I avoided Ohio park crowds by visiting a very uncrowded (and very dry, notwithstanding the forecast) Kennywood today. The only downside was that most coasters ran only one train.

Definitely worth the trip. Phantom's Revenge and each of the classic wooden coasters were great, not to mention Noah's Ark and many of the flat rides. I did enjoy getting to ride an inverting Premier coaster and an indoor coaster after extended Flight of Fear downtime, albeit not at the same time. I closed out the day day riding Phantom's Revenge at night during fireworks.

Some people that I talked to couldn't understand why I would drive so far (much further than "big" parks) to visit a "small" park. Overall, guests and employees seemed were very friendly here. I would compare the atmosphere to Dollywood or Holiday World, which I wasn't expecting in Pittsburgh.

The only negatives were that the pizza isn't great (in my opinion at least) and that finding ride queue entrances can feel like a mini scavenger hunt. Interestingly, Phantom's queue is on the other side of the park from the station.

Ride reviews and/or pictures (may be) coming later.

Noah's Ark is the best dark ride at a season park that I've ever been on. KW is definitely worth the drive. In all honesty, it's about as far as Holiday World but offers much much more.

Technically, Noah's Ark is a Funhouse/Walkthrough and not a ride.

If you ask me, "dark ride" doesn't require a cart. I'd call a funhouse or dark walkthrough a sub-genre of dark ride. Just me justifying why my "dark ride" spreadsheet includes Cinderella's Fairy Tale Hall, Enchanted Tales with Belle, Noah's Ark, Poseidon's Fury, Sleeping Beauty Castle Walkthrough, and Twister: Ride It Out.

Kennywood is a fantastic little park. Thunderbolt is incredible. Only thing that irks me is that I (and others) think of the park as a dark-ride heavy park, but Noah's Ark is really the only classic classic one, you know? Ah if only Garfield's Nightmare was... I don't know, something else.

Yeah, malem, anyone who questions your motives for attending Kennywood clearly hasn't been there.

Yeah, malem, anyone who questions your motives for attending Kennywood clearly hasn't been there.

Those who questioned my motives were at the park. Granted, they were non-enthusiast locals who visit all the time.

Of course, there were also people who definitely did understand, including a friend of Thunderbolt's designer's son. (The one who redesigned it; not John A. Miller.)

Technically, Noah's Ark is a Funhouse/Walkthrough and not a ride.

It would be accurate to categorize Noah's Ark as a "ride", even though you're not seated.

I knew nothing about it going in, other than that it's a walk-through. I enjoyed it a lot, and being surprised made it even better.

It's neat to think that the same attractions that provided thrills generations ago are continuing to do so today.

^ Did you get a chance to ride any of the water rides? Log Jammer is probably my favorite Arrow Flume of all time, and Raging Rapids is a spectacular Intamin River Rapids Ride. It comes very, very close to White Water Canyon for me, but the placement of the rides within their respective parks is what gives WWC the slight edge.

^ I didn't ride any of the water rides. There were plenty of other rides to get to, and I didn't particularly want to get wet.

I also didn't get to Auto Race, the carousel (though I enjoyed the Wurlitzer from the midway), the Turtle, or the train.

I'll have to make a return trip at some point.

I also did not get a chance on my visit to ride any of those rides. Next time, I'll be skipping the Nightmare of a dark boat ride and hitting up a couple of the classics that I missed as well.

On a side note, Ghostwood Estates is another decent dark ride at Kennywood. While not spectacular, it is definitely the best dark ride with laser guns that I've ridden... Though its only competition in that realm is two versions of Boo Blasters and Gobbler Getaway, so I'd be concerned if it wasn't the best...

^ I enjoyed Ghostwood Estates as well. The special effect on the targets is neat, and the pre-show makes the experience more complete. The scenes are much better than the flat cut-outs seen on other recent dark rides.

I made a special point to ride Garfield's Nightmare, owing to your posts about it. The classic boat ride isn't bad, but the tunnels of comic panels aren't very entertaining. The "3-D" glasses are beyond useless; at least they're provided free.

Noah's Ark is, by far, the best of the three. I went through four times.

the carousel (though I enjoyed the Wurlitzer from the midway)

It's working again? They were piping music back in May. Much Happiness if this is true.

The "3-D" glasses are beyond useless; at least they're provided free.

Unlike for a certain trip to Alaska, those cost 20 nickles and even more useless.