The freezing temperatures and occasional dusting of a February snow usually aren’t associated with a trip to an amusement park, however today was a special exception! With all of the proceeds going to Give Kids the World, the fine folks at Kentucky Kingdom located in Louisville KY invited park enthusiasts and fans to spend an afternoon getting to see what exactly happens at the park during the offseason.

The tour started in the park’s corporate offices with breakfast and a quick introduction to the KK team.

We were introduced to Jessi, Carly, and Jefferson who represented park guest experience coordination, group sales and planning, and social medial coordination for the park. The talk started off with an overview of what the park will be focusing on for the 2020 season. They want to increase the number of live entertainment experiences the park offers, and are planning of releasing all of those details in March.

Also the park will be celebrating rides celebrating operational milestones. Rides like Breakdance and Thunder Run will be celebrating 30 years of operation, and T3 will be celebrating its 25th! Expect some merchandise commemorating Thunder Run, the souvenir drink bottle will feature the iconic wooden coaster for 2020!

The talk ended with a surprise visit from park owner Ed Hart. Hart has been intimately involved with the park for decades throughout its many iterations and struggles, yet he is still absolutely committed and determined to get Kentucky Kingdom back on the map as we head into the 7th year of the “new” KK.

All around the park, rides are all wrapped up in various states of refurbishment from the previous season. The park takes great pride in its high standards of maintenance and all rides and attractions are thoroughly inspected and maintained to ensure guest safety always, The park is eerily silent without crowds or the usual background music filling the midways. This is a great opportunity to see parts of rides scattered all over the park ready to be re-installed as the start of the season gets closer.

Also the park let us see a few areas that would not normally be accessible to guests! We got to see the location of the old Top Eliminator Dragsters ride.

Next, we took a trip to the park’s maintenance facility where they take apart all of the rides and fix them up for a new season of delivering thrills and screams!

The trains from Lightning Run have been given a fresh coat of paint and are looking bright and shiny and ready for another season of quick turns and airtime! Also wheels, so so many wheels!

We then moved on to see some more rides that have already been inspected and ready to be reinstalled soon including the cars for Eye of the Storm and Storm Chaser.

Finally, enjoy some of the photos from a few unique locations we were taken around the park such as the stations of Lightning Run and Storm Chaser!, a photo-op from the top of the waterslide tower, and the sign shop!

And that wraps it up! We had a blast getting to tour this great park and cannot wait to return! Thank you again to Jessi, Carly, Jefferson, and Mr. Hart for hosting us and just caring so much about this truly unique and special place!

In other news, be sure to stay tuned to all of the park’s social channels to hear more about the upcoming Keys to the Kingdom event on May 31st! We don’t have any specific details yet, but based on previous experiences, it is surely an event to not miss out on!

Learn more about Kentucky Kingdom and Hurricane Bay HERE