Goodbye, My Old Kentucky Home Park://Kentucky Kingdom 2026

                           Date:8/9/2026

Destination: Louisville, Kentucky

Goal: Kentucky Kingdom

Distance: 166 Miles

Means of Travel: Driving

Potential Credits: 1

IMAGE DESCRIPTION: A roller coaster and flying scooters has a United plane landing close overhead.

"That's Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom," Dad would point out the window every time we were halfway to Nashville to visit family, a view dominated by an SLC, giant wheel, and a big yellow B&M. One year, we closed by, and said yellow B&M was gone, and Dad said, "it looks like something is missing." Life went on, I got into coasters, and learned about the Six Flags/Kentucky Fair Board dumpster fire that had been burning in Louisville every time we drove by on the way to see Dad's family.

IMAGE DESCRIPTION: A red suspended coaster does a rollover element behind its own supports.

In 2014, my first season with a driver's license, the park reopened with Lightning Run, and by 2015, I was a good enough driver to make it to Louisville, and what a better way to check this place out than on the way home from HoliWood Nights? And I went twice that year between college semesters, and took my friend to watch them chop up that rotting hybrid coaster at the back of the park. And in 2016, my favorite ride manufacturer RMC turned that husk of a coaster into my home RMC in Storm Chaser! And then they randomly added Kentucky Flyer in 2019, another great ride! And in '22, a disastrous trip to Louisville at least had me within striking distance of an RMC, so how mad could I be? I went again in 2024, this time as I was on the verge of publishing my first novel and flying to Sweden for coasters, shortly after meeting the woman who I'd ask to marry me.

IMAGE DESCRIPTION: A blue and yellow coaster train does a double up on red rails suspended by metal truss, with a yellow super loop in the background.

Kentucky Kingdom was an awesome nearby convenience for years with an RMC and great lineup, but as I prepare to leave Ohio, I sadly cannot take it to New York with me. Today, I took a day off a swamped work schedule to say goodbye.

IMAGE DESCRIPTION: Jarrett smiles and holds a backpack in front of a Kentucky Kingdom sign behind fountains, wearing an Iron Rattler shirt and Zadra hat.

Good morning, Kentucky Kingdom!

IMAGE DESCRIPTION: Over a wooded theme park midway flies an orange suspended coaster train hanging under green track flying over the path.

I needed to pee from the huge Diet Coke I drank on the long drive, but hanging a left to the toilet, this jumped out at me. Flying Fox is new for 2026, and it’s a change noticeable the second you walk into the park.

IMAGE DESCRIPTION: A small wooden barn has a green inverted coaster track turning out of it, with an orange train on the course.

Flying Fox got its area lightly rethemed to a farm, with the centerpiece being obviously the coaster and its cool barn-themed station.

IMAGE DESCRIPTION: A low zone fence painted with Black Eye Susans and decorated with three period flight posters.

They also have these little signs about, as well as ears of corn planted and audio of bad jokes being told over a pilot radio.

IMAGE DESCRIPTION: An aluminum grain elevator has a logo reading "FLYING FOX" painted on it, next to a Home Grown vegetable stand stocked with jars.

Okay, potty break taken care of before my flight, let's get in line for Kentucky Flyer Flying Fox (I keep mixing these two up in my head, I'm a GP), next to this adorable grain elevator-themed sign. As my fiance got excited when I told her there was a Flying Fox coaster, I should clarify that this name refers to neither a large bat-like nor an orange dog-like animal, but a famous Kentucky barnstormer named Jeb Fox.

IMAGE DESCRIPTION: A wooden building corner with a workbench littered with model plains, binoculars, flight logs, and tools. The wall is hung with a bulletin board and frames showing airplanes over fields and a clock.

The queue can take a while, as this ride only has one rain by default, and while there's shade, there isn't much theming in the queue or station. This reminded me of Dad's hangar, though.

IMAGE DESCRIPTION: An orange coaster train hanging under green track dives downward towards the camera.

You know how when you play Planet Coaster, you'll stupidly try to cram something in where it doesn't fit and the resulting ride is a beautiful hot mess for it? That's Flying Fox. For what it is, some of those transitions are snappy and have some whip to them, plus you'll get a little floater here and there. The interaction with both itself and the midway are so fun, and half the appeal is just how brilliantly they fit it in. I consider it the best of its kind, to be honest.

 

IMAGE DESCRIPTION: A blue roller coaster runs next to a road, with a green roller coaster behind trees to its left.

Went to Lightning Run next, for a bit of disappointment. I have sadly gained some weight lately, due to a foot injury I sustained at work last spring, and it got me out of the habit of going on my walks and the like. While the injury wasn't my fault, my response was, and I'll take responsibility for the fact that I could not fit. That being said, I've come to this park at a few different sizes, and this was tight every single time. It's probably the tightest in the three Ohio River parks.

IMAGE DESCRIPTION: A blue coaster train themed as an airplane dives down a small dip behind a grassy ridge on wooden track.

 

Heading across the bridge, I trekked into the weird corner where Kentucky Flyer calls home. This is a pretty oddly placed ride, and its real estate is reflected in its low ridership, which is a shame because it's every bit as good as Wooden Warrior or Twister. Wish they'd do something with the infrastructure here to make it feel more like a dedicated place for dry park rides.

IMAGE DESCRIPTION: A series of planters and birdhouses, with a planter box reading "DISCOVERY MEADOW FLOWER & SEED."

One very notable change since I was here last in 24 was the addition of Discovery Meadow, an area borrowing Wildwood Grove's aesthetics for that awkward stretch from the Roller Skater back to Storm Chaser. It's planted, covered in old lady lawn decor, and just looks generally adorable. Many of the rides were renamed, as well.

IMAGE DESCRIPTION: Under a wooden sign reading "WIND CHASER" with an owl motif is a truss-supported steel roller coaster.

I was in Temu Wildwood Grove for Wind Chaser, the coaster formally known as Storm Chaser, and I believe the only RMC conversion to have been renamed during its life. It is now themed to an owl, "chasing the wind" in Discovery Meadow.

IMAGE DESCRIPTION: An orange coaster train flies over a truss-supported camelback on red rails.

While RMC has done bigger and better since, this ride always impressed me as a desperate attempt to pull something incredible from the forgotten, rotting mess at the back of the park. It's a polarizing ride that got mixed to stellar reviews when it opened, but it's a ride I've gone to bat for against many an ignorant thoosie.

IMAGE DESCRIPTION: An orange coaster train dips down a drop of red I-box track, with yellow, green, and blue box beehives in the foreground.

It's still just as good as when I first rode it! Not as good as the legendary nylon or steel wheel rides of 2017 (the latter I never got to experience), but it runs well from the second it disengages the chain to the end, and that last turn is insane.

IMAGE DESCRIPTION: A United plane lands low over a roller coaster and flying scooters frame.

Also was fortunate enough to have a few planes land overhead, which I think is one of the little unique quirks that give the park its energy. It's in the parking lot of a massive expo center, there's planes landing overhead, one of the coasters goes right along a road, some very interesting placements going on here.

IMAGE DESCRIPTION: A buffalo chicken wrap and fries on a paper boat, and a cup of beer that reads "MAKE WAVES WITH A KENTUCKY TWIST."

Having not eaten since breakfast, I snagged a few beers and a buffalo chicken wrap at this craft beer place, after Swamp Water Jack didn't have anyone on premises who could pour beer on a hot day and tried to make me wait. This was pretty good for what it was! Only gripe was that it cost more than my admission ticket for this, the cup, and two beers.

IMAGE DESCRIPTION: A wooden coaster train in green drops down a drop, with a small park train in the foreground.

I went back for the last coaster I'd not ridden that was worth riding: Wilderness Run. This was always a sleeper hit here to me, but today, god it was awful! Beat the hell out of me, yes it was fine over the retracked sections, but the spots they missed are brutal. That last turn in particular sucks, and apparently you have to jiggle the seatbelt to get it to click now.

IMAGE DESCRIPTION: An orange coaster train twists up a trick track double up on red I-box rails and metal truss supports, with a shoot the chutes in the background.

I went back for Wind Chaser, to discover more belt frustration. The two or three rides I'd gotten earlier, I fit fine. The belt clicked comfortably, bar went down, zero issues. However, trying to ride again up front and again in the second to last row, I was right on the cusp, and unable to get it to click. So be aware of that, if you're on the larger side, the train we were in had the longest belts in the back by at least a couple inches.

IMAGE DESCRIPTION: A small blue and green gazebo over an orange RMC test seat.

The test seat was also moved under this cute little structure to keep it dry, but be aware that it was actually turned off when I went.

IMAGE DESCRIPTION: An orange fox plushie in a bag with a Flying Fox logo on its white tummy.

Heading out, I got a shirt for me, and a plushie for Keely.

IMAGE DESCRIPTION: An orange train under green suspended coaster track flies over a hill.

On the way out, I elected to ride Flying Fox as my last coaster with Kentucky Kingdom as a home park, just so I'd have ridden all their coasters multiple times. And it's just as great in the back as it is in the front! Love getting snapped around up over the midway like that.

IMAGE DESCRIPTION: An orange Wind Chaser train flies over a camelback of red I-box track on gray truss supports, with a series of overbanks in the background.

I like to think Kentucky Kingdom has a bright future ahead of it. While the Ed Hart era had that small park spirit and passion to it, the new owners are veterans in hospitality. Herschend has money to work with, the willingness to invest it here, and a glowing pedigree of hospitality at two of America's best parks. I would love to one day come back to this place, see it as a miniature Dollywood, and sigh and remember when.

IMAGE DESCRIPTION: On the left, a young college-aged man in an Iron Rattler shirt and Tatsu hat holds a selfie stick in front of a Kentucky Kingdom and Hurricane Bay sign and blue reflecting pool. On the right, a man in his 30s wearing an Iron Rattler shirt and Zadra shirt poses in front of a now bricked reflecting pool and Kentucky Kingdom Theme & Water Park sign.

Thanks for the memories, Kentucky Kingdom. From 2015 to 2026, many were made.