Kennywood - April 12th and 13th, 2025

 My brother Scott and I visited Kennywood in West Mifflin, PA for the opening weekend of their 127th season on April 12th and 13th, 2025! 

Saturday was a bit damp and chilly, but we managed to get on many rides at the park with the crowds being small! Sunday at Kennywood was a lot warmer, with the sun being out the whole day, making it a perfect day to visit! 

We both thoroughly enjoyed our weekend at Kennywood! It was Scott's first visit and my second visit. It was nice to enjoy the park at a leisurely pace this time around as my visit last June was rushed!

Be sure to enjoy photos of our great weekend at Kennywood! 🙂

Saturday, April 12th, 2025:

It was a cool and cloudy opening day for Kennywood's 127th season!

As I discovered last June, the view of Kennywood from the parking lot is quite stunning!

The blossoms were out on some of the trees around the park and surrounding area.

Kennywood was open from 11am to 7pm. We arrived after 9am and waited patiently for the park to open for the day.

The park was decorated for Easter, with Easter eggs and chocolate bunny figurines placed around the park. The park also held an Eggcelent Celebration event for Easter.

The Kennywood sign at the front of the park (by the Old Mill) was adorned with Easter decorations.

The chocolate looking Easter decorations were quite impressive!

Scott and I were swappin' yarns with Cowboy Joe at Kennywood before the rides opened for the day! Great thanks goes to a very kind employee who offered to take a photo of Scott and I! 😊

Before the rides opened, we walked Around the park. Once the rides did open, our first ride of the day was on the classic Jack Rabbit!

Up next was a ride on the fun Racer wooden roller coaster.

Throughout the weekend, crews were working on Steel Curtain, which last operated in 2023. Hopefully it becomes operational again as it evaded me last year too.

The maintenance crew looked so small in comparison to the tall structure of Steel Curtain.

Overlooking the Kennywood lagoon on a cloudy opening day.

The mural at the Tunderbolt was replaced with this new, brightly coloured mural late last year. It looks really good!

Noah's Ark was open, taking park goers on the journey of Noah and his Ark. I enjoyed this classic, last of its kind attraction last year, so I was excited to experience again!

The Phantom's Revenge opened for the day closer to noon.

One ride at Kennywood I was very excited to experience was the Turtle, the last operating Traver manufactured Tumble Bug ride. It was being refurbished during my visit last year, so I was grateful it was open again!

While it may look not overly thrilling, it does provide a fun ride. I am happy to see Kennywood take the time to refurbish this classic ride that dates back to 1927!

The rolling hills of the circular track on the Turtle make you move around in your seat!

The Phantom's Revenge finally opened for the day after lots of testing throughout the morning.

Here's a view of the Turtle from Phantom's Revenge's queue.

I was eager to experience the insane airtime and setting of Phantom's Revenge again as I loved it last June! I was also happy that Scott was able to come along for the trip to experience Phantom's Revenge as trying to explain its experience does not do any justice!

After an amazingly insane ride on Phantom's Revenge, we headed over to The Exterminator, the park's indoor spinning wild mouse coaster. Thankfully the wait was much less than it was when I visited last June, despite a few technical issues, including our car getting momentarily stuck on the track just past the station! 🤣 Of interest, The Exterminator seemed smoother than I recalled!

The curved first drop on Phantom's Revenge is very photogenic! While the first drop only stands 160 feet tall, it is the second drop on Phantom's Revenge that is the star of the ride as it plunges 228 feet into the ravine below the Thunderbolt!

For lunch, Scott and I enjoyed wings and fries from the Pizza Warehouse. The dry-rubbed wings and flaky fries are amazing!

Up next was a ride on Ghostwood Estates, a dark ride with laser targets and a neat haunted estate theme. I missed out on it last year. It was a fun ride and one you should experience if the line isn't long.

The Thunderbolt had finally opened for the day! Last year it took me almost all day to get on Thunderbolt as you need a partner to ride. Luckily Scott was there to ride with me, so I didn't have to worry about getting on and re-riding as many times as we wanted!

The train rushed through the swooping drops on this chilly Saturday! The drops into the ravine also seemed to be quite intense! Cooler weather days are great times to ride wooden roller coasters!

Up next was a ride on The Whip, a rare 16-seat Mangels manufactured Whip ride. It is colourfully painted, which brightened the overcast day.

The Wave Swinger gave a good ride, featuring one of the fastest, non-chair crashing stops I have experienced on a Zierer Wave Swinger. I don't know how they do it!

Here's a train full of riders diving down the first drop of Phantom's Revenge!

After a ride on the Wave Swinger, we took a swing on Swing Shot! This was Scott's first time on an S&S Screamin' Swing ride. He really enjoyed it and even put his hands up!

The Musik Express is a beautiful ride with a rather long, but fun ride cycle! If it was any longer, Scott and I may have been permanently stuck together! 🤣

Up next was the Potato Smash bumper cars!

In 2024, it was rethemed to Kennywood's famous French fries! I missed riding it last year as my visit was quite brief. The new look is awesome and very unique!

Later on we went on the Old Mill. It was nice riding this antique indoor boat ride on a cooler day as the building was quite stuffy last June due to the heat and humidity. It's a shame more parks don't have a ride like this as guests of all ages can enjoy it.

Kangaroo is another iconic ride at Kennywood! Scott was pleasantly surprised at how the car provides a bit of a jolt as it leaps off the ramp.

During the last few hours that Kennywood was open for the day, we got in line for Sky Rocket, the park's Premier Rides launched roller coaster. The zero-g roll is one of three inversions featured on Sky Rocket.

A ride on Sky Rocket starts with a launch up this 95 foot tall hill. It seemed faster than the ride I had on it last June!

Thunderbolt was racing through its course on this chilly day!

Short lines meant another ride on Phantom's Revenge, which was operating with both trains, making it a walk-on all day! Here is a look over the ravine that is home to the track of Thunder Bolt and Phantom's Revenge.

The blossoms on the trees around Kennywood were quite beautiful!

From the Merry-Go-Round, you can get a great view of the Racer!

The Merry-Go-Round is a Carousel manufactured by William Dentzel and has been operating at the park since 1927.

Here we are taking a spin on this lovely Carousel.

After a spin on the Merry-Go-Round, we headed out for the night.

Sunday, April 13th, 2025:

Sunday morning was much sunnier and warmer than Saturday!

The park was glimmering under the morning sun.

The white blossoms on the trees in the upper parking lot were quite stunning!

How beautiful is that?

Work on the Steel Curtain continued all weekend long. Hats go off to the workers working from the very tall lifts!

Spot welding on Steel Curtain was happening in this photo.

The white blossoms stood out in the morning sun!

The sun shined all day long.

Springtime at Kennywood is quite the experience!

We started our day with a ride on Sky Rocket!

After a ride on Sky Rocket, Scott posed with two of Kennywood's mascots, Kenny Kangaroo and Jeeters. Later in the day, Jeeters pointed at my light blue Nike Blazers shoes, indicating that he liked them! 😁

Up next was a ride on Jack Rabbit for some more double-dip goodness! The airtime on this 1920 roller coaster is impressive!

On Saturday when riding the Racer, our train 'won' the race on tis 1927 mobius loop wooden roller coaster. Oddly enough, our rides on the Racer on Sunday were non-winning, but fun nonetheless!

Here is the Aero 360. It has a rather intense cycle, starting with a slow loop over the top, rather than gradually swinging back and forth like that on other Zamperla Hawk rides. I rode it on Saturday.

Most roller coasters at Kennywood are hard to photograph. Here's a peek at the Racer!

Hands up is the best way to ride all roller coasters at Kennywood! Scott remarked about how smooth they all are. He isn't wrong!

Thunderbolt's forceful swooping curves are simply fun!

The dive down the second drop on Phantom's Revenge is also very fun and forceful!

From the Swing Shot line, I was able to capture the Wave Swinger operating under the sunny, blue skies.

I just love the airtime produced on the Screamin' Swing rides!

Swing Shot's paint job stands out!

Up next was a sky-high swing on the Black Widow! Situated along the edge of the Lost Kennywood section, Black Widow feels taller than it actually is thanks to the nearby ravine!

For lunch, Scott and I had burgers at the Carousel Burger restaurant. They were very delicious burgers served with a side of Kennywood's tasty fries!

Later in the day, we took another ride on the Turtle. While in line, I captured some photos of Thunderbolt.

This banked curve on Phantom's Revenge is another thrilling experience, placed just after the dive under the Thunderbolt!

Our last ride on the Turtle saw Scott's ball cap go bye-bye! Don't be fooled by the innocent look of this nearly 100 year old ride!🤣

Kennywood is home to many old architectural pieces, including the Windmill that dates back to 1929!

Before ending another fun day at Kennywood, we took the Jack Rabbit and Racer for another spin!

Another ride on the Racer was a great way to end an awesome time at Kennywood!

Here is Scott and I seated in front of the Kennywood sign before heading out! Thanks for checking out our great weekend getaway to Kennywood! 🙂