Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom
Louisville, Kentucky
By Jon Zerkel
July 24, 2001
One of the advantages of bachelorhood is being able to say to yourself,
"Self, let's go to an amusement park today!" So, yesterday, I hit the road
and decided to visit a park that I've never been to before, Six Flags Kentucky
Kingdom. Following is my attempt at a trip report. It�s probably a lame attempt, but I'm
going to try anyway.
Overall impressions of the park:
I got the feeling that this is sort of the "neglected child" of Six Flags
parks. It seemed like this park was just sort of plopped down in the middle of
a predominantly commercial area of Louisville. The landscaping was minimal to
non-existent, but overall, I did find the park surprisingly clean.
Also, I kept thinking to myself, "Man, if I set up the footpaths the same way
on RCT as they did here, I would have my guests getting crowded and lost
constantly!" If you've never been to SFKK, there is a small area at the front
of the park just past the entrance gates. (The Roadrunner Express Wild Mouse is
the only coaster in this area.) You then have to walk across a bridge that
crosses above the highway below before you can get to the rear of the park,
where the water park and the majority of the coasters are located.
First of all, there is one and only one bridge that crosses the highway.
Secondly, once you have crossed to the rear of the park, the footpath is not a
complete circle. It takes you past Chang, T2, Thunder Run, and then you run
into a dead-end at Twisted Sisters. Very poor planning, in my judgement!!
On to the coasters, in the order I rode them (ranked from -3 to +5)
Roadrunner Express
2000 Wild Mouse, Maurer-Sohne
+1
This was my first wild mouse coaster. (I guess the Wildcat at Cedar Point is the
closest I've come to this genre of coaster). It was fun, though nothing to write
home about. The sharp U-turns at the top were the best part (which, I guess,
is the main point of a Wild Mouse!) :-) Also, I thought the theming at the
queue entrance was very well done. There were these two huge rock formations,
with a cable strung between them. Hanging from the cable were two pulleys, a
cart with a propeller, and a huge weight that said "1 Ton." It was right out
of a Looney Tunes cartoon! I almost expected to see the Roadrunner come flying
by at any moment!
I was now ready to make my way to the back of the park, but discovered that the
crossover bridge to the rear of the park didn't open until 11 am! If I would have
known that, I would have stayed at my hotel an hour longer and slept in! So I
drank some lemonade and watched "Escape from Dino Island," a very lame
motion-based simulator ride.
Finally, across the bridge to the rear of the park...
Chang
1997 Stand-Up, B&M
+2
I've never been a huge fan of stand-up coasters, and when I rode Mantis at CP a
few years ago, my ears were stinging for what seemed like days after all the
head-banging! I wondered if Chang and Mantis were clones, but after checking
my Guide To Ride here at home, I see that they are similar, but Chang is 9 ft. taller,
with one more inversion than on Mantis (unless, of course, you talk to Nate
K�but that's a whole other story!) The headbanging wasn't as bad as I
remembered on Mantis, but it was still present. In all honesty, I kind of
thought this coaster seemed out of place. It was just way too big when
compared to the other rides in this park. Also, the mounds of used chewing gum
sticking to the walls and supports in the queue were absolutely disgusting.
T2
1995 Suspended Looping Coaster, Vekoma
+2
This was the first SLC I've ridden that did not have 4-across seating. The
OTSR's had the softest padding I've ever seen on any coaster anywhere. But
the headbanging wasn't really that bad. Oh, for that same padding on the
restraints on Raptor at CP! The final brakes were the most intense part of
this coaster; they stopped you in a hurry!!!
Twisted Sisters (Pink train)
1998 Dueling coaster, Wood w/steel supports, Bill & McNulty
-2
Ouchh!!! I thought the steel supports would make this coaster ride a little
smoother - not so!!! The worst part was the final helix before the return to
the station; I was thrown violently to the left, and my left thigh received a
nasty, painful bruise!
After that experience, I wasn't ready to tackle the other sister, so I grabbed
a quick ride on the Rollerskater.
This one I just rode for the count. It's a small family coaster from Vekoma.
I got a kick out of the ride op's instructions, "Please remain seated inside
your shoe at all times." He sent us around for two circuits, and it was great to
see the little girl in the front car with her hands up the whole time. She
couldn't have been more than four years old!
Next up was Thunder Run
1990 Wood Double Out and Back, Dinn & Summers
+4
Wos!!!! My other experience on a Dinn & Summers woody was not a pleasant one!
(Mean Streak at CP) But Thunder Run totally blew me away! I can say without
hesitation that this coaster provided the most incredible, sustained airtime
that I've ever experienced on any coaster, anywhere. The third, fifth, and sixth
hills were all amazing. I wasn't back in my seat until I was about halfway up
the next hill! The only thing that prevents this coaster from getting a +5 is
the total and complete lack of theming and scenery. Not a tree to be found
anywhere!!
Back to Twisted Sisters, for a ride on the green train.
Twisted Sisters (Green Train
+/-0
Still rough, but not nearly as bad as the pink train. Here's one other
confusing thing about this park. If it weren't for the fact that I am an
enthusiast, I would have never known that Twisted Sisters was a dueling
coaster, until after I had climbed the stairs to the platform. You would think
that there would be some sort of sign in the queue that told people, "Choose Thy
Fate,� like on Dueling Dragons at IOA. (I had to explain this to the guests
behind me during my wait for the pink train. They asked me, "Where do those
stairs go?")
I guess the two trains on Twisted Sisters are supposed to be named Stella and
Lola, but I have absolutely no idea which was which.
Overall, it wasn't my best day ever at an amusement park, but I now have
my count up to 51. And, if you have read this far, you deserve a medal or something!!
-Jon
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