Kennywood

Kennywood, one of only two amusement parks in the United States to be granted National Historic Landmark status, is crammed full of classic rides and attractions.

The Pittsburgh park originally opened in 1899 as a trolley park at the end of the Monongahela Street Railway, owned by the influential Mellon family who also owned nearby Idlewild for many years. F W Henniger and Andrew McSwigan bought Kennywood in 1906 and after a while formed the Kennywood Entertainment Company which, in a historical twist of fate, would eventually buy Idlewild from the Mellons.

Today's Kennywood, while paying tribute to its historic roots, manages to combine its classic attractions with more modern rides in a great well kept modern amusement park.

Amongst Kennywood's offerings are Phantom's Revenge, a steel hypercoaster from Arrow Dynamics; Jack Rabbit, Racer and Thunderbolt - three superb wooden coasters; Noah's Ark, the only remaining walkthrough ark ride in the world; and Pittsburg Plunge, a soaking wet shoot-the-chutes water ride.

The United States' remaining trolley parks seem to be going one of two ways: rapidly decaying, such as Camden Park, or thriving by reinventing themselves to still be relevant in the 21st century like Waldameer. Thankfully, Kennywood is very much in the latter category, with large scale investment in new attractions and a fun filled atmosphere the park can be justly proud of.

Attractions

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