Kennywood was originally just a park located on the Kenny estate with just a merry-go-round and a few music stages. Since then it has survived flood, fire, the Great Depression, and has flourished to become one of the many great amusement parks in the world. It has won “Favorite Dark Ride Park”, it is the number six best amusement park in the world, and was once home to the tallest, fastest roller coaster in the world.

The Jack Rabbit opened in 1921. It was the first coaster at Kennywood to feature wheels under the track, which allows for the infamous “double dip”. Hanging from the ride is a wooden cut-out of a rabbit that takes the place of a painting that hung there when it was first built.

Since it opened in 1927, friends and family have competed with each other aboard the Racer. It may look like it is two tracks but it is actually one long one. So if the blue car starts on the right, it will end on the left.

On April 23,1961, a ride near the Pippin caught on fire. To salvage the loved roller coaster, Firemen sprayed the Pippin with water. Soon after the fire, the Pippin was remodeled and called the Thunderbolt.     The Thunderbolt uses four of the old ride’s hills, the first two and the last two. It opened in 1968.

This coaster was originally known as the Steel Phantom, which was when it was built, the fastest and tallest ride in the world. Kennywood tore it down and built a new coaster in its place. This new ride was bigger and faster than the original. It was dubbed the “Phantom’s Revenge” and opened in 2001.  

   Kennywood workers claim that the ghost of the old "Steel Phantom" haunted the construction of the "Phantom's Revenge", and now haunts the park.  Kennywood honors this "poltergeist" with an event each fall around Halloween. If you have been to the park before, you would barely recognize it during "Phantom Fright Nights".  They open the park with horrifying mazes and spooks with the intent on terrifying you to death.  It is even said that the Phantom posses the rides     

*Look for the new ride, “The Screaming Eagle” opening in 2006!