Kennywood
Kennywood is a theme park about an hour and a half southeast of Pittsburgh; near West Mifflin, Pennsylvania. On May 30, 1899, the park debuted as a trolley park at the end of the Mellon family's Monongahela Street Railway. F. W. Henninger and Andrew McSwigan bought it in 1906 and later created the family-owned Kennywood Entertainment Company.
In 2007, the business sold Kennywood, along with four other parks, to Parques Reunidos. It was a Spanish-based international entertainment corporation. Various structures and rides from the early 1900s can be found at the amusement park currently. It is one of only two amusement parks classified as a National Historic Landmark. The second one is the Rye Playland Park. In addition, Kennywood is one of those amazing thirteen trolley parks in the United States.
Despite this, Kennywood still has two main buildings from the nineteenth century. The first one is the Carousel Pavilion, presently Johnny Rockets, and the second one is the Parkside Café, once known as the Casino. There had been no gambling since the word's Italian source, "casa," signifies "house." The park's initial design, which had a central Lagoon, has likewise remained mostly intact.
Three roller coasters from the 1920s, declared a National Historic Landmark in 1987, are still as thrilling now as they were almost a century earlier: These are Jack Rabbit, Racer, and Thunderbolt. Just like those vintage coasters, there are current thrills including Phantom's Revenge, Sky Rocket, Exterminator, and The Steel Curtain. The last one is the biggest feature of Kennywood's newest Steelers Country, the first amusement park zone dedicated to a professional athletic organization.
Younger visitors would flock to Kennywood's numerous family-friendly rides. Some of the notable ones are the big and conveniently placed Kiddieland, and Thomas TownTM. The second-largest ongoing Thomas & FriendsTM destination in North America introduces five new rides inspired by the renowned children's brand, as well as live performances, a playroom indoor zone, and several other entertainments.
The park seems to be important in history as the site of the July 9, 1755 Battle of the Monongahela. The British commander Edward Braddock was gravely wounded during the battle, thereby halting his effort to seize the French Fort Duquesne mostly during the French and Indian War. Braddock's famous colonel, George Washington, engaged in the conflict until they fled.
Kennywood has used the mountainous Pittsburgh landscape to build outstanding coasters which would not be possible at other amusement parks. The lift chain of the Thunderbolt and Jack Rabbit, both wooden coasters, is located in the middle of the ride rather than at the beginning. In both situations, the vehicle departs from the station and descends into a valley for the first climb.