Kennywood Goes Back in Time With A Plethora of Yinzers and ScareHouse Zombies!
Kennywood, located in Pittsburgh PA, is taking guests back in time for 2016! To kick off Kennywood’s 118th season, yinzers celebrated with the return of a beloved icon: the Noah’s Ark whale!
Noah’s Ark dark attraction is celebrating it’s 80th anniversary with an all-new look. For 2016, the dark attraction was reborn as it’s former self with a plethora of new “old” favorites including the famed entrance through a whales mouth.
To unveil Noah’s Ark, Kennywood hosted a celebration which recognized not only the rich history of Noah’s Ark, but also Pittsburgh’s Bicentennial and the people, places, and things that make Pittsburgh such a great place to live, work, play, and even be scared! Among the special guests were the Pirate Parrot, Penguins hockey mascot Iceburgh, various retired sports players, Pittsburgh mayor Bill Peduto, and even ScareHouse zombies! 
Wait… ScareHouse? Zombies!?? Yes, even Pittsburgh’s Scariest Haunted House was invited to the big debut. Believe it or not, Haunted Attractions and amusement parks are very similar in their own unique ways. Both have one main goal in common, to safely entertain hundreds of thousands of guests each year. Mascots are also a big similarity. Most amusement parks have fun loving mascots, while haunted houses usually have scary ones, such as zombies. Zombies are a lot like humans, no two personalities are the same. So, the ScareHouse street team loaded up some silly fun-loving zombies and headed over to Kennywood to walk two by two into Kennywood’s newest old attraction. Check out all the FUN they had in the footage below along with a sneak peek inside Noah’s Ark!
Legendary Pittsburgh film director and producer, Rick Sebak was in attendance. “Yinzers” may recognize him from many great WQED Kennywood documentaries.
The event was started off with a funny opening ceremony by none other than a Pittsburgh YouTube comedian known as Pittsburgh Dad, who told guests the tale of Noah’s Ark from the Ark’s top deck!
Immediately proceeding the opening ceremony, guests were able to experience the new Noah’s Ark for the first time. Without giving away all the surprises inside, we will say that the new additions for 2016 do include the return of the beloved giant whale’s mouth, WITH the springy, squishy tongue! The classic vibrating floors are back too!
The squishy tongue is back, but this time its made of shredded rubber that is melted together, similar to what is used at modern playgrounds.
Guests were permitted to stop on the top deck and take a few photos before continuing on their tour.
Deeper inside, we see that all the classic animals still call Noah’s Ark… home!
It’s great to see all the classic favorites are in place after the renovation. Since Noah’s Ark opened in 1936, the attraction has only had two major renovations. The first rehab took place in the late 1960’s. The second, which received a lot of criticism, was completed in 1996.
In 1996, the park overhauled Noah’s classic funhouse feel for a more high-tech immersive experience. The classic whale mouth that guests were accustomed to entering was removed and replaced with the “Elevator of Doom”. Furthermore, the finale of the attraction was swapped out for a high-tech water misting and pipe bursting experience. Long time fans of the attraction were very upset that the classic features were updated with these new elements, saying that the park ruined a piece of history.
We really enjoyed the new Noah’s Ark and think Kennywood fanatics will too! If you visit the park in 2016, this should definitely be on your list of “must do’s!”
Noah’s Ark isn’t the only thing new for 2016 at the park. Across the midway from the Ark, Kennywood’s most popular atrtraction, the Potato Patch, has also undergone significant improvements. But don’t worry! The world-famous fresh-cut fry recipe remains the same!
Guests this summer will see the benefits of Pittsburgh’s mild winter, as Kennywood crews have been able to tackle a larger number of improvement projects all around the park. And the 4-D Theater begins its first full season at Kennywood, showing the fun family short Ice Age: No Time For Nuts 4-D every 12 minutes. The theater is free with park admission.
Kennywood is America’s Finest Traditional Amusement Park! The Pittsburgh-area park offers a unique mix of classic rides and modern thrills, including six roller coasters, a 14-ride Kiddieland, and several attractions that cannot be found anywhere else. Kennywood, founded in 1898 and named a National Historic Landmark in 1987, continues to provide unforgettable fun for all ages.
You don’t have to be in the park to enjoy all the thrills Kennywood has to offer. Thrill seekers can take a 85mph front seat ride on Phantom’s Revenge…. right from home!
Kennywood is now open daily through September. For tickets and more information, visit the official Kennywood website by clicking here.
For more on The ScareHouse, visit their official website by clicking here.
Stay connected with Coaster Nation!
facebook: facebook.com/coasternation
twitter: @Coaster_Nation
Subscribe on YouTube!
Leave a Reply
Your email is safe with us.
You must be logged in to post a comment.