Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom- Is It Dead?

Almost every Six Flags park around, you hear some kind of news, even if it's bad news. Kentucky Kingdom just seems to be dead. Evidently, no drastically bad things happen there, so what's with the no new major attractions? With a few adjustments, KK could be a great park. Just because it is KY, doesnt meen you can ignore it. Why isn't Six Flags tending to it? One small thing that needs to be done there, is another route to get across the street to the other section of the park. It is very hectic to get across on a crowded day!

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Enjoy Your Flight on the Raaaven!

They don't have much room for one thing and are limited to what they can build as the Airport is right next door. I do think they own teh big parking lot behind Chang but that would take a lot to make into more space.

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The Beast and Night, They go together like Peanut Butter and Jelly

I hate to turn this into a SF neglect topic but the answer is that, Six Flags Neglects the parks. Why build up a park that doesn't really have decent competition. They have done it with SFEG also, and if will probably do it with Jazzland. They build it up the first few years they own the park and than leave it. It happens, will continue to happen, and it is smart of SF to do it.

They will add a new ride every 3 to5 years to keep people coming, but nothing major or ground breaking.

They lose a lot of business to Holiday World...especially this year. :) With free drinks, and 2 of the nest woodies, why go to SFKK?

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LocoBazooka--Sevendust, Nonpoint, Stereo Vent, Mushroomhead
Korn Tour (With no name)--Korn, Puddle of Mudd, Deadsy

Well there are actually a couple of factors why we dont get anything. 1. the most obvious- there's an airport right across the street which you cant build over a certain height 2. bad managment 3. bad employees (most dont care). SFKK had great potential when SF bought them, now it is just dust in the wind

No comp for SFKK? PKI is just an hour and a half down the road.

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The Beast and Night, They go together like Peanut Butter and Jelly

RubberDucky said:

I hate to turn this into a SF neglect topic but the answer is that, Six Flags Neglects the parks. Why build up a park that doesn't really have decent competition. They have done it with SFEG also, and if will probably do it with Jazzland. They build it up the first few years they own the park and than leave it. It happens, will continue to happen, and it is smart of SF to do it.
They will add a new ride every 3 to5 years to keep people coming, but nothing major or ground breaking.

They did not build Kentucky Kingdom. It was a Premier Inc. park that later took on the Six Flags title when Time Warner sold the entire chain.

Are you sure Kraxle? I thought SFKK started out as an Alfa Smart Park

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Excalibur Team Lead 2002

Kentucky Kingdom was not originally Alfa or Premier. It was an independent park, went bankrupt and closed (all the rides were sold off), then some of the unpaid creditors got together and took control of the property and reopened the park. Those people were responsible for the explosive expansion the park saw through the 90's. The last project they were resonsible for was Twisted Twins (or Double Trouble, or Twisted Sisters, depending on the time you would ask for the name of the ride).

I get the impression they built the park up rapidly in an effort to make it attractive to potential buyers. They got that place up to a million annual visits pretty quick, then promptly sold it. Hopefully they got back the money the original developers owed them! (Though the deal was mostly assumed debt, and not much cash. Probably still a relief to the owners, because nobody was willing to lend any more money to KK--sounds like the park was again approaching the end of the line. Guess who paid to build Chang? Not the park, but one of the individual investors--because the park couldn't secure financing.)

(And yes, I know that Twisted Twins opened after Premier Parks took control, but that ball was already rolling from the previous owners--sorta like Top Gun at PKI, Premier inherited this project from the previous group.)

(And yes, I am in a parenthetical mood today.)

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Dave

It was mentioned here (see post 8/6/2002, 12:21:43 PM) that SFKK might get an Intamin Impulse with double twisting spikes.

Assuming Will Koch puts in the slated "big attraction" for next year...SFKK may not be "dead", but it WILL be on life-support....

Something Jeff said in another thread about "customer service" comes to mind....and while SFKK was better this year than last, nobody even comes close to HW....:)

Raptor Pilot-That may be hard with the airport across the road. Does anybody know the height limit?

krax-I didn't say they built the park, I said they built it up the first few years they own it. Just like they did with SFEG, they give people a reason to go there and then just stop.

RCDB lists Chang as being 154 ft. tall and S:UE as being 180 ft. tall. Unless they can build higher than 180 ft. It would seem like an un-likely possibility of them getting an Impulse. But then again what’s to say Itamin can’t built a smaller impulse in the 150-160 range.

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“If you give a enthusiast a footer.......He’ll want a coaster!!!"

*** This post was edited by Goku2216 on 8/13/2002. ***

Is this park really THAT bad. It sounds like they have some decent woodies and a nice B&M stand up. Obviously, it's not up there with the major Six Flags parks, but isn't bashed on a little too hard?

Now, hold on. We were just there last week (see trip report with 15 responses). I said then that while the park still had problems (rides down, worst ride ops I've seen, too much asphalt, etc.), we all agreed it had actually improved to the point where it may now be underrated.

No, it's not a CP, PKI or KW. But it has two highly underrated woodies, a great rodent coaster, a good junior steeler, and a tremendous Vekoma Giant Wheel. Even though I'm not a big Chang fan, 2Hostyl has educated me to the point where I have rethought my skepticism and realize that a lot of people out there really like that standup, which holds records for length, speed, number and diameter and height of inversions. The theming on Roadrunner and the river rafting ride is the best we've seen anywhere. Their carousel is unique in several respects, they have a decent Kiddieland, and their Go Karts, Drag Racers, turbo trampolines and Slingshot are top five.

So, no, I still don't equate KK with BGW or Indiana Beach, but it's a long way from dead. I came away last week thinking with a few careful decisions it could finally start earning respect from a lot of us.

I love it...a park goes a few years w/o a major new attraction and suddenly its "dead." Sheesh!

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"I am so smart! I am so smart! S-M-R-T! I mean S-M-A-R-T!" - Homer Simpson

Aside from T2 (Vekoma SLC), all of their coasters are good, fun rides (especially Chang and Thunder Run). The Blizzard River raft ride is top shelf (as Trekker said) and they have some decent flats also.

I would LOVE to see them get an Intamin Impulse. Wicked Twister and S:UE have hooked me for life. Of course, after PKS's latest financial report, they might be putting off some of their expansion plans. :-(

Aside from T2 (Vekoma SLC), all of their coasters are good,

You forgot to add "in my opinion,". :) The people I went with liked T2 (and I didn't dislike it either).

The Blizzard River raft ride is top shelf

Formerly known as the Grizzly River Rampage. :) No, make that :(

They would have to build underground to be able to get to 180 ft! IMO

timmyk31

Raptor Pilot,

Yes, very true.. IMO. :-) When T2 first was installed, I loved it. It's seems to have gotten much rougher in it's "old" age! I guess CP spoiled me with Raptor (my first B&M invert).

Long live SFKK!

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Pinball and Coasters...Any Questions?