Kennywood

Kennywood is located in the West Mifflin suburb of Pittsburgh, sitting across the Monongahela River from North Braddock. What was once named “Kenny’s Grove”, at the turn of the 20th Century, the picnic spot was converted into a trolley park at the end of the Monongahela Street Railway’s trolley line. The park is now more than 120 years old, and just like their slogan says, it's really, “America’s Finest Traditional Amusement Park”, making it a National Historic Landmark.

From young to old, Kennywood caters to all visitors. With more than 40 attractions, seven of which are rollercoasters and two which are water rides, there is something for everyone to enjoy. A few historical items to note would be the Jack Rabbit (1920) rollercoaster, which is one of the oldest running rollercoasters in the world, and the Racer, another roller coaster built in 1927. It consists one continuous track (a Möbius loop) upon which two coasters “race” against each other to the finish line. A more modern coaster, Phantom’s Revenge, has been rated as one of the top 20 steel roller coasters for the past ten years.

Kennywood is not only for adrenaline junkies though, with the park's Kiddieland featuring numerous rides for the park’s younger visitors. Kenny’s Karousel, a kid-sized merry-go-round built in 1924, sits among many other miniature version of adult rides in the park. In addition to Kiddieland, the newly opened Thomas Town brings the world of Thomas the Tank engine to life. Visitors can meet Sir Topham Hatt as well as have pictures taken with life sized versions of Thomas, Percy and Emily amongst others.

The only thing Pittsburghers love more than Kennywood's rides is it's food. On a hot day at the park, there is nothing better than freshly squeezed lemonade, a corndog with ketchup and mustard, and a basket of Potato Patch fries with cheese and bacon. For desert, there is funnel cakes topped with powdered sugar, square shared ice cream, and deep fried oreos. 

The fun isn't limited to the summer either. After the end of Kennywood’s season, the park is open on Fridays and Saturdays in October for “Phantom Fright Nights”. Think haunted house combined with an amusement park. Park employees dress up with scary make-up, prosthetics and costumes and give visitors a scare. It is a one of a kind experience and is something not to be missed if you enjoy jump scares. In December, the park is completely covered in lights for Kennywood's "Holiday Lights" celebration.