Leaderboard

The walls were very worn when I was in there in October, but there is an access ladder in the building that I believe was used to access the rack that held up the icicles from TR:TR, seen here: This is the lava pit from TRTR. I have a whopping 2,982 photos from inside the building from when I went last October. That access ladder can be seen here located next to ventilation pipes which were used (if im correct) to ventilate the building of the mist from TRTRs ride cycle.

Yes please! I'm honestly tired of eating outside at amusement parks. Having an AC given break would be great. Nothing like eating your food and adding on salt by sweating . I kid, I kid...but it does feel quite gross being packed like sardines on the patios of Coney BBQ, with unrelenting heat trying to enjoy a meal.

They were removed because it was felt that the curbs created a psychological barrier that prevented people from going in and spending money in the shops and restaurants.

When the International Street renovation was announced and presented, I was most excited for the stenciling and emphasis on the International Street buildings being themed again. At one point I was extremely against a major change to the Royal Fountain, but I was more open to it when it meant that it would be *International* Street again. I actually welcomed the reimagined and more animated fountain with the LEDs. However, as time passes, I do miss old aspects of the original fountain and its grandeur. The pedestals added a unique character compared to the fountains at Kings Dominion and Canada's Wonderland as those two fountains had a more natural looking appearance coming straight from the pools from their initial introductions. That said, it was apparent that they were difficult to maintain as the rust streaks had to be repainted each year and marred their regal appearance in a way. For that, the water curtain that replaced them actually looks a little nicer. What I do think is missing is the grandiose appearance that came with the thicker cascade jets that ran along the sides coupled with the morning glory jets; 13 of each on both sides. The small vertical jets and finger nozzles add height and make the show dynamic possible, but they do look pretty dinky in comparison to what had been there for years. I don't know if it would be possible to have the nighttime and even daytime display setting with the old jets that were there though, but I miss that aspect the most.

It definitely looks like the new structure/covering that they've been working on. Glad to see it! I may be going this Saturday, so I will check it out when I go next!

You make a lot of good points! Although I think most of what was done in 2019 had good reasoning behind it. I don't think I can forgive removing the fountain pedestals and not replacing them with wide-spray versions like Kings Dominion has, but I've written about that elsewhere on here. The park did somewhat create visual curbs using the pavers, they just didn't revert the layout back to the original 1972 version. There is a separation of zones with the black strips of pavers dividing the paths and seating areas, which took the place of the planters that were there before.. When both Kings Island and Kings Dominion completed their first International Street renovations in 1982(?) they both swapped the walking and seating areas for the reason stated above. I'd have to go look, but I don't remember exactly how Canada's Wonderland had their International Street configured when they opened in 1981. I think if Kings Island decides to replace the pavers between the entrance and the fountain, they should either add two small-ish planters or screen-based information kiosks in that area. It would bring some visual interest to the area and break up the vast expanse of nothingness. While they're at it I'd love to see the wood planter carts come back to flank the main sign again. They were there in 2019, but have been absent in recent years. Around the Eiffel Tower should be brushed concrete instead of asphalt. Pavers would be too visually busy in this case, as would paver bricks, whereas concrete/asphalt don't distract the eye and encourage guests to look up at the magnificence of the tower. The reverse is true for the paver bricks in Tower Gardens: the History Walk stones are each a clean square in the middle of a sea of busy bricks. Anything larger than the bricks would make the stones stand out less, and may not stand up as well to the rapidly varying elevation within Tower Gardens. Replica gas-style lamps would be nice, although I can't imagine good places to put them along the length of the street. More flowers and more landscaping would probably hinder some of the work areas needed to set up for Winterfest. I think it would've been beautiful to bring the decorative white rocks and green hedges back around the fountain, but those may have gotten in the way of building the railings and taken up staging space. Two sections would also probably need to be taken out each year in order to put the ramps in. Having a ton of landscaping around the base of the tower might also get in the way of stringing up the lights. Finally, I don't know that adding more statues is necessary. The Don Quixote statue is rather nice because it's unique. I'd be all for more topiaries though. Whatever future additions and renovations may bring, I hope they improve the character of the street to be even better than before! I'm interested to see how large the current trees grow to be. They're planted pretty close to each other, but without knowing what kind of tree they are I don't think it's possible to know. Can anyone tell what this is? I can't see if it's the Carousel structure or if the new festival structure is already up and covered.

I'm thinking it could be enough land for a new flat ride or two, but I wouldn't expect something like a new coaster to go here.

Kentucky Kingdom held a live stream on Facebook celebrating the ribbon-cutting ceremony for Discovery Meadow. At the end of the live stream, the park announced they would be investing $14 million for next year and stated "We think that it's going to send everyone flying into 2026". My guess is that whatever is going to "send us flying" next year is probably going to be placed at the front of the park near Lightning Run, as many rides from that area were either removed (Cyclos) or relocated to Discovery Meadow. I will be at the park in the next few weeks to check out all the changes made with Discovery Meadow. https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1AhsAkKcLj/

Huge missed opportunity in the 2019 renovation. While the renovation is much better than the previous version (with notable exceptions), had they done some relatively simple things, the area would be much more cohesive. They could have used pavers to create visual curbs, like what Dominion has. They should have redone the pavers between the turnstyle building and the fountain. What is there looks busy and dated. They should have replaced the asphalt around the Eifel Tower and the arteries around it. Pavers would have been a better choice than concrete that they put around the grand merry go round that they placed last year. Tower Gardens should have been renovated with pavers. They should have added the gas lamps, or gas style lamps back in. They need more flowers. Those could have been hanging baskets on the lamp posts, the mulch areas inside the fence of the fountain. They need more lush landscape at the base of the tower. See KD. They should incorporate more country-specific items--for example, at the Spanish Building, they have the statuary. They should have Roman statuary near the Italian Building. Hopefully the 2039 renovation will address some of these issues.

Shhhh don't give them any ideas! Bars have been popping up around the park like Dollar Generals!

Man, Beastie was the best theme. Why anyone ever even considered doing that is wild. Cohesive IP kids area or not. Riding beastie made me excited to finally ride the big boy one. And it existed just fine alongside the mixture of hannah barbera while nickelodeon was also there. Beastie had the mystery inc van to see photos out of lol

With Dollywood in the midst of its milestone 40th anniversary season, the park continues to prove why it’s one of America’s most beloved destinations — and why, for me, renewing my season pass is always an easy decision. https://themeparksbydon.com/dollywood-scores-major-wins-in-newsweeks-readers-choice-awards/

For those that missed it the lights have been added to the towers along the i-street fountain (2 per tower).

Only open during Food and Wine, only available to patrons over 21, for a minimal cost of 29.99, complimentary sleeve of saltines.

Call it The Bat cave

Hear me out: the Skyflyer plot is the perfect size for... A new full-size indoor bar!!

Very interesting points. My RollerCoasterTycoon brain likes likes to expand beyond every border, but I get the reasons to expand inward or simply replace existing rides. Any actual expansion does require some amount of ongoing maintenance. Every new ride built, without removing an older ride, requires more employee hours to operate and maintain. I’d love if Orion went out and buzzed the Little Miami River, but all that infrastructure in the woods has an environmental impact. As attractions like The Bat, Timberwolf, Congo Falls, Invertigo, and Backlot age out, plus The Vortex plot, and all the grass around the D’back station, I can see decades of “inward expansion” without ever having look outward. My guess is that KI is pretty close to where Cedar Fair wants it to be size and # of attraction wise, with only modest actual “expansion” decade to decade. Thought experiment: Pretend that steel coasters like Screamin’ Demon, the Original Bat, King Cobra, Firehawk, and Vortex had 100+ year “service lives” and no issues maintenance and with getting replacement parts. Now consider that KI still wants to add 2-3 hot and new coasters per decade to satisfy the market. At some point you have 30+ coasters, which is fun for us, but an ever growing burden to operate and maintain. And the bigger the park, the greater risk of losing $ when weather is bad on the next pandemic hits. Take it further: imagine if KI expanded like crazy and added world’s biggest and best attractions every year. Would the potential attendance and revenue increase come close to justifying it? Maybe in Orlando or Dubai, but not likely in Cincinnati. In the first few decades of KI, more aggressive expansion made sense. But now as a “mature” seasonal park in the Midwest, it’s probably a “slow and steady wins the race” mentality. Cedar Point expands inward because Lake Erie prevents otherwise. But it’s likely that even if they magically had more land, they would not be rushing to expand it too quickly.