Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom

Infobox Amusement park
name = Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom


location = Louisville, Kentucky
area = 58 acres
opening_date = 1987
season = May through October
rides = 27 (excluding water park)
coasters = 7
water_rides = 2
owner = Six Flags
homepage = [http://www.sixflags.com/parks/kentuckykingdom/index.asp Kentucky Kingdom]

Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom, located in Louisville, Kentucky, is the ninth amusement park to use the Six Flags name. It has many attractions such as Chang, one of the world's longest steel stand-up roller coasters. The park also includes a free water park called Splashwater Kingdom. The park is built on 58 acres of land, 38 of which are leased from the Kentucky State Fair Board. [http://timelines.home.insightbb.com/sfkk_years.htm Theme Park Timelines - Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom] ]

Park history

Kentucky Kingdom opened on May 23, 1987 leasing 10 acres at the Kentucky Exposition Center property."The Encyclopedia of Louisville" by John E. Kleber (University Press of Kentucky 2000) page 32 ISBN 0813121000 ( [http://books.google.com/books?id=pXbYITw4ZesC&pg=PA824&dq=Kentucky+Kingdom&sig=wkpIRk7fLxoXEhnvN_pKoOF8sLA#PPA32,M1 Google Books] )] An extension of the State Fair, it closed before the end of the season. One of the original rides was a rollercoaster called "Starchaser". The owners filed bankruptcy and auctioned off the rides.

The park remained closed through 1989, when Ed Hart and a group of investors purchased Kentucky Kingdom, and it reopened for the 1990 season. "Starchaser" was sold, but still onsite at the amusement park, and Hart purchased the indoor rollercoaster. Additionally new rides are added like "Tin Lizzies", "The Enterprise", "Whirling Dervish", and "The Vampire" which some are still in operation today. In 1992, the Kentucky Kingdom made a large expansion and opened the Hurricane Bay water park.

At the end of 1997, Kentucky Kingdom was sold to Premier Parks for $64 million, and opened as Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom later on June 21, 1998. In 1999, corporate Six Flags decided to retheme the expansion side of the park as "Gotham City," renaming and repainting several rides. Sometime in the same year, however, the idea was shelved and the rides retained their original names. In 2002 the ride "Twisted Sisters" was forced to be renamed to "Twisted Twins" upon a threat of a lawsuit from the band Twisted Sister. Before the opening of the 2007 season, Hurricane Bay was rebranded as Six Flags Splashwater Kingdom.

Kentucky Kingdom is one of the main tourism attractions for Louisville as in 1997 it totaled more visitors than Churchill Downs.

Incidents

There have been two major incidents to occur at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom, both involving serious injury, to riders on the Starchaser and the Superman: Tower of Power rides. Both rides have since been removed.

Rides and attractions

Roller coasters

Current extra charge attractions

Gallery

ee also

*Incidents at Six Flags parks
*List of attractions and events in Louisville, Kentucky

External links

* [http://www.sixflags.com/parks/kentuckykingdom/index.asp Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom website]
* [http://www.rcdb.com/pd35.htm Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom at RCDB]

References