, probably the day you are traveling.

Lakemont has the oldest coaster in the world, and while not very exciting, it is still pretty interesting. They also have Skyliner, which has a unique location as the backdrop to a big baseball field. It's pretty fun too. You can also torture yourself on the Toboggan if you dare. lol

DelGrosso's has a Crazy Mouse that is fun to compare to the one at Kennywood. It doesn't spin nearly as fast as Exterminator, but it's a credit. DelGrosso's is a nice, clean park with excellent food.

You probably already knew this though.

Slither - - - > Wow! I took a look at the link to the drive in place that you mentioned and couildn't help but get hungry. It probably smells great as you are getting out of your car and just walking up to the counter. I just love places like that. Sadly, they are getting rare and harder to find. (Especially in the New York City / Long Island area.)

Any time I go to a new park, I just go. I walk around, explore, eat something. go on a ride or two, eat something else...it's all good.

At KEnnywood, try to have a meal or a snack at the sit down air-conditioned restaurant. The selections were good and prices were fairly reasonable. Nice place to take a break. The hot dog that I got from a regular outside stand was awful though.

That's not a drive-in. THIS is a drive-in! I mean, if you're in Pittsburgh anyway...

Richie -- Yep, it does smell great. They make everything right there. They actually make their own root beer.

One of the reasons I adore the White Turkey Drive In is that places like that are so rare these days. It's a treasure.

My sister and I made this trip last year and I envy you getting to make it for the first time. Others have given you lots of thoughts about the coasters at Kennywood, and there's not much more I could add. It may help to be tactical about things in a way we were not - we ended up in some longish lines early in the day (especially on the Racer - where they had one ride op covering boths trains). You may be better off heading left when you enter the park as opposed to going straight ahead the way we and the other sheeple did.

For food, there's a big restaurant in the center of the park that had good, freshly made deli sandwiches and fresh fruit, among others things. Also pastas and things which were less appealing on a hot August day. And others have mentioned the potato patch. There was also a barbecue pit listed on the map, but it was closed when we were there.

It's really a lovely place and you'll have a great time.

I would strongly encourage Waldameer - for us, as terrific as the rides at Kennywood are, Ravine Flyer beat them hands down. We couldn't get enough, and it just ran faster and faster. They also have a junior woodie that's interesting and fun, a spinning coaster, and two good fun houses (one a ride, one a walk-thru).

The food at Waldameer, however, was dismal. Bring a picnic or go to the drive-in.

I think the other question is: Conneaut? Who knows if it will be open. If it is, it's not more than 20 minutes out of your way between Pittsburgh and Erie. And it won't take you long. There's the Blue Streak and a sweet, badly-tuned carousel, and that's about it. For me, the Blue Streak would be worth it, even in the terrible condition it was in last summer. It's a classic ride with a terrific profile and horrible potholes; you'll have fun and fear for your life. And you likely won't have another chance.

I would say, assuming you're taking two days for the trip, you could shorten your visit to Waldameer by an hour to stop at Conneaut - you can easily get to everything at Waldameer in a few hours. But I probably wouldn't shorten my visit to Kennywood.

I should mention that I really didn't get much out of Waldameer. RF2 was good but not great (I didn't get a night ride) and nothing else at the park really blew my hair back. It was worth the trip, but next time I'm in Pittsburgh, I'll go to CP.

You have gotten a lot of great advice on the rides at Kennywood (and a few other places), but I will chime in on an item that hambone mentioned about the food. The restaurant in the middle of the park is call the Parkside Café and I always try to eat there when I visit. It is in the old casino building in the historic part of the park. Grab a seat on the porch outside. Great place to people watch while you eat with the background music from the carousel next door.