Movieguy's Pennsylvania Park Odyssey!

Hey guys! I just got back today from my big week-long trip through some parks in central and Western PA. And now that I have access to the cable I forgot to bring on my trip, I can finally upload some photos, which I will do in probably about 3 parts.

Here is the first part, my first day of the trip, going to Lakemont and DelGrosso's Amusement park. Enjoy!

1st Stop, Lakemont Park.

I wasn't sure if any rides were open...turned out, there was NOBODY at this park when I came.

Anyway, here's the main reason I came to this little park.

A little piece of coaster geek history!

I wanted to fart on this, but I didn't have any gas.

This is a deceptively quick little coaster.

I even got airtime on some of those little hills, especially sitting in the back.

Here's the other big reason I came.

It's a rough little ride, but I've ridden worse, and I definitely enjoyed it. I rode it 3 times in a row during the day, since the park was so dead.

Not the best woodie in the world, but still a fun one to ride, especially since it's right across from a ballpark.

Lakemont has a pretty damn good Tilt-A-Whirl too.

Go Karts! I love these things!

I walked into Lakemont's Arcade not expecting much...boy, was I surprised.

Holy crap! Pinball! Even a working Hercules table!

Boooooo!

Thanks, but I've never been into credit whoring.

After Lakemont, it was on to DelGrossos!

THIS, is the main attraction of this little park.

My mouth watered at the sight...

This...this had to be the most heavenly slice of amusement park Pizza I've ever had. Definitely up there with Knoebels.

This was the other attraction. My first ever spinning mouse.

Another Eager rider leaves the station.

This was a very cool ride. I need to go on more of these types of coasters.

This came in pretty handy on what was a very hot day.

This ride was pretty damn cool as well. Loud, but fast and colorful as well. Gotta love rides that have a different popular song on them every time.

Damn Right!

The Waterpark looked nice, but I wasn't in the mood for it at that point.

The place was pretty busy, due to a Native American Pow-Wow taking place, but I still had a nice visit.

Ooooh, more Go Karts!

I won the race on this one!

Ahhhhh, Dairy Queen. We have none of these in my corner of NY. I went there and got myself a dipped cone, after my dinner at the nearby Hoss' Steakhouse.

After dinner, I went back to Lakemont for some night riding. This park looks to be in a very nice little section of Altoona.

ERT on Skyliner! (Well, because nobody else was there.)

I rode this spine adjuster 3 more times in a row. Great way to end the day!

Oops, almost forgot...this is for you, Kidtums!

As I show you the famed DelGrosso's Carousel, I want to thank you for reading Part I. Stay tuned for Part II: Kennywood and Idlewild!

Looking great so far. I found Lakemont to be charming, and a great hour-stop during my last PA foray. I've not hit Delgrossos- but for 10.00 for a pizza, it's now high on my 'to-do' iist- even if it IS a single spinning coaster.

R.D.

Nice pics, and I can't believe how inexpensive the pizza was! Thanks for sharing.

I should go to DelGrosso's for the heck of it. Altoona isn't that far away from State College.

On to the second part of this TR. On my second day, I went to Kennywood, and on my Third day, I went to Idlewild, then back to Kennywood, where I discovered it was Italian Day, which I know from the documentary "Kennywood Memories."

I also went to Sandcastle waterpark on the third day, but my camera was in a locker most of the time, so no pictures. Very nice little place though, and a great way to combat the summer heat.

Anyway, on to the photos!

I hadn't been to this place since 2005. I was psyched!

Oh yes, I'll be riding you soon, Phantom, but first...

Premier Goodness!

I waited in line for this coaster to open, but really, I didn't have to wait long to ride it.

Kennywood's Ride ops are among the most efficient of the parks I've visited. Great job, guys!

This is an awesome ride. Pops of airtime throughout, wonderful launch and hill, and the thrill of inversions without OTSRs.

Oh yes! Avenge yourself, Phantom!

Still one of my all-time favorite MegaCoasters. Airtime, airtime, and more airtime throughout.

Big time props to Morgan for rebuilding this coaster into the experience it is today.

Ohhhhhh yes, the Potato Patch! I made it a point to hit this stand early...

Because this is what it looks like later in the day.

Some people love them, some don't get them...I'm with the former!

Mmmmmm, decadent Pittsburgh goodness...

After my fries, it was on to the Thunderbolt...the squishy machine, as I like to call it.

This is a classic woodie in every sense of the word. Aggressive without being too rough, and some really nice drops to match.

My mother still has fond memories of bruising her ribs on this coaster, thanks in part to my squishing!

Another classic! My sister's first coaster as well.

Racer actually broke down the first day I was here, but I got to ride it the next day.

More arcade action for me!

Holy crap! I'm loving this place already.

Skee-ball galore.

Retro machines make me happy!

Culture credit!

Raging Rapids. I got SOAKED on this ride. You know the small waterfall on this one? I went right under it!

After the rapids...why not?

I have never gotten so wet at a park before. I'm serious. I loved it!

Dan, where are you? Everyone give him a hug!

I like Lost Kennywood. Very nice little section of this park.

You don't see too many themed enterprise rides.

I rode my first ever Disk-O at this park. Great little ride experience.

Sweets! Glorious sweets!

Took home a nice piece of fudge from here.

My room at the Holiday Inn Express, in West Middlesex. Very nice place.

The TV had the most channels of any roadside hotel I've been to.

Now, onto Idlewild!

This is a very nice little park, out in the middle of the woods.

I felt a little out of place, not having any children to bring, since this is more of a kids park. Still, I had a good time.

It's very pretty and well kept.

And it has an old little coaster, which gives a surprisingly energetic ride.

A shot of the nice looking carousel.

For you flyer enthusiasts out there.

Here we go! Wait a minute...

Awwwww man!

Caterpillar was open, luckily.

Wonderful spinning ride, and the covering makes it all the more unique.

I'm on my way to the neighborhood.

Over the neat bridge over the creek.

Very picturesque place.

A tribute to the man behind the ride.

I grew up watching this man on TV, along with a lot of others.

The ride itself was a very pleasant, interactive experience. Thanks Robb, for introducing me to it.

I can at least get a shot of the broken wild mouse...

It got very hot here, so I'm glad this was around.

Gotta love historical carousels.

Idlewild also had a great Tilt-A-Whirl. A pretty one, too.

Damn good round-up too.

Ohhhhh yeah. More fried, bacon topped, Pittsburgh goodness!

I considered going to confusion hill, but by then, I was hot, and eager to check out Sandcastle.

Like I said, I returned to Kennywood on Italian Day!

Little shot of what I think is the only surviving Noah's Ark.

Here's a little bonus. New Castle, the old hometown of my parents, is also home to this wonderful place.

In here lie the best chili dogs, and chili cheese fries, that I have ever experienced. I came here with my grandparents all the time in my younger days.

As I let you see for yourself, I want to thank you all again for reading this. Stay in touch for Part III: Waldameer and Splash Lagoon!

Thanks for posting! Not sure how I've missed out on the retro arcade when I have been at KW - I'll remember to look for it next time.

PP fries are good, but I still prefer the one's at CP. This last trip, I made the mistake of getting the fries with cheese and the BBQ seasoning...the seasoning had about the same texture as eating dirt or sand without that much of a BBQ flavor. I'll definitely skip that the next time and go with the cheese and bacon. Speaking of bacon, I saw a little kid that had an order of those and also had a plastic cup full of extra bacon on the side! Way to go, kid!

I'm really looking forward to Kennywood in a couple weeks. Always wanted to get to those classic woodies...and this is awesome too.

Now we move on to the third and final installment. These pics are from the last 2 days of the trip I spent, in Erie, PA. I not only hit Waldameer on both of those days, but I also got to check out Splash Lagoon, an awesome indoor waterpark, and the Mill Creek Mall, which turned out to be WAY nicer than I was expecting.

Anyway, onto the TR!

Let's start with the obvious, yes?

And, of course, my main reason for coming to this park.

A little piece of Gravity Group excellence.

Even though it was only running one train, the ride ops were very well organized, and I didn't have to wait too long on any of the rides I took.

All aboard, to take the tunnel, and go 90 DEGREES!

Folks, this coaster is just as good as people say it is. It's fast, chock full of airtime, and it's also aggressive without being overly rough. Truly a memorable experience!

They still have the coaster's promo sign up, for some odd reason.

Ooh! I love these guys!

Spooky!

Yo ho, yo ho, a....Ah, you know the rest.

Next stop, a little spinny goodness.

It was HOT, both days I was in this park, and 90 percent of this coaster's queue is uncovered. Not good!

The coaster itself, though, very nice.

This was also the first spinning coaster of this type that I'd ever been on. My sister wants to take me to Seabreeze for my birthday next month, so I hope theirs is just as good.

For those of you who can't get enough pics of trains on the track...

90 DEGREES! I never get tired of saying that.

This was the only pic I got of the Comet, but it was still a pleasant little woodie. Plus, I hardly had to wait at all for it.

Hello again, Ravine Flyer II...I love you...

Oh my god, I remember spotting a show here from Ravine Flyer's queue, that had these two guys dressed in bear costumes, entertaining the kiddies...it totally made me think about Aphex Twin's "Donkey Rhubarb" (Look it up on Youtube sometime.)

Waldameer has a nice little Arcade as well, with lots of skeeball action.

They even have a row of "fascination" type games.

Yay! More Disk-O action!

Guess what? I've got a fever...and the only cure for that fever, is more disk-O!

Gotta love borderline copyright infringement...

These neat little statues were all over the park.

Hey! It's the Waldameer clown! I remember seeing him briefly at the start of one of the expedition DVDs!

Waldameer has a pretty good Tilt-A-Whirl too.

The Bumper Cars weren't too bad, either.

Far out, man!

I loved the flying swings here. The seats were even comfortable on this one.

Wheeeee!

A little shot of the carousel

It's not just ordinary TV...it's JET TV!

The log flume here is one of the best of all the small parks I've been to.

You can't tell from here, but it's definitely not Dan friendly.

I decided to forgo Waldameer's waterpark, because I found something even better...

And here it is! One of Erie's best kept secrets.

This place is amazing. Almost everything you'd want in a waterpark is here...they're even building a wave pool for the future.

Best of all, it's all indoors. Great for getting away from the summer heat.

One of many, many slides they have in this place.

Hello, I'm Mr. Giant Bucket-Head...gimmie some candy!

And here's what happens when you don't give him candy...SPLOOOOOOOOSSHHH!

A great way to end a week long odyssey.

It doesn't end here, though, cause when I got home, my sister had a little surprise waiting...

She adopted this little girl during the time I was away on this trip. Her name's Michelle, and she's now the third cat we have in this house.

Michelle and I both thank you for taking the time to look and read through all my photos and ramblings. TPR rules, and Adios!

This was also the first spinning coaster of this type that I'd ever been on. My sister wants to take me to Seabreeze for my birthday next month, so I hope theirs is just as good.

It was running well last weekend. Spins a fair bit, but nothing crazy, and it was nice and smooth. You can check out the TR here: (http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=59856&p=1062213#p1062213)

I may try to make it out to Waldameer before the season is done. Thanks for sharing.

You should definitely head to Waldameer. It's a nice little park, with a world-class woodie. You should also check out Splash Lagoon too,if you're into waterparks.

I have heard that the spinning coaster at Seabreeze is a clone of the one at Waldameer, but can't confirm as I've never been to Seabreeze. I do love the one at Waldameer though and it wasn't till they installed that, the drop tower and RFII that it really became a part that I must visit at least twice a year.

Thanks for posting the pics of Splash Lagoon! I have never been there despite living less than an hour away. We have thought of taking Michael's grandkids there when they come out for Thanksgiving, but I had heard mixed reviews about it. Looks pretty nice!

Hmmm, interesting that you've heard mixed reviews about the place, because I saw very little, if anything, to take issue with about Splash Lagoon. I guess the food may not be the best, but I didn't eat any, so I'm not sure.

The biggest thing I had heard involved the high costs to stay at the adjoining hotels and water park. I have never been to a Great Wolf Lodge or any other type of resort like this, but many people around here complained that it was too expensive. Remember that most people in this neck of the woods don't pull in 100K a year, so if the hotel is over $200 (even with water park tix), they're going to bitch!

I did here on the radio yesterday that they were offering a carload of up to six people for $99 and you didn't have to stay at the hotels. I would assume that it's because of summer and you have Lake Erie beaches and Waldameer's water park not too far away. I wouldn't imagine it would be too crowded now and rates would be a lot cheaper than during the six months of winter we have here!

That might be the DIRTIEST picture I've ever seen before... totally obscene.

i'm loving this TR- the simplicity of it, the loads of great wooden coasters, the random bald guy in some of the photos... Ahem.

I'm sorry to hear about your misfortune with the Idle Wild Mouse not being available- it's a hoot! Especially the trick-track lifthill!

Wonderful job, though!

Thanks, RD! Means a lot to hear that about my TR.

Also, I agree about the pic of the fries...soooooo dirty.

^ Soooo dirty, and yet soooo right! Those fries, to me, blow any other park's (that I've been to) completely out of the water!!

Thanks for posting this great trip report! Your pics were awesome, and I always enjoy reading about folks' trips into my neck of the woods. I truly do love Kennywood, and not just because it's my home park. I just love the assortment and quality of the different rides and coasters there. And woohoo for some Sky Rocket love!! I think that little coaster kicks some serious arse! I'm amazed at the quality of coaster the park and Premier fit into that relatively small footprint. The airtime on it is stellar too, especially on the first hill and the zero-g roll!

Hello, for the first time,

I was having Potato Patch Fries last Time I was there, May 26th, 2011. My personal favourite is Gravy with Garlic Salt.

Anyway, I'm in WI now, but grew up going to Kennywood. Phantom's my fav in the world. I mean, c'mon... you go off the side of a friggin' cliff; what's not to like ? Ahh... bring's a tear or two to my eyes just thinkin' 'bout it. And, divine airtime the likes of which you'll never experience again. Well, unless you ride it again, and again, and...

Finally there's always most of their coasters' tracks hidden from view for all of the woodies, so when it's your first time riding that coaster you don't know where the hell you're going next.

Ahh... L'amor,

Hobbes

I miss you already.

Oh yes. Words cannot describe just how awesome Phantom's Revenge is, until you actually ride it.

And that's another great thing about Kennywood, in regard to the woodies. They like to keep you in as much suspense as possible by showing you very little of what goes on before you board the train. Racer in particular, you can hardly see at all.

Speaking of Racer, when I rode it, I did the "Stroke! Stroke! Stroke!" technique around the curves, just for giggles. My train won, and another passenger joked, "Your rowing made all the difference!"