North America 06/25 – Kennywood + Idlewild
As soon as we knew we were getting the Lake Compounce passes, it was decided that Kennywood had to be on the cards. A true stand out of a park from one our previous slogs through the region and we still needed a dark ride and a +1.
Original plan was to hit the second park of the day first thing and then close the evening out in magical fashion at Kenny, but the continuing weather crisis quickly put paid to that notion.
Day 11 – Kennywood
Thankfully the only ride that was down here was the car park escalator. We’re back.
First thing you come to and first thing we needed was the Old Mill.
Was great to get on such an ancient dark ride and have a relaxing indoor sit down, laughing at a few skeletons along the way.
Jack Rabbit delivered a good time, with the unconventional layout and ‘that hill’ it never fails to. Park has a strong classic woodie game.
Spotted this Knex Vekoma version of Steel Curtain hiding in an arcade.
And there’s the real thing. Actually open in 2025, what a miracle. Steel Curtain has never let us down and it’s a fantastic ride. I’m always a sucker for things you can’t really get anywhere else, it’s just an unhinged modern take on multi-loopers with some good airtime chucked in, which rides both forceful and well.
Plus the whole package of the queue music, the football themed station announcements and build up, a man pushing buttons, the dispatch sequence, the trains, the look of the layout. Just find the whole attraction really well done (structural issues aside) and, even for style points, there’s nothing else like it. Wanted to buy my first shirt of the trip but as it’s America, the smallest they had was a large.
The cred we were missing was the #1 Lil’ Phantom, so this was of course obtained next. My first ever Molina & Son’s coaster, isn’t that something.
Did Ghostwood Estate, mainly for the shade, and then Thunderbolt, another great Woodie. The hill it’s built on with Phantom’s Revenge is one of those special places in a theme park for me. Interaction, views, it inspires things.
Hadn’t done the Noah’s Ark walkthrough before, and it was also pretty fantastic for some wacky funhouse antics. Shame Blackpool got rid of theirs, though I can see why with the clientele.
Cheat shot.
And then Phantom’s Revenge absolutely destroyed us in the best way. The comfy, unassuming armchair seats combined with forgetting how incredibly ridiculous the airtime is at the end, it’s just another masterful design. The build, the speed, the climax. Better than Steel Vengeance.
One lap of the park at a steady pace was all we could manage both physically and before we had to move on, but it was all we needed to remind ourselves how much we love this place. There’s an inescapable charm to it. A free visit, a +1. Perfect.
About an hour down the road it was time to put the pass to another use at
Idlewild & Soak Zone
We rolled into the park just as a thunder storm hit, which led to a rather special sequence of circumstances.
Firstly, the place was dead as almost everyone had just poured out and called it a day. Didn’t look good for the creds at the very least.
Secondly, we had no idea where we were going or what to expect. Turns out its like Farup Sommerland and you get your wristbands at a drive-thru window, but then there’s no real entrance.
All we found as we headed towards what looked like rides was a sign saying go back and enter through Story Land.
So we entered Story Land through this book and inside was Old Mother Goose, Raggedy Ann and Andy. Real life.
We were all equally confused and amused as to why we had found ourselves in this situation, as they probed for details, in character, and managed to be the only people on the trip to compliment our Britishness.
A perfect storm of we’re lost, but we’re playing along, combined with thinking we hadn’t just arrived for the day and assuming all the rides were closed for weather led to a list of tips of how to enjoy Story Land in the meantime.
Catch is that Story Land does not lead to the rides, just more confusion on our part, the highlight of which was being asked to enter a house. “What’s inside?” I asked. “Geppetto” was the only response.
And he was, proceeding to tell us a bunch of stuff in character, all while we’re silently thinking ‘where’s the rollercoaster?’
After about 20 minutes of being lost in Story Land, we admitted defeat and asked Raggedy Ann and Andy where’s the rollercoaster?
In the end, there was no requirement to visit Story Land and the sign was misleading, but it was a better park than Cedar Point and killed some time.
And there was plenty more time to kill. Once in the main park, most of the rides were indeed closed, though with both staff and guests hanging around in anticipation. Refreshingly for an amusement park, communication was very clear at all times. We’re at stage X of weather rules. These rides are closed, these rides are open. These rides will open next.
However this is 2025, so the Alton Towers wild mouse had just undergone a refurbishment and was due to open a few days after our visit. Sending test laps all the while just to spite us.
So we sat on a bench outside the woodie for about an hour, and then it opened. Imagine that.
#2 Rollo Coaster was good fun, if a little unremarkable, but what can you really expect out of 27ft height? A small out and back romp through some woods with some decent forces here and there. +1, park complete, for now.
Nice little place, nothing like what I was expecting. Worth popping in on the pass for sure, but we’ll see what the Herschend takeover does to the value of it I guess.