Photo TR: The Kiwis Take On North East/Road to Cedar Point

[mattnzDonkey eat mullet pump.]

After our somewhat short visit to Dorney Park (which was still more time than we needed) it was time to head west to Pittsburgh for our surprise early visit to Kennywood, including nighttime ERT on Phantom's Revenge! This was a really cool idea as we got in a lot of rides before ERT began, including some of the quirky ones, like Noah's Ark - which I loved! How awesome that the park has kept this open. The myriad of tricks inside surprised me.

Phantom's Revenge certainly didn't disappoint. I loved the unique layout including the awesome second drop into the ravine. There was airtime all over the second half of the ride right up to the final brake run and it was just a really fun experience from start to finish - made all the more fun at night with TPR!

Day 2 rained on and off - and began with some rather wet ERT on Racer. Racer doesn't do a whole lot but is still great fun due to the racing aspect. We got in at least one rather wet ride just as it started raining quite hard, which taught me that riding in the rain can be a little painful. After that it was time to head over to the park's newest coaster, Sky Rocket, and that's when the heavens really opened and it BUCKETED down! So much so we had to wait in the station for a while until it at least stopped pouring. As you'll see from the photos the park had a great attitude to ride operations and as soon as it eased just a little we were off. Those without the trusty TPR ponchos got soaked!

Sky Rocket was a fun ride that fits perfectly into the kooky ride line-up at Kennywood. I especially loved the trains which comfortably manoeuvred all the twisted elements. Kudos to Premier Rides (I hope to see more rides like these) and kudos to the park for operating the ride in the rain - even though it employs an LSM launch! (Hey Six Flags/Cedar Point - what's your excuse?!)

Andrew and I did quite a bit of re-riding during the second day and experienced one ride on Phantom's Revenge as it started to pour again just as we were going up the lift hill...resulting in the most painful ride we have ever experienced on a roller coaster! 85 mph through pouring rain is an interesting experience, I can tell you!

There was so much else to see and do at Kennywood it's hard to know where to begin, so I've chosen loads of photos to do the talking for me. Suffice to say I thought the park has done a great job over an obviously very long time keeping their traditional flavour alive while adding new rides (Sky Rocket being a prime example) that fit the quirky/kooky bill nicely. The setting of the park too is impressive - looking over the river to Pittsburgh's billowing industry and sometimes employing the terrain to sandwich in their unique coasters in a way that adds to the ride experience.

Kennywood was a great day. I sure am glad we got to ride Pittfall before it was sold. Phantoms Revenge would be in my top 5 steel coasters.

[Erik JohnsonFormer captain of the Arrow bus.]

Great nighttime shots of Kennywood! Thanks for posting!

There's actually one other Noah's Ark left at Blackpool. So there's two left as far as I know. Still a really rare gem. Phantom's Revenge kicks all sorts of A$$ and the Potato Patch fries are fantastic. Definitely a unique place. I definitely plan on going back.

Kennywood has such a great atmosphere at night. It's not my favorite park, but I'd love to revisit its collection of rare and one-of-a-kind rides.

By the way, I agree with your Hersheypark ride reviews. While I think the park has a strong and well-rounded coaster collection in some ways, the only ride I might consider top-tier is Storm Runner.

[Hilltopper39Don't make me kick you in the donkey!]

I think Phantoms Revenge is easily one of the most underrated coasters in the World, that thing kicks A$$ but never seems to make any top 10s except maybe mine. Great park and great report!

[SharkTumsSite Admin]

There's actually one other Noah's Ark left at Blackpool. So there's two left as far as I know. Still a really rare gem. Phantom's Revenge kicks all sorts of A$$ and the Potato Patch fries are fantastic. Definitely a unique place. I definitely plan on going back.

But remember, Blackpool doesn't allow people into their Noah's Ark anymore. It's just 'theming' now rather than an attraction. Sad.

^ Yeah, I heard it was more of an ornament now - what a shame. I'm sure it requires a bit of expense, but if Kennywood can renovate theirs and keep it open...

There's actually one other Noah's Ark left at Blackpool. So there's two left as far as I know. Still a really rare gem. Phantom's Revenge kicks all sorts of A$$ and the Potato Patch fries are fantastic. Definitely a unique place. I definitely plan on going back.

But remember, Blackpool doesn't allow people into their Noah's Ark anymore. It's just 'theming' now rather than an attraction. Sad.

Wow, I never knew that. Definitely too bad.

[805AndrewI know more about donkeys than women!]

Great pics of Kennywood. It's definitely a park I want to visit one day. I've always been curious about that Garfield's Nightmare ride. Its too bad I hear its so bad, because Garfield has been my favorite cartoon character since I was a kid. If someone could do a Garfield ride right, it could be an awesome ride.