New Season Dining Pass & Black Friday Deals Live

Kennywood has added a new All-Season Dining Pass option for the 2017 season. If you’re a season passholder and find yourself eating at the park often, this is just the solution for you! The pass allows two combo meals per day (at participating locations in the park) at least four hours apart from one another. You can also enjoy one popcorn or cotton candy per visit. Drinks are not included. Price for the pass is currently listed at $69.99 (a $10 discount off of the normal price). Pick up your Dining Pass here!

We also wanted to note that Kennywood has their Black Friday deals for 2017 live! Prices are below:

  • Bronze season pass (2017 summer season only, no buddy days): $49.99
  • Platinum season pass (includes 2016 Holiday Lights and much more): $129.99
  • Ride & Slide season pass (includes 2016 Holiday Lights, 2017 Sandcastle, and more): $114.99
  • Senior Evening season pass (ages 55+ entry after 5:00 pm): $29.99
  • Funday ticket: $29.99
  • Senior Funday ticket (good for ages 55+ any day of the 2017 summer season): $9.99

Get all of the details about each pass option and make your purchases at the official Kennywood web site!

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Kennywood to hold Pokémon Go Events

Attention Pokémon Go players! Kennywood will be holding events on Wednesday, July 27th and Thursday, July 28th just for you! The park is a prime Pokémon Go playing location for Pittsburghers, containing 20 PokéStops and three gyms.

The park will have lures placed on PokéStops throughout the day, with all 20 stops having lures active for a Lure Happy Hour between 4:00 and 6:00 pm! In addition, those players holding spots in the park’s three gyms at 6:00 will be awarded special prize such as V.I.P passes for a ride! The teams holding the gyms at that time will also win vouchers for 50% off a cold treat at the Pagoda stand.

If you love Kennywood and love playing Pokémon Go, definitely stop by and get in on the fun! Links to the Facebook event for each day are below.

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Noah’s Ark Grand Re-Opening Ceremony (Full Video!)

This morning, Kennywood Park held their Grand Re-Opening ceremony for Noah’s Ark! After an extensive refurbishment project over the winter months, the Ark has returned to its classic fun-house feel and the infamous whale’s mouth entrance has returned!

Ark New Whale Entrance

Appropriately, Kennywood invited two representatives from “all things that make Pittsburgh Pittsburgh” to the ceremony to board the Ark two-by-two… Pittsburgh style! Representatives from various area organizations were in attendance, including the Pirates, Penguins, Ballet Theatre, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, National Aviary, Eat’n Park, Rick Sebak, the mayors of Duquesne and Pittsburgh, and more!

Pittsburgh Dad NoahMost importantly, Noah himself was a part of the ceremony! Noah was played by none other than Pittsburgh Dad, telling a very comical tale of how the Ark came to be. Be sure to check out the video below for his hilarious speech, as well as the full Grand Re-Opening ceremony!

 

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Countdown to Opening Day 2016

The 2015 season has finally come to a close, and the relatively short wait for Opening Day 2016 has begun! Our yearly tradition of providing an Opening Day countdown clock continues this year… see below!

Kennywood opens Saturday, May 7th at 10:30 am!

[ujicountdown id=”Kennywood Opening Day” expire=”2016/05/07 10:30″ hide=”false” url=”” subscr=”” recurring=”” rectype=”second” repeats=””]

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Noah’s Ark Going Classic in Refurbish for 2016 Season

Noah’s Ark opened in 1936, and is the last remaining attraction of its kind in the world. Despite winning the Amusement Today Golden Ticket Award for “Best Funhouse/Walk-Through Attraction” for the sixth year in a row in 2015, many long-time fans of the ride haven’t been completely happy with the state of the Ark since it was renovated back in 1996. In the ’96 renovation, the classic funhouse feel to the attraction seemed to be lost with the addition of newer, higher-tech props.

Fortunately, Kennywood has heard the concerns of the Ark’s diehard fans and is undertaking a major refurb project for the 2016 season and the Ark’s 80th birthday! One of the most missed features of the classic Ark was the whale’s mouth entrance to the ride, and you’ll be happy to know that it will in fact be returning!

Original Ark Whale

The whale’s mouth as seen on the Ark before the 1996 renovation

The whale’s mouth had been replaced by the “Elevator of Doom” where riders felt as if they were in an elevator which fell to the bottom of an abandoned mineshaft. The elevator has already been removed to make way for the whale mouth (as seen below).

Elevator of Doom Removed

View as of 12/20/2015 with the Elevator of Doom removed

The park is still developing final plans for the whale mouth entrance. “We are trying to be as faithful as possible to the original entrance, while also meeting the ADA accessibility requirements that have changed greatly since the whale was first installed in 1969,” says Nick Paradise, Director of Public Relations & Social Media for Kennywood. The original whale had a squishy tongue entrance floor.

Ark Skeleton Pit Removed

The former “skeleton pit” room has already undergone a good deal of work. Photo courtesy of Nick Paradise.

Various other elements from the classic Ark such as surprise air blasts will also be making a return; however, the details of what all that will entail have not yet been released. The park hopes to have Noah’s Ark ready for 2016 Opening Day! Check back here and join the discussion on our forums to keep up to date on the 2016 Noah’s Ark refurb project!

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