Greetings fellow forum members, I took two incredible trips to two amazing parks last month and last week. This will be broken into Kentucky Kingdom first, and then Family Kingdom second. I know it will probably be quite long so be prepared for lots of words and pictures, and most importantly enjoy! 

 

        Well, it was a hot, humid day on my first ever visit to Kentucky Kingdom. We arrived at about 11:30 as my excpectations were soaring high as I was about to ride roller coasters I had never seen in person and only heard about. We went with a few of my cousins and my grandmother joined us as well. We first rode the Drop Tower ride as it had a short wait. This really woke me up as I hate drop zone rides as Im not a fan of heights but I wasnt about to wimp out! After riding this we headed to Thunder Run. I didnt know that they only were running one train on each of the coasters but the wait was short so I really didnt even notice. About 15 minutes later we climbed aboard my first ride on Thunder Run! A great wooden coaster, although it was pretty rough on the knees. Still, it had lots of airtime and this would be the ride I rode the most of so the little pain was well worth a fun, fast, and thrilling wooden coaster! After riding Thunder Run, my cousins went to the water park, so I rode the rest of the day alone as water parks really arent my thing.

 

I headed for the new Storm Chaser, I was suprised to see that its kind of like a hybrid and the first coaster like that I'd ridden. Not too long of a wait, about 30 minutes. A lot of fun with a very unique first drop. You go upside down on the first drop and then twist and turn throughout the whole ride! Very unique ride experinence as like I said, I have never rode any thing like it in the past, but very glad I did! Next I went back to ride Thunder Run again, and it was alot smoother then my first time on it, next I headed to T3. I had a pretty long wait, about an hour or so. It was alot of fun though after the long wait, and it felt like riding Banshee, Bat, and Invertigo all together! It was fun and had lots of loops and twist and turns and seemed to go by really fast! After some pizza for lunch, I headed back to Thunder Run again as lines were now getting much shorter. After a quick rain storm, I headed (ironically) to Lightning Run. The lift hill and first drop were thrilling, along with lots of airtime and bunny hills. A couple of quick twist to the left and right and back to the station, but with no line, I went to ride it again, two times in a row! I'd say it was my second favorite ride next to Thunder Run. I then rode Storm Chaser again, and paid more attention to it this time and had a better ride then the first time for sure!

 

I then rode Thunder Run 3 times in a row because their was only a 5 minute wait as the park was about to close. On the final ride on Thunder Run, I rode by myself with no one else on my entire train! I rode up at the very front and had a fun, bumpy, fast, and thrilling final ride on Thunder Run! I then met up with my family and headed for the exit as a most perfect day at Kentucky Kingdom came to a close! A great first visit! Here is the pictures I took along the way! 

 

View of park from parking lot

Took this to show Enterprise a ride identical to our Skylab at Kings Island

Thunder Run

Storm Chaser

Flying Dutchman's which used to be at Kings Island back in the day.

More from Thunder Run

T3 from queue line

Lightning Run

Thunder Run last ride of the day for me.

Total ride count: FearFall-1

                          Thunder Run- 6

                          Lightning Run-2

                          T3-1

                          Storm Chaser-2 

A great, fun first visit to Kentucky Kingdom! Family Kingdom review next!

 

Part 2: Family Kingdom

 

 

 

I went to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina last week for vacation, and their is a park down there that I try to visit every year I go down there. Its a small park called Family Kingdom, and a few of you on here may have been there before. I had a beautiful day at the park and spent several hours there. Its in downtown Myrtle Beach and is impossible to miss! I entered the park ready to take my ride on the legendary Swamp Fox coaster. For those of you who don't know, the Swamp Fox is a wooden roller coaster very similar to The Racer that was built in 1966 by the same man who constructed The Racer, John C. Allen. It is almost exactly the same as The Racer and feels like it as well. A quick wait and then I was off on the Swamp Fox. I rode back seat and it was a little painful from that spot, although lots of airtime and speed. I havent visited for the last couple years, so it was nice to ride this awesome coaster again! I rode again middle row and it was much smoother and faster.

 

I then headed for they're version of Boo Blasters, The Great Pistolero Roundup! It is like Boo Blasters in every way and was built by the same company, Sally Corp. Having ridden Boo Blasters so many times and Scooby and the Haunted Castle as well, this felt very fimiliar to me. I rode 3 times and did pretty good in my blasting skills. The only difference being that instead of shooting Boocifer and his ghouls and ghost, you are a Mexican sheriffs deputy shooting at gold robbers. It reminded me of Boo Blasters so much although the guns worked much better on Great Pistolero Roundup then on Boo Blasters, and even had a cool pistol sound-effect! Lots of fun for me as Im always a sucker for dark rides, and the ride was something familiar yet fresh for me. I then rode the Swamp Fox again and since there was nobody in line, I got to ride it again without leaving my seat! It was alot of fun and really had lots of airtime and speed on my final ride on it. The only thing I wish it had is new lap restraints, as the one it has is similar to the one The Beast used to have. One long black lap bar that secures 2 people. It defiantly doesnt ruin the fun of the coaster, although like I said, in the back it really is uncomfortable. So my theory for it, at least for me, is ride middle or front! I then left the park after taking some photos as my family and me were going to have dinner! Alot of fun at Family Kingdom, a great, fast roller coaster, and a great dark ride, what more could you ask for? Now more photos that I took at the park.

 

Swamp Fox

Great Pistolero Roundup, a fun, well themed dark ride.

And finally, more photos of the legendary wooden coaster, the Swamp Fox! 

Final ride count: Swamp Fox-4

                          Great Pisolero Roundup-3

 

Overall I had an amazing time at both parks and look forward to more, fun visits in the future. I'll be returning to Kings Island again soon and hopefully will also get up to Kings Dominion this year as well. Thanks for reading, sorry it was so long, I had alot to say! Hope everyones doing well and hope you all are enjoying this summer as well. Hopefully also, you all are riding lots of rides this summer as well! Thanks again. MaestroJr

Great trip report!

Thanks!