Located in West Mifflin of Pennsylvania, Kennywood is a fun park close to Pittsburgh, which is designated as the Beloved Dark Attraction Park by DAFE. After CedarPoint, this park has grabbed the second rank in the list of favorite family parks. Kennywood offers over 40 rides, food outlets, three themed lands, entertainment shows, 9 landmarks, several haunted sights, and the award winning Halloween event called the Phantom Fright Nights.
Main Rides
These include the roller coasters, flat, vertical, dark, water, and transportation rides.
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Roller Coasters
- Exterminator as an indoor spinning one with heavy theming
- Jack Rabbit as a wooden coaster with dual dip
- Lil' Phantom as a kiddie coaster
- Phantom's Revenge as a record breaking steel coaster - largest drop of 228 feet and fastest coaster at 82 mph
- Racer as a wooden coaster with a loop track
- Thunderbolt at 55 mph with a sudden drop at starting
- Sky Rocket with many wave turns
- Flat Rides
- Aero 360 swinging in the motion of pendulum
- Bayern Kurve with 16 bobsled cars and mountain scenery
- Cosmic Chaos as a spaceship making you spin as the aliens emit sounds
- Gran Prix as a bumper car ride
- Kangaroo as a flying coaster
- Grand Carousel as the largest one in the park running on a bell
- Musik Express as a circular ride moving clockwise around a rolling track accompanied by sound and lights
- ratrooper as counter-clockwise umbrella cars
- Pirate as a pirate boat
- Swing Shot as a Screamin' Swing ride
- Turtle as a rolling circular ride
- Volcano that rises up and spins featuring a volcano eruption theme during October
- Wave Swinger
- Whip with cars
- Vertical Rides
- Pitt Fall as a freefall drop tower of 251 feet
- Skycoaster as a great swinging freefall
- Dark Rides
- Garfield's Nightmare featuring Garfield cartoons in 3D fluorescent hues under darkness
- Ghostwood Estate as a mansion to eradicate the spirits
- Noah's Ark
- Water Rides
- Log Jammer as a log flume and a water coaster
- Pittsburg Plunge as a shoot the chute ride
- Raging Rapids for a great soaking feeling
- Transportation Rides
- Auto Race as a train of electric cars
- Kenny's Parkway as a chairlift outside the park to carry guests from the upper parking area and offer aerial vista of the park
- Olde Kennywood Railroad as a train atop a cliff
- Paddle Boats in the lagoon charging a fee
- Kiddieland Rides
- Crazy Trolley
- Dizzy Dynamo
- Elephant Parade
- Kenny's Karousel
- Orbiter
- Pounce Bounce
- Red Baron
- Steel City Choppers
- Turtle Chase
- Wacky Wheel
- Whirlwind
All the above rides are divided into themed areas namely, Kiddieland, Lost Kennywood, and Volcano Valley.
Haunted attractions
- Villa of the Vampires
- Mortem Manor
- The Haunted Ark
- Captain Skully's Curse
- Kennyville Cemetery
- Dark Shadows
- Voodoo Bayou
- Gory Park
- Death Valley Haunted Ghost Town
Dining Options
- Potato Patch for French Fries
- The Lucky Stand for carnival food
- The Pagoda for carnival food
- Kandy Kaleidoscope for candies
- Carousel Food Court
- Pizza Pavilion
- Star Refreshment Stand
- Dippin Dots
- Pedro's for Mexican food
- Big Dipper for ice creams
Operating Season
- Park: May 8 to September 19 of which the park remains open daily from May 20 to August 24
- Phantom Fright Nights: Fridays and Saturdays nights of October
The Halloween Event of Phantom Fright Nights
This is the award winning event of the Kennywood held on Friday and Saturday nights in October. The entire park's atmosphere changes with characters wandering around, spooky music being played, fog covering the park, and each bulb lit in a different color. A mammoth Phantom with red is suspended above the red water at the entrance, horror movies are played, and the themed lands offer open-air haunted sights.
Accommodations
- Comfort Inn-Pittsburgh East
- Days Inn – Monroeville
- SpringHill Suites by Marriott – Monroeville
- Courtyard by Marriott - Pittsburgh Waterfront
- Hampton Inn – West Mifflin
- Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites - West Mifflin
- Best Western Parkway Center Inn – Pittsburgh
- Residence Inn by Marriott -Pittsburgh University/Medical Center
- Hampton Inn University Center - Oakland/Pittsburgh
- Marriott Pittsburgh City Center
Tickets
A ticket for one-day entrance to Kennywood costs $35.99 for an adult, $22.99 for a junior (below 46"), and $17.49 for a senior citizen (above 55). A Night Rider ticket for entry after 5 in the evening costs $20.99, while a Senior Night Rider is available for $9.99. However, all these tickets will charge you an additional $0.99 as a service fee. For more information on schemes and discounts, go to http://www.kennywood.com/tickets/tickets.php.
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Verdict:Kennywood is for those who dare to enjoy amidst the dark and Halloween ambience.
