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| - Today was our first visit to Kennywood, and it was a good one. It's one of those parks so prevalent in the '20's and '30's yet somehow they were lost to development, economics, etc...but this park is steeped in history. From the monument for George Washington's visit to Fort Dusquene to the train ride which narrates the history of the park, Kennywood has retained it's historical character.
Not to say it's all shaws and horse drawn buggies! The rides at Kennywood...while not on par with Six Flags or Disney...are fantastic. Many are ones that are originals to the parks, and we took had a few that we had never done before that were neat, historical rides...with the Bobsled one and the Kangaroo coming to mind. The newer rides- Phantom's Revenge and Sky Rocket- are unbelievable. I nearly had an eyeball dislodge on Phantom's Revenge...it's that good. The olden wooden coasters are fantastic in their own rights...Racer must have been the model for Hershey Park's newer "Racer" coaster, and neither Jackrabbit, Thunderbolt, or Racer jarred your teeth fillings like Dorney's (Allentown) wooden coasters. The lines were acceptable, even on this "Fall Festival" day in August.
What else stood out? Food was good...decently priced. Parking was free...woo! Employees were friendly, park was clean, and the clientele was well behaved and courteous.
This park has a strong likeness to our family favorite, Knoebels, of Elysburg, PA. It's family friendly, safe, clean, well landscaped and shaded, and has ties with it's history. It's not a mega park, but then again, I personally don't care for the high-priced parking, astronomical food prices, and 60-minute waits in the 90-degree heat. Kennywood was a great experience...were it not 4 hours from our home in Lancaster County, we'd be back. Hopefully, Kennywood can stay true to its roots and continue to mix modern-day fun and thrills with its historical setting.
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