Pennsylvania parks

One key factor in deciding between Kennywood and Knoebels is how much you miss the hypercoasters at Cedar Point. If you miss them and want to go to an affordable park that has one, then go to Kennywood and ride Phantom's Revenge. Hershey, in spite of its size, doesn't have a hyper. Dorney does have one but you currently don't seem to be liking Cedar Fair's pricing.

The main things that Kennywood lacks are looping coasters and an abundance of shows. Fortunately, Hershey has both of these.

One thing about crowds at Kennywood. Some weekdays will be crowded especially Polish and Italian days. Surprisingly. 4th of July week is relatively slow with short lines and the opportunity to get a lot of riding in. Call to find out if you might be hitting into one of those busy days.

Height rules might also be a factor in decitding between the parks although both KW and KG are both family friendly.

If you have younger children, here are the minimum heights for Kennywood's coasters.

Lil'Phantom - 36"

Jack Rabbit - 36"

Racer - 46"

Exterminator - 46"

Phantom's Revenge - 48"

Thunderbolt - 52"

Both wooden coasters at Knoebels have a 42" minimum height.

One more point. If you are sick and tired of being gouged for food and drink at parks, you will be pleasantly suprised at either Kennywood or Knoebels. You will probably spend around $7 for lunch at these parks and not $10 - $15 like Cedar Point. Drinks are around $2, Funnel Cakes are around $3, etc. Plus the food is usually quite good at both of these parks.

Yeah. I considard the T-Zoo a great little day trip when I worked at CP. Granted, it was trading one "zoo" for another, but it was to get away from Sandusky for a bit.

Rob Ascough said:
I agree that ZooAmerica is great for a few hours, especially if you appreciate animals like Tina and I.

That was just funny to read! :)

Arthur Bahl said:

One more point. If you are sick and tired of being gouged for food and drink at parks, you will be pleasantly suprised at either Kennywood or Knoebels. You will probably spend around $7 for lunch at these parks and not $10 - $15 like Cedar Point. Drinks are around $2, Funnel Cakes are around $3, etc. Plus the food is usually quite good at both of these parks.

Or you can bring your own food. Even though Kennywood is POP with gated admission they still allow outside food into the park. :)

But I would recommend saving some room/money for the Potato Patch fries at Kennywood. Yum-my!

I'm gonna pull a Gonch here*... I must be in the minority when it comes to Potato Patch Fries: tried 'em, hated 'em, will never eat 'em again.

(*starting a new phrase: "pull a Gonch" to mean when you're opinion appears to run opposite of the majority).

I hereby endorse the phrase "pull a Gonch" :)

CoasterInsider said:
^^Thanks for the clarification. How's the zoo? Is it big, lots of animals, etc?

ZooAmerica is not a full-sized zoo, but it's really nice and is a fun escape from the theme park for an hour or two. I wouldn't go adding another day just for the zoo...lol

The last time I visited Hersheypark was in '06, before I moved to West Virginia. It could get pretty busy sometimes. Make sure to look at the events going on at the stadiums on the property, like sports and concerts. Avoid the days when events are scheduled.

...before I moved to West Virginia.

Ah...that explains it ;)

LostKause said:
Make sure to look at the events going on at the stadiums on the property, like sports and concerts. Avoid the days when events are scheduled.

That's really good advice if you can do it. The park is usually a lot busier depending on who is performing. And some of the parking can be blocked off.

Lord Gonchar said:
I hereby endorse the phrase "pull a Gonch" :)

And you're laughing at my comment, RGB? ;)

The "trick" to Potato Patch fries, and all fries, is to go when the stand is NOT busy. Busy stands mean lots of fries in/out of fryers,. means colder grease and soggy fries...."cold fries bad" as the phrase goes (for you old-timers)... ;)

Man, Kennywood sounds terrific right about now.

^^ But when is Kennywood's Potato Patch not crowded? Seems like there's a line from opening until closing!

gamerguy said:
IMO skip Hershey it is expensive and the coasters arent that great. You will have more fun at Kennywood and Knoebels and save alot more money. You will also find them alot less crowded then Hershey is, which will make your day less stressful. Hershey is too much like a big corperate park and doesnt have the charm as the other 2, which i think are the best parks in the country.

I second this line of thinking. Hershey is a great park but you've shared your distaste for the corporate atmosphere of CF parks, Hershey is not much different.

Rob Ascough said:

Lord Gonchar said:
I hereby endorse the phrase "pull a Gonch" :)

And you're laughing at my comment, RGB? ;)

Your comment I can say with no doubt was accidental. The other one, I'm not so sure.

Anyway, how about that ZooAmerica! The unique thing about it is all of the animals there are native to North America. No giraffes or zebras. Not sure about pulling Gonches though.

Not to pull this off-topic again but re: Potato Patch Fries. My problem wasn't that they were cold or soggy but that the fries themselves had no flavor. They reminded me of In-&-Out fries, which I also do not like for the same reason. For the life of me I cannot understand why people rave about them (and there I go again, pulling a Gonch!).

Um, yeah... if everyone's pulling a Gonch, then no one is.

Who will pull a Gonch?
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