SUMMARY
- Roller Coasters: Storm Chaser (1x)
- Flat Rides: Cyclos (2x), FearFall (2x)
- Shows/Events: N/A
- Food: Funnel Cake (1x)
REVIEW
A couple of times each year my wife Sara (a non-rider) and my two year old Audrey (a potential future rider) join Lilliana and I for a visit to Kentucky Kingdom. We used to purchase a season pass for myself, Lilliana and Sara (around $200 after fees) and Audrey was able to get in free since she is under 3 years old. With the new ownership, we just purchase a pass for Lilliana and I and we’re able to use our free bring-a-friend tickets for Sara when her and Audrey join us at the park. It’s made what was already a great value even better.
We arrived at the park just after noon and went straight to the stunt dog show. The show runs at 12:00PM, 3:00PM and 6:00PM daily, and with our two year old with us (who usually naps at 1) we were prepared to not stay all the way until 3 as we knew we were on borrowed time and so we wanted to catch the first show. Lilliana and I had seen the show on a previous visit and loved it. Unfortunately, it had rained earlier in the day and so the show wasn’t running for safety reasons. Understandable as the dogs do a lot of acrobatics during the performance.
We went over to the other end of the front of the park and Lilliana and I rode FearFall and Cyclos. The rainy morning helped keep the crowds low and we walked on to both. It was a lot of fun to be have Audrey watch us with Sara and be able to wave to them from the rides. This park has a fantastic collection of flat rides. Audrey took a keen interest in Lightning Run and loved watching it whip around while we were on Cyclos.
We grabbed a Funnel Cake (yum) and headed to the back of the park for a ride on Storm Chaser. On the way to the back of the park we noticed that a hurricane simulator had been added since our last visit near the photo booth for the ride. It’s a $5 upcharge, and simulates 78mph winds that one might feel during a hurricane. It’s nice to see Herschend making minor additions to the park as the season goes on. We didn’t experience it today, but likely will give it a shot in the future. I asked on the KK Season Passholder group and there’s also one of these that was spotted in Hurricane Bay, although this was the only one we walked past on today’s visit.
In the 50+ rides that Lilliana and I have on Storm Chaser, we’ve almost always done either the very front or the very back seat. Today we did the third from the back seat as we didn’t want Audrey and Sara to have to wait and this spot had no line. I was expecting the ride to not pack the same punch as it does in the very back, but I was wrong. It was riding as amazing as ever. I’m not sure if it was because of the rain earlier or perhaps because I knew this was the only coaster for the day and I wanted to savor it, but the ride experience was outstanding. I cannot say enough good things about this coaster, and it continues to be one of my favorites.
After that we got one more ride on Cyclos and FearFall on the way out. During our ride on Cyclos, there was a loud crashing noise mid-ride. I’d read about this previously and heard that was normal and happens from time-to-time, but hadn’t experienced it until this ride. Definitely a little freaky.
That’s it for our visit to Kentucky Kingdom. It was short and sweet. I can’t wait to get back to the park for their Fall event in October and get some night rides on Storm Chaser and Lightning Run.