Kentucky Kingdom Celebrating 30 Years In 2019 With Big Changes
This past Saturday, February 16th, we stopped by Kentucky Kingdom for their annual off season tour; King Louie’s Winter Walk-Thru. This allowed us to see the park in the off-season and get an exclusive look at the construction of Kentucky Flyer, the new Gravity Group woodie opening in 2019.
We kicked off our visit with a welcome speech and presentation about what guests can expect coming into the 2019 season. The park is happy to report that they are on much better terms with the State Fair Board after the dispute over the park’s expansion for Kentucky Flyer. While the parking dispute is still ongoing, the park is confident they will be able to reach a solution that satisfies the fair board and does not compromise the guest experience. They assured us that keeping parking free for their season passholders is a top priority in these negotiations.
Aside from the Kentucky Flyer, guests can expect some more changes when the park opens its gates in April. Over the off season, the re-tracking that began for the 2018 season on Thunder Run has continued. The park is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2019 and will be introducing a brand new Dole Whip item along with a return of some classic food items such as Kingdom Fries, and even some throwback merchandise featuring logos from The Quake, Twisted Twins, Vampire, Chang and more! Below is a sneak peek image featuring a few of the throwback shirts coming.
As you’re probably aware, Kentucky Kingdom’s 6th coaster will be taking flight when the park opens this spring. Back in November, we attended the reveal of the rides lead car for the blue train.
During our visit, we got an exclusive close up look at the lead car for the silver train! The airplane theming really fits well on this new ride!
During the presentation, we learned that the park chose Gravity Group to create their 6th coaster because they wanted a coaster that would attract both families and thrill seekers alike. After seeing some of Gravity Group’s other coasters, Ed Hart was impressed by the timberliner trains and the theming (like in the lead car picture above!). The height restriction on Kentucky Flyer will be 40 inches, which is the average height of a 4 year old, giving kids the chance to “earn their wings”. #EarnYourWings is a hashtag / promotion the park will be talking about more this Spring! Kentucky Flyer will be a great ride for families to enjoy together, but also a fun ride for all the enthusiasts out there to enjoy.
The tour offered us access to the park’s storage areas where ride vehicles were staged for winter rehabbing. The maintenance team works hard all winter to ensure that all of the park’s rides are up and running for the new season. Participants got an up close look at cars from popular attractions such as Storm Chaser and Lightning Run.
We also got a peek at some of the re-tracking going on at Thunder Run!
Finally, guests were able to get an up close and personal look at the construction site of Kentucky Flyer. Check out some of the photo’s below!
And now for the best gift of all! We have an exclusive deal for our readers to purchase discount tickets this year! Click Here to buy tickets at a special Coaster Nation rate that includes 2 PARKS 2 DAYS AND FREE SOFT DRINKS!
Too excited to wait until Spring? Take a virtual ride right now!
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