Sitting on 378 acres of land just outside Bowling Green, Kentucky, Beech Bend has been entertaining guests since the late 1800s. The area is named for a bend in the Barren River populated heavily by Beech Trees. It currently houses a drag racing strip, 415-site campground, as well as Beech Bend Amusement Park and Splash Lagoon Waterpark, which we’ll be highlighting as the fourth park in our Small Park Showcase series.
As the story goes, Charles Garvin paid nearly $13,000 (and apparently all in cash) for the “glorified picnic ground” in 1942. The first ride built on the property was a pony ride, followed by a roller skating rink, dance hall, bowling center and swimming pool. Mechanical rides were added shortly after World War II, including a Ferris Wheel that was purchased from the Chicago Worlds Fair.
As the park reached its peak in the 1960s, admission was just 10 cents, and the park had a number of midway games and carnival-style rides. The Beech Bend Campground had over 1,000 campsites at its peak, and at one point was billed as the World’s Largest.
After the opening of nearby Opryland USA in 1972, Beech Bend began to fall into a decline. After Garvin’s death in 1979, park ownership changed hands several times, and eventually was purchased by Dallas and Alfreda Jones, who had operated Beech Bend’s drag racing strip and race track since 1984. In the 1990s, the park, which had been mostly abandoned for much of the 1980s, received new life as the Jones’ added several new rides to the park. They still own the park today.
Today, the park, along with the in-park Splash Lagoon water park, has more than 40 attractions for visitors of all ages to enjoy. This past weekend, we took a visit to the park to check it out. Unlike previous versions of the small park showcase, which were parks only visited by one member of the Coaster101 team, this trip marked a tag-team visit to Beech Bend from two of our writers, John Stevenson and Andrew Stilwell. We’ll each be giving our thoughts on the park under several general questions.
Why Did You Go To Beech Bend?
Andrew: I was in Nashville with friends for the weekend, and in booking a flight back, I was able to save a significant amount of money by flying back on Monday instead of Sunday, so I had a free day to spend in Nashville. Because I don’t get to that area of the country often, I knew I wanted to try to get to a park within driving distance of the city while I was there, which meant Dollywood (3.5 hours from Nashville), Kentucky Kingdom (2:40) Holiday World (2:30), Lake Winnie (2:15), or Beech Bend (1:15). John lives in Nashville, so I was hoping he’d be up for an amusement park trip.
I’ve been to Dollywood, Holiday World and Kentucky Kingdom before, so, for me, it came down to Lake Winnie or Beech Bend. The shorter driving time, along with the fact that it had a GCI Woodie, were the two main selling points for me.
John: Beech Bend has been on my radar since moving to Nashville two years ago. Its proximity to me (like Andrew said, just over an hour away) was too appealing to pass up. Neither of us had ever visited the park, so it seemed like the perfect time.
Did you know much about Beech Bend before arriving?
John: I followed the park in 2005 and 2006 when Kentucky Rumbler was announced, built and opened. I was fascinated by the owners’ use of their life savings to build the roller coaster instead of a beach house. If that doesn’t illustrate their passion and dedication to the park, I’m not sure what would.
But beyond Kentucky Rumbler, I knew very little about the park. I purposely didn’t do much research beforehand, and I think that paid off once I arrived. I had no expectations, so there was no room for disappointment.
Andrew: Outside of the fact that the park has 3 roller coasters, including Kentucky Rumbler, the aforementioned GCI, I knew nothing about this park, other than it had some of, if not the closest, roller coasters to Nashville.
What were your overall impressions of the park when arriving?
Andrew: To be honest, I was surprised it even existed. The GPS took us through a suburban area near Western Kentucky University, and then we turned on a two-lane road with rolling hills and farms. Normally, when coming up on an amusement park from the road, you’re able to see even the smallest a glimpse of it, but you don’t even get the first visual cue, a tip of Beech Bend’s drop tower until you crest a hill that’s several hundred yards inside the park’s two-lane entrance.
Free parking was a nice perk, and there weren’t many cars parked, which was a trend that would continue all day. Lines were non-existent, anywhere. Walking in the park, it was definitely an interesting sight, because it resembled more of a carnival or state fair than an amusement park to me. Lots of portable looking rides, but turning in and to the left, there’s a giant GCI that occupies almost an entire side of the park, but next to it, there’s a giant slide and portable Crazy Bus attraction. I guess the word to describe what I was seeing would be “surreal.”
John: I have so many. The park is quirky. It’s not extravagant. Most of its rides are transportable, similar to what you’d find at the fair. Yet, the park exudes this campy, undeniable charm that stuck with me throughout the day. It’s a homegrown amusement park. It’s not flashy, and it doesn’t try to be. However, there are small touches of character sprinkled across the park — planters dotting the midways, friendly employees, a (somewhat) themed antique car ride. The park was bizarre, but in a good way.
What did you think about Kentucky Rumbler, Beech Bend’s GCI Wooden Coaster?
John: I was blown away. I was fully expecting a mediocre, lower-tier GCI. But my first ride blew those low expectations out of the water.
We first rode in the last row. The 80-foot drop pulled us toward the ground, giving me the coveted “sinking stomach” sensation that I so rarely experience on roller coasters anymore. The rest of the ride was relentless. The airtime, especially when seated toward the front of the train, was worth the price of admission.
I hope the park’s owners are able to recuperate the costs of this amazing coaster and finally build that beach house — they deserve it after investing in this amazing coaster.
Andrew: I’m not the biggest wooden coaster connoisseur, but have developed a major appreciation of Great Coasters International and their original coasters (as well as refurbishment projects) that I’ve ridden. Kentucky Rumbler was no exception. We grabbed two rides each in the front and back, and it was everything I’ve come to expect from GCI. An incredible first drop, some great air time, and turns that are smoother than the typical wooden coaster, but still rattle you around a good bit.
It may be the recency bias, but it’s among my favorite wooden coasters I’ve ever ridden. (Probably would rank #5 out of 32 Wooden Coasters, behind The Voyage, El Toro, The Beast, and GhostRider)
What were your thoughts on the other attractions?
Andrew: Beech Bend is definitely a unique park. It’s got some serious star power with Kentucky Rumbler, as well as four large ProSlide water slides inside of Splash Lagoon, but also has attractions like the Super Slide and Starship 4000, which I thought both solely existed at State Fairs and traveling carnivals. It’s a great mix of family attractions, and there are some very unique attractions as well, like Air Race and Scat 2, which I’d never seen anywhere.
I rode the other two coasters, Wild Mouse (Zamperla) and Spinning Out (SBF Visa) which both have spinning elements to them, but were both pretty enjoyable for smaller family coasters. I also got a ride in on the drop tower, Zero-G, which I can safely say was the scariest drop tower I’ve ever been on in relation to size (just 140′ tall).
John: The park has an excellent collection of flat rides. I dislike spinning, but there were several others that I could enjoy: that terrifying drop tower, the magic carpet-like Moby Dick…even the super slide:
That’s right, I rode the Superslide 2000. And I’d do it again.
What surprised you most about Beech Bend?
Andrew: I was pleasantly surprised how much I actually just enjoyed walking around Beech Bend. It’s a scenic park, and somehow feels both small and wide-open at the same time. As someone whose travels primarily take me to larger theme parks and amusement parks, it was nice to see that Beech Bend was a park that largely has stuck to its roots.
Did you know the Sea Dragon at @BeechBendPark formerly operated at Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch? pic.twitter.com/50EZf1BtF9
— Coaster101.com (@Coaster101) August 27, 2017
Also, not sure if surprised is the right word, but I was intrigued when I saw that Beech Bend’s swinging ship, Sea Dragon, came to the park from Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch. Obviously, I knew Neverland Ranch was a thing, but when it closed, I had just assumed all of the rides were scrapped. Cool to see it make a near cross-country journey to a small park in Kentucky.
John: I found the Granny Jones Petting Farm to be one of the most unexpected surprises of the day…
A barn full of goats with a folding office chair and other random climbing structures? Sign me up.
Which attraction did you feel was a great attraction that could be overlooked?
Andrew: I feel like John and I may have similar answers here. Tucked in a corner of the park is a simple building with the words “Haunted House” on it. In reality, it’s a very simple dark ride that goes through the inside of the building. It’s cheesy, there’s not a story, and its largely jump-scares and some simple animatronics. Definitely nothing to write home about, and I think that’s why the Haunted House was so bad, it was actually really good. It was my dark horse ride of the entire park.
John: Yes, the park’s Haunted House was one of the many sleeper hits of the visit. I was expecting a black tarp-covered, black light-heavy, cheesy dark ride full of Halloween props from the after-Halloween sale at Walmart. But the ride was eerily dark with only few black lights. The deep, booming voiceover was ominous. The “monsters” (some of which moved) were legitimately unsettling. And because it was so dark, I really wasn’t prepared for any of it.
What about Splash Lagoon, Beech Bend’s In-Park Water Park?
Andrew: I’m not much of a water park guy, and we didn’t have much time to experience it, but Splash Lagoon looked on-par with a lot of other in-park water parks at bigger parks I’ve been to. It’s crazy to me that they have an amazing Pro-Slide four slide tower in the middle of a small amusement park in rural Kentucky. Without knowing much about the surrounding area, it’s probably one of the best water parks in the immediate vicinity.
John: I’m not much of a water park guy either. But if I lived in the area, I imagine it would be a place I visited once in a while, especially on a scorching summer day. It wasn’t too crowded, even on a near-perfect summer day. So if it’s like that on most days, I think it would make for an enjoyable visit.
But if water parks aren’t your cup of tea either, you can still cool off on the park’s White Water Express log flume.
How was the food?
Andrew: Simple, affordable, and actually pretty good as far as theme park fare is concerned. The chicken fingers were hot, the fries had a good flavor without being too salty, and we were able to get two full meals (Chicken Fingers, Fries, Drinks) for $16. Pretty good compared to a lot of corporate parks.
For me, the soda fountain line-up was an interesting mix, featuring RC Cola as the main cola option, Diet Dr. Pepper as the diet option, Sunkist and 7-Up, but also Hawaiian Punch, and midwestern favorite Big Red.
John: The chicken strips were surprisingly really good. Sure, they came out of a freezer and I was starving. But the breading was crispy (as were the fries) and the honey mustard and barbecue dipping sauces were delicious. My only gripe was the lack of Diet Coke. But Diet Dr. Pepper wasn’t a bad alternative.
What advice would you give someone looking to go to Beech Bend for the first time?
John: Enjoy it for what it is: a small, independent amusement park in rural Kentucky. Enjoy the (hopefully) short lines. Ride the antique cars. Ride the Haunted House. Take several laps on Kentucky Rumbler. Visit Splash Lagoon if you’re a water park fan. Laugh a lot and make it a fun day.
Andrew: Don’t go in with any expectations, good or bad. That feels weird to say, but Beech Bend is one of the most unique parks I’ve ever visited, and I loved going in blind. It was way more fun that way. That, and ride Kentucky Rumbler in the front seat.
Would you go back to Beech Bend?
John: I told Andrew that while I won’t be rushing back anytime soon, it’s good to know that the park is only an hour (plus change) away in the event that I have a coaster hankering on a random weekend.
Andrew: Living in North Carolina, it’s about a 9 hour drive to Beech Bend door-to-door for me, so I’m not sure I’d make a special trip just for Beech Bend. However, if I ever go back to Nashville or Louisville (or even a trip to Holiday World) and want to scratch the Kentucky Rumbler itch, I’d definitely take a detour or side trip just for a few rides on it.
For more information about Beech Bend, be sure to visit their website!
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