Kentucky Kingdom Announces New Attractions & Improvements for 2018

In celebration of the park’s fifth season since reopening, Kentucky Kingdom has announced several new attractions for the 2018 season.

The major addition for the park this year is the new Scream Xtreme, which is an Endeavor model by Zamperla. It will be located near the 5D Cinema and replace Kentucky Kingdom’s HUSS Enterprise.

According to Zamperla, the Endeavor is “inspired from an old classic,” the execution of the new attraction takes the premise of a now nostalgic yet exciting thrill ride combining it with cutting edge technology to introduce an updated version of a much beloved thrill ride.

While the original design provided three trailer loads, Zamperla’s new patented load design comes comprehensive of a dual-stage lift mechanism that makes the need of the platform obsolete. Open air, suspended passenger vehicles give riders the sensation of flying sixty feet through the air at 25 miles per hour.

Check out this video of the Endeavor at Tayto Park in Ireland in action!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wk7f5Hv4RVc

Kentucky Kingdom will also be adding a new Family Ride, Rock N Roller, which is a miniature “Himalaya” attraction.

However, the two new rides are not all that’s going on at Kentucky Kingdom this off-season. The park also announced that Thunder Run, Kentucky Kingdom’s lone “true” wooden coaster, will be receiving some significant track work this off-season, resulting in a smoother and faster ride.

Kentucky Kingdom is also adding two new 5-D films in their 5-D Theater: Happy Family: The Ride, and Journey 2: Mysterious Island, which stars Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Other upgrades for the park include new cabanas in Hurricane Bay, more shade structures, and new seating throughout the park.

According to Louisville FOX affiliate WDRB, President and CEO Ed Hart said in a release that the park had a record 2017 season drawing more than 9,000 visitors a day during the summer peak. More than 30 percent of those guests came from surrounding states.

Hart said when he and his partners, Ed Glasscock, Bruce Lunsford, and the Al J. Schneider Company, reopened the park in 2014 it had a total of 27 theme and water park rides.  After an investment of $70 million, the park now has 70 rides and attractions.

For more information, visit Kentucky Kingdom’s website.

Are you excited for the new Kentucky Kingdom Improvements? Let us know in the comments below!

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