I haven't been in almost 10 years, and I remember it being about the same as it was when I was younger. The Racer and Jackrabbit were fun, and I had a great time playing the various arcade games towards the end of the evening. I imagine things have changed quite a bit over the past 10 years and would like to hear perspectives to see what it's like now.
It has changed a lot in the past ten years, in many ways for the better. I always have a great time with my family.
I don’t really understand the fashion to be negative about the place by locals. Pittsburgh would really miss Kennywood if it was gone.
This sub just attracts a vocal group of miserable people who hate just about anything stereotypical or classic Pittsburgh. I've never met anyone in real life with an overall negative opinion of Kennywood except for a small handful of idiots who think teenagers turn it into Friday Night Fight Night every day.
that’s unfortunately just reddit generally, trying to be cool hating on popular things.
uh, i mean…DAE think Primanti’s should be BANNED from selling food???? trash tier sandwich!!!1!1!
Yeah I mean I get it, I remember in middle school when I thought I was really cool for hating popular music and stuff like that, but I grew out of it before I was an adult like most other normal people.
If something is in Pittsburgh and good / popular, this sub is full of people who will talk shit about it because it strokes their superiority complex
100% agreed
My fiancee and I might be moving out of town soon, and we're definitely going to miss Kennywood if we do. It's just a great amusement park.
Hopefully wherever yr going also has an awesome local park
Totally agree
I can't speak for the /r, but I do agree that in many ways it has changed for the better. I am the only person I personally know of that rode the OG Steel Phantom and can say the Phantom's Revenge is just all around a better coaster. The park still holds on to a lot of nostalgia and still has things you never find anywhere else (Noah's Ark style fun houses are so rare I honestly have never seen another, for example).
About the only complaint I have is the Exterminator (the spinning rat coaster) was out of order the last two times I was there. Otherwise I legitimately enjoy my time there now just as much as I did when I went there back in the 90s. Admittedly, I do miss the elevated people mover, but that's not much of a loss.
Unlike most people commenting here, I visit frequently and thought 2025 was the best season they've had in years. Some highlights:
-No rides had any long periods of downtime and, for most of the season, all major rides were running.
-Park now has a policy to run everything at max capacity (meaning 2 trains on coasters) so lines generally move quickly, even on the most crowded days.
-The whole park has been painted.
-New food offerings thanks to Hershend.
-Holiday lights was amazing this year with tons of new light displays; the park was lookin' gorgeous.
-Phantom's Revenge is still a top 25 coaster in the US.
I'm certainly someone that can be critical of the park (2021 and 2022 were certainly not the best) but could not be more complimentary of how the park was running this year. Heck,from an operational standpoint, my visits to Cedar Point this year were FAR more frustrating, as you can feel the budget cuts; never thought I'd say Kennywood is being run better then CP but here we are.
Oh, dont believe the haters claiming its expensive. A day ticket is cheaper then dinner for 2 and season passes are also super reasonably priced
TLDR: go visit next season.
Just adding on about the park being painted since your post is the most on the nose by far: That was a multi million dollar refresh done in 2023. The park looks really nice. As a passholder any guests we bring always mention they were surprised by how much nicer it’s gotten.
Another thing I feel has improved is entertainment: The stunt shows they’ve had the past 2 summers have been really fun. The new haunted house they opened this fall was widely praised.
My advice for anyone curious about the park these days is to pick a day in the late Spring to visit during the Bites & Pints international food and drink festival. Get a tasting card and enjoy.
Edit: Bites & Pints is Fri, Sat, & Sundays from Memorial Day weekend through the end of June.
After years of seeing it run down, I couldn't believe how nice it looked everywhere when we visited this year. It really felt like everything was freshened up. And we loved the new Kangaroo area design.
My kid loves the new custom themed bumper cars that look like French Fry boats and the new Spinvasion ride, each put in within the last couple years. (As an adult I’m not the biggest fan of Spinvasion but I guess I’ve aged beyond the target audience for it!)
That Kangaroo sign and lights are gorgeous
That Bites & Pints advice is great advice: my lady and I bought the 15 bites card with our pass discount for like $45 last season and it fed us all day PLUS we had a few boozy drinks for that cost. 100% amazing value.
I felt similarly that 2025 was the best it’s been in years. We love Kennywood—we are so lucky to have a park this good so close to the city. It’s not obviously not Disney world nor will it ever be, but it’s a great park.
In addition to the things you pointed out, I’ll add my perspective as a family with young kids hitting kid attractions. Positives this year: kiddie land rides were consistently open (nearly all of them); lots of kid friendly non kiddie land rides with really reasonable lines were also consistently open (turtles, pirate ship, racer, whip, carousel, etc); kid friendly food options are more diverse and noticeably better; staff were super helpful and friendly (high point: a games guy who rigged a game in our favor on my kids birthday so he could get a bigger prize).
Negatives: honestly, hard to think of any other than a late in the season stench that apparently was a bacterial overgrowth problem in the fountain by the pizza place (yuck).
Our family gets season passes every year and one of our favorite things to do in the summer on a not too hot day is to duck out of work a tad early and do Kennywood dinner: get there at 4:30, do two hours of rides, eat, and do some gentle rides, and then head home for an on time bedtime. It’s grand.
Agreed. Last year was the best it’s been since COVID when we went too. All rides were open. Steel Curtain was like 2hr wait but running. Aero360 and Black Widow were running. Good vibes
I agree with you. I’ve been a season pass holder for the last three years. I’m an adult. It’s an absolute blast. Pints and bites is a fun event to go to.
All the coasters are special in their own way.
The lines aren’t that bad usually. During fright night I would go on Sunday instead of Saturday and it was pretty smooth sailing. The only line that always sucks is the Exterminator.
I really did enjoy the holiday lights thing this year. We rode all the rides that were operating (some could not due to temperature) and had a great time. Literally were there from open to close. Crowds were moderate, no trouble, very festive vibe.
Thanks for this, because I was thinking about taking my teenagers to Cedar Point and now I have to look into it.
Teens will absolutely still enjoy cedar point and the wide variety of thrilling coasters there, even if some amount of it can feel frustrating. It’s almost more of a destination best enjoyed with a hotel stay so you can spend a few full days at the park though, unless you splurge for the (very expensive) Fastlane+ passes or go on an unusually slow day though.
Pretty much exactly this.
Hersheypark and, especially, Kings Island OR Kings Dominion are reasonably close alternatives and K/KDI in particular will likely be much less frustrating experiences still filled with great coasters unless you go on a summer Saturday
Closed
No, it's open. Look down...
Till spring
😆
This past year they were purchased by Herschand Entertainment (who also owns parks like Dollywood and Silver Dollar City). They have a great history of running parks well, so I’m hopeful that they have a long term plan to improve the place.
That being said, the only real changes at Kennywood in the past ten years are the removal of the Log Jammer, the installation of the Steel Curtain, changing the Thomas stuff to a general kiddie area, and taking Garfield out of the Old Mill.
I’ll never get over the loss of the Log Jammer
Yeah, that was a bummer but it was also likely nearing the end of its service life. Thankfully, a number of nearby parks (Waldameer, Knoebles, Idlewild, Hershey, etc) all still have fun, operational lig flumes.
I mean, they did also replace it with the coaster with the most inversions in the US, so its not like they just left the space empty
A bit more has changed in 10 years like serving alcohol and more food options, bites and pints and recently, better entertainment
Lots of people saying that there are fights, but go once or twice a week in the summer every year and I've never seen a fight.
With season passes and summers off, it's a great deal for me and my family. I have no complaints about the park, and if anything, it was cleaner and nicer this past summer than I can ever remember it
I don't actually remember any fights even at fright nights last year.
The only fights I was aware of were at the 21+ nights, which they likely won't be doing again.
This old mean yearns for a 35+ night.
Hahaha, a 35+ night would be amazing. Oh god I'm old aren't I.
Last year was the first year that my kids were old enough to stay for fright nights, and it was great!
Awesome! We love entertaining newbies!
Still great. We’re lucky to have it.
It's still fun, coasters are classic, more diverse food, and they serve alcohol now. The alcohol part makes it better to visit before 5pm. People are ridiculous
Booze everywhere all the time has been one of the bigger Ls for society over the past ten years
Tickets aren’t $12 at Gian iggle anymore, but it’s great. Holiday lights are awesome.
it ain’t just that there’s plenty of locals who have to complain how everything’s far worse than it was when they were kids.
was there for the first time in a few years last summer and it was perfectly nice
Over the past few years they have done a nice job with sprucing up the park with new paint on the rides and structures . A lot more signage too. For example as u wait in line for the jackrabbit they have a nice mural of the parks history and rides. Obviously the new steel curtain dominates the park where the log jammer was. This was probably The first year that coaster was running consistently. You can have alcohol there now. There's a beer, garden and rogue bbq near kiddieland, so more food options. Also, In May/June they have a bites and pints festival where you can sample from booths foods from different counties and pair with an adult beverage. The wood coasters are still running great for their age. I think it's still a great Park for its size and it will be interesting to see what the new ownership does over the next few years
Like probably a lot of people here, I went to Kennywood as a kid a bunch of times in the 80's and 90's. My most recent trip was summer 2024. As much as I miss the old rides and coasters, the newer ones more than make up for them. Steel Curtain was up and running and was pretty much the only ride that had a long line that day. Literally no line for the Sky Rocket. Phantom's Revenge was like a 5 minute wait.
Went for the first time since before lockdown this summer and had a nice day. It was a monday so it may be busier on the weekends. The only line that was egregious was for the steelers coaster. Everything else was a short line. The potato patch fries were overpriced as always but good.
I know most Pittsburgh people eat up anything that is tangentially related to the Steelers, but I hate that they removed the log jam to put in a Steelers themed roller coaster. It’s a little mawkish to me.
Its a good rollercoaster, despite your issues with its theme.
Agreed. Fantastic coaster, but the rest of the area is a waste.
Oh, and they took down the Log Jammer because the company that built it had been closed for decades and they couldn’t continue to maintain it. They spent a LONG time sourcing and fabricating parts for it.
I loved the Log Jammer, we all did, but it was no longer feasible to keep it a safe ride.
Rest in power, Arrow
This guy coasters.
Haha, yep. Down to (I believe) 2 Arrows still running in the US that I haven't been on.
Cedar Point and Busch Gardens Tampa recently removed their 1970s arrow flumes too, among others.
Hersheypark's is still running strong!
Always forget about that one because it’s technically a different model!
I wanna say the last of that model in fact, but dont quote me on that
I didn’t know that. Makes sense but still sucks.
That’s good at least
"Mawkish". I don't often see words I don't know in the wild. Thank you, TIL.
🫡
The most change is that I’m almost 30 and can’t stand being outside in 80°F+ heat anymore.
Edit: we really are blessed to live in a city full of doctors that give out medical advice for free on Reddit. They could work on their bedside manner, though.
😂 wait until you get to 40 like me and the only temperatures you can handle without feeling hot or cold are 67-75
That’s not your age, it’s your waistline. Being unable to tolerate 80 F temperatures in your twenties is bad and you should probably see a doctor.
I'm 46 and can stand that. High recommendation to drink more water.
Most of the negatives such as long lines, expensive, etc...is true for every amusement park. Stuff like that is to be expected. Safety should he the highest priority, and in my experiences weekday trips are problem free. Weekends, and particularly special evening events i frequently see arguing, loud swearing, and abrasive behavior. Id never take my kid othee than a weekday afternoon.
It’s pretty empty this time of year
When I go I always look for Cowboy Bob. He and I go back a long way.
Cold and slippy
Expensive
I paid $21.61 for chicken tenders and a water at the holiday lights. I couldn’t believe the price. If I wasn’t 9 months pregnant, I would have just waited to eat afterwards.
Fun fact. Kennywood Park is one of the few parks where you can bring your own food. Most parks don't allow it. so you have options
Those classic fries are a wallet buster now in addition to a gut buster
$9 with a season pass discount
(Source: ate at Potato Patch a lot this year)
While we're at it, what's Idora Park like now?
Very closed
The people saying "too many fights." are the same people that blamed century 3 mall closing on the Bus line.
Overpriced.
What do you think is a reasonable price for a day ticket?
It’s worth going for the history and to ride the rides that have been there forever.
Other than that it’s kinda meh and overpriced. But it beats driving much much further to six flags in Ohio
I'd argue that Cedar Point has only 2 coasters better then Phantom's Revenge and King's Island has, at most, only one better (Mystic Timbers and thats VERY debatable)
Pricy
If you’re a teenager, it’s a good place to go fight your peers.
More expensive and less going on but still nostalgic and fun
Lots of fights
Overpriced food made by apathetic teenagers
youre eating in the wrong place in the park
the cafeteria is really great - - i recommend the turkey dinner in there
That's most parks in the US
They took out the sky coaster.. also for famous for fights than anything else. Tragic
I’d budget the extra $20 per person and get the fast pass. Otherwise it’s the same except the log flume is gone and that coaster is never open
Always seems like 25% of the rides are closed.
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Steel Curtain ran consistently this season after reopening aside for a week in mid-Summer to fix a seat issue.
Day tickets can be acquired for $50 and the lowest priced season pass is $99
A day pass is about the same price as Disney world.
You can literally buy the lowest tier SEASON PASS ($99) for less then a day ticket at Disney World.
r/confidentlyincorrect
I've seen tickets online for $38 a day. Also u can get a season pass for under $100.