Kennywood: Difference between revisions – Wikipedia
* 2021: Black Widow and Steel Curtain reopen, some attractions remain temporarily closed for the season due to COVID-19, Phantom Fall Fest debut
* 2021: Black Widow and Steel Curtain reopen, some attractions remain temporarily closed for the season due to COVID-19, Phantom Fall Fest debut
* 2022: Phantom’s Revenge track repainted, the park begins a three-year celebration of its upcoming 125th anniversary, Kangaroo returns due to popular demand following a refurbishment, entrance plaza refurbished and repainted, Old Mill receives a new facade, two new seasonal events (Swing Into Spring and Summer’s On) debut, Speedy Pass [[virtual queue]] system is introduced replacing the previous V.I.P. Coaster Tour system, all attractions that were closed due to COVID-19 reopen except for Skycoaster, 4-D Theater, and Raging Rapids
* 2022: Phantom’s Revenge track repainted, the park begins a three-year celebration of its upcoming 125th anniversary, Kangaroo returns due to popular demand following a refurbishment, entrance plaza refurbished and repainted, Old Mill receives a new facade, two new seasonal events (Swing Into Spring and Summer’s On) debut, Speedy Pass [[virtual queue]] system is introduced replacing the previous V.I.P. Coaster Tour system, all attractions that were closed due to COVID-19 reopen except for Skycoaster, 4-D Theater, and Raging Rapids
* 2023: Spinvasion debuts alongside a new Area 412 themed section, Cosmic Chaos and Swing Shot repainted, Pizza Warehouse restaurant remodeled, Raging Rapids reopen after year-long refurbishment
* 2023: Spinvasion debuts alongside a new Area 412 themed section, Cosmic Chaos and Swing Shot repainted, Pizza Warehouse restaurant remodeled, Raging Rapids reopen after year-long refurbishment
2024: Aero 360 reopens
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Amusement park in Pennsylvania
Kennywood is an amusement park which is located in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, just southeast of Pittsburgh. The park opened on May 30, 1899, as a trolley park attraction at the end of the Mellon family‘s Monongahela Street Railway.[1][2]
It was purchased in 1906 by F. W. Henninger and Andrew McSwigan, both of whom later formed the family-owned Kennywood Entertainment Company. The company later sold Kennywood, along with four other parks, in 2007 to Parques Reunidos, an international entertainment operator based in Spain.[6]
The amusement park features various structures and rides dating back to the early 1900s. Along with Rye Playland Park, it is one of two amusement parks in the United States designated as a National Historic Landmark. Kennywood is also one of thirteen trolley parks in the United States that remain in operation.
Location[edit]
Kennywood is approximately 8 miles (13 km) from Downtown Pittsburgh, in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania. The park is along Pennsylvania Route 837 (Green Belt), known as Kennywood Boulevard as it passes through the borough. The closest Interstate connection is Exit 77 (Edgewood/Swissvale) on Interstate 376.[7] The Mon–Fayette Expressway will eventually go past Kennywood, which will prompt an expansion of the park when it is built.[8]
Historically, the park is on the location of the July 9, 1755 Battle of the Monongahela, where British general Edward Braddock was mortally wounded, ending his expedition to capture the French Fort Duquesne during the French and Indian War. George Washington was a colonel to Braddock, and fought at the battle before they retreated.[9] Later the land on the bluff above the Monongahela River was part of a farm owned by Anthony Kenny. Starting around the time of the American Civil War, the site was a popular picnic grove for locals, known as “Kenny’s Grove”.[9]
History[edit]
A tree-filled portion of a farm owned by Anthony Kenny, known as “Kenny’s Grove” overlooking the Monongahela River near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania was a popular picnic spot for local residents since the American Civil War. In 1898, the Monongahela Street Railways Company, partially owned by prominent banker Andrew Mellon, seeking to increase fare profits on the weekends, leased the land from the Kenny family in order to create a trolley park at the end of their line.[9] The company’s chief engineer, George S. Davidson, designed the original layout of the park and served as its first manager. A carousel, casino hall, and dance pavilion were added in 1899. A bandstand was constructed in 1900, while the Old Mill was constructed in 1901, and the park’s first roller coaster, the Figure Eight Toboggan, was added in 1902.[9][10]
After less than a decade, the trolley company no longer wanted to manage the park. The standing manager, Andrew S. McSwigan, along with partners Frederick W. Henninger and A. F. Meghan, leased and operated the park as Kennywood Park Limited beginning in 1906.[9]
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