July 2013 trips - Camden Park 7/6 & Holiday World 7/28

[jandyb79]

I was blessed this month to have had the opportunity to spend 2 separate weekends with my wife at these two parks! My wife is 6 months away from becoming a full time RN at the University of Kentucky hospital and her preceptorship has eaten up the majority of our time we had hoped to spend with one another this summer. As a result, we have had to make travel plans on the fly. My wife is very adventurous and loves to surprise me with last minute ideas, so Saturday July the 6th she determined that this was the day I would finally take her to Camden Park - my childhood playground! The forecast predicted heavy rain throughout the day, but we didn't let this stop us. Besides, some of my most memorable visits to KI were rainy grey sky days! As it was, we headed to West Virginia and made our first stop at Stewarts Original Hotdogs stand - another childhood favorite! It had been 20 years since I last visited the park and my only hope was that I would not leave that day disappointed in one way or another. We made it to park around 4pm and headed to the Haunted House first. I was happy to see that several improvements had been made to the ride in recent years, which was apparent in the vibrant exterior color scheme. Of course, the interior still leaves much to be desired in terms of lighting, effects, props, etc., but I suppose that adds to the charm of this now one-of-a-kind antique ride

My wife standing outside the Haunted House:

We then headed straight up the midway to the Whip. This ride, in my opinion, was one of the two reasons my wife and I initially decided to visit the park. For years, I have told stories about the wild and crazy amusement park rides that I've ridden throughout the US and this was one my wife was dying to try out! The Whip is truly a diamond in the rough at Camden Park! It hits all right points you hope for in a traditional flat ride - rapid surprises, butterflies in the stomach and loads of fun! My wife and I laughed throughout the entire ride and enjoyed every minute of it. We snapped this photo prior to ride departure

I really appreciate that Camdens management pays close attention to landscaping and overall aesthetics! Everything felt clean, fresh and beautiful! It was just how I remembered it back in the early years of my life This was especially apparent as we boarded the log flume. This flume is more or less a concrete canal running through the back part of the park. It has quite a different feel to it than KI's since it spends more time floating and less time rolling. I couldn't help but imagine an improvement where guests would float through an old open saw mill building inspired by turn of the century technology where they are greeted by 3d characters hard at work! Maybe one day - but probably not After getting completely drenched, and rained on a little more, we headed to the Big Dipper. It was great to see this coaster still in operation, but I was disappointed in the overall condition. I struggle to avoid negativity with my assessment of these rides (and their operators for that matter), but I really feel that this one ride needs desperate attention. I say this because I want to see it continue to provide good and safe entertainment for many more years to come! I am no engineer (even though I gravitate in that area on an artistic standpoint), but the ride made my wife and I feel uneasy. She commented afterward that this was the one ride she hoped I didn't want to ride a third time. It was pretty cool to see the operator using the manual braking system! Glad he (being the only employee stationed there) was aware and alert! Anything can happen without an extra set of eyes for backup. I'll leave my thoughts at that Of all the rides in the park, our day ended with a ride on the Bumper Cars. A tear begins to well up as I think about that. What I can say, since its demise, is that had we not visited the park when we did, we would have never had the chance to enjoy this ride! The oval track layout and the speed truly set them apart from other bumper car attractions I have ridden in the past. Camden Park truly lost a great ride and piece of park history with that fire! On a brighter note, the trip was a success and I was very pleased with my experience! The park survived the Great Depression, so I hope it can survive another 103 years!

Bonus trip report: 7/20 The Island Wheel - Pigeon Forge, TN

Btw, this ride is a must if you should visit Gatlinburg, TN. Also, if you are in the area try out The Old Mill Restaurant! Cracker Barrel was the inspiration spawned by this great eatery!

7/28 Holiday World

This was our first visit to Holiday World and it was unbelievable! This park packs the feel and operation of a well aged traditional park with world class attractions! For starters, parking is included with park admission, drinks are included with park admission, sun screen is included with park admission...get the picture? On top of that, my wife and I each ate a full course meal that cost us exactly $12.59 - 2 loaded burgers, 2 fries, 2 cookies & 2 soft drinks!!! I guess I'm just not used to a great deal on amusement park food From the moment I stepped into this park I felt like a welcomed guest! The park is gorgeous, well themed and well laid out! We started our day at Holiday Worlds Splashin Safari water park. I have been very anxious to experience some of these water attractions for some time now and not a single one disappoints! The lines were quite long, being a weekend date, so we had to limit our options to the attractions we hoped to ride. We started with Mammoth. What a ride! Nothing could've made this ride better! But wait...they have a second water coaster??? Wildebeest was the best water ride I have ever experienced, and I come from the era of waterboggan (anyone remember that?)! The water park has a very laid back feel and is very accommodating for guest. The locker/storage system is very simple, quick and easy. I will say that their changing room and restroom situation leaves a little to be desired, but all in all it really wasn't too difficult to get changed up and back out. So as to not cut into our time in the main park, we left Splashin Safari a bit prematurely. As is to be expected, we headed over to the coasters right way. In my opinion, one of the best ride surprises I had was the Raven. I had watched POV's, documentaries, etc of the ride, so I had more or less pegged it as a junior coaster at best...boy was I wrong! In my opinion, this is what a wooden coaster should be! This baby flies! But height, speed and length statistics mean nothing if the ride is not enjoyable! This ride is enjoyable without any of those impressive characteristics and did not leave me in wanting! The bolt across the lake was my favorite part I don't think much more can be said about the other two wooden coasters that hasn't already been stated a hundred times over! They are great and embody everything I expected them to, but there was something about little brother Raven that made me have to ride him for a second time! Kudos Holiday World for a wonderful experience I will not soon forget!!! Our only regret is that we didn't plan for a two day pass - something I highly suggest to anyone planning a visit to both the main park and water park!

~Josh