@@jackholguin6706 That might also be a pro. CF would probably rarely add anything since it’s close to KI and wouldn’t be one of their high attendance parks
@@lukez6203 I see it similar to Dorney Park. It's a great park, but with less land to work with and stiff competition, it might not be worth investing in as much.
I could definitely see this being great for Herschend because they can make combo passes to Dollywood and Kentucky Kingdom considering the parks aren't too too terribly far away from each other
"teenagers spend the least amount at parks" i think you're over estimating the amount of money toddlers have to spend on their own terms there, friend ; ) great video as always !
I'd love to see Herschend offer a pass like Cedar Fair's platinum pass to allow you access to all of their parks. Right now the best I have as an SDC passholder is 50% off one-day tickets to Dollywood
Yeah Kentucky kingdom's a great Park I mean I understand the worry that down the line this will just be a Park that gets no investments.. But I don't think people should worry unless that happens down the line.. I'm going to be more optimistic and say I think they will do good things for this park..
I think Ed Hart selling it to them is a smart move. Ed Hart himself is a very smart businessman, and I think he knows just how amazing Herschend is at managing their properties, especially those of Silver Dollar City and Dollywood. He knows the quality of their parks, and he knows how much he values quality for Kentucky Kingdom. What he's done for Kentucky Kingdom since 2014 has been amazing, and hopefully he'll have some say into what the future for the park is if he decides to work closely with Herschend.
I will really really miss the old version of this park. I love Kentucky Kingdom and Ed Heart was a Legend. He really took great care of this place and fixed it up great and I am sad to see him and his group go and I wish the best for him. There are many pros and cons with this, no alcohol, no free drinks, more shows, maybe a launch coaster cause ed hated them, and more expensive food but it will be better... Also, I really hope they keep Thunder Run.
They are keeping alcohol, I believe!! One of the employees for their social media, Jessi, posted about it on her twitter: www.reddit.com/r/rollercoasters/comments/lrfk6j/kentucky_kingdom_on_property_alcohol_beer_sales/
Interesting to hear, living in northern Kentucky between KK and Kings Island. There's a good chance I may end up with free admission to KK, since my workplace already has an organizational agreement with Herschend.
I see the park being in the middle, they need to be competitive and entertainment might not be enough. Maybe get an S&S Launch coaster to compete w/ Thunderbird and Flight of Fear, but that might be the biggest coaster they get unless they get a Eurofighter or Infinity coaster all comes up. I am surprised that Hershend hasn't called Zierer to build a Wicked or Impulse clone for Wild Adventures because those are good and cheap rides even if it takes 2-3 years to get ROI. Also a new Water coaster might boost season pass sales for Wild Adventures
Have you been following SDC on social media recently? Their team is killing it. I really enjoyed my visit to Kentucky Kingdom this year and I have high hopes for Herschend improving the theming of the park.
The concerns you expressed are what I was thinking too. There is something special and unique about Kentucky Kingdom that could end up being lost. I'm sure plenty of good will come out of this sale that could make it worth what we may lose, but we'll have to wait and see.
Once again, I agree with you, it’s all about perspective and I think it’s really going to be a lateral move when all things are considered but there will be some special things about the park lost
Personally, I think both. I feel like maybe the friendly home town coaster enthusiast amusement park may be gone. But also I like how family oriented hershend is and how well they take care of there parks.
Each Herschend property has a unique vibe and style. There are things done at Dollywood that would never fly at Silver Dollar City. Kentucky Kingdom is more "amusement park" than "theme park" and Wild Adventure is; well, Wild Adventure. this factor leads to each Herschend property feeling like a "local home town" park and not some corporate clone.
BackSeatJunkie Yeah I don’t see how Herschend could make KK really different from any old park. It doesn’t have much land, a state fair basically controls the park, and they focused a lot on coasters rather than families in the previous years.
I love Herschend a lot. However, I don't think this is the right move. KK is incredibly unique in how it interacts with the community, and if that is lost, that will be very unfortunate.
Being a Kentucky Native and actually work a bout 2 to 3 miles from Kentucky Kingdom. I believe this will be a good move since Louisville is in a prime location in the region, that why King's Island and Holiday World have been successful. Also Herschend want a park that's close to major city and Kentucky Kingdom is a decent location. Kentucky Kingdom also has a stronger reputation and unique history. My question is what theme they are going to go forward. I believe we will be going more theme focused instead of ride drop everywhere so it would lose the Six Flags Feel. Plus the new park feel could make it feel more different then a budget King's Island or rejected Six Flags park. I don't think we will have to worry about the community being disappointed either. Ed Hart is still has minority ownership in Kentucky Kingdom and part of the reason they are stepping down now is Covid hit other aspects of his business enterprises. Kentucky Kingdom is his only Asument park but he owns several other small companies that needs his attention now. He can step away from the park without worrying about it as he straightens the other area out. Plus him and his investments group are getting close to retirement ages and want to go and enjoy life. And out of the major park chains, do you want Cedar Fair to own the park; no, it would become Michigan Adventure 2.0 since King's Island 2 hrs away or worse Geague Lake. Six Flags; no, they wrecked the park once and look close to doing it again with some other properties they own. SeaWorld; No, they are under Financial dress rights now so it would be a good move for either party. At least with Herschend, they have only Three properties and the likelyhood of Kentucky Kingdom staying Successful is more promising.
I think using what Herschend did with Wild Adventures as a basis of determining what they'll do with Kentucky Kingdom is a bit of a fallacy. Valdosta is a city with a population of about 57,000+ people, and the next two closest major cities are an hour and a half or more away in Tallahassee and Jacksonville. There isn't anything in particular that draws people to Valdosta in regards to tourism, and it has a smaller immediate population base. Dollywood and Silver Dollar City are both in very popular tourist destinations between the Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg area in Tennessee and Branson in Missouri. So while they may not be major population centers, (10,000+ combined between Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg, and 11,000+ in Branson there are a ton of tourists that come to those respective areas. Louisville has its share of attractions to bring people into the area, such as the Louisville Slugger Museum and the Kentucky Derby, plus Louisville is the largest city out of the four park locations in terms of population at 617,000+ people. On top of that, there is another factor that will contribute to Kentucky Kingdom that doesn't apply to Dollywood, Silver Dollar City or Wild Adventures...direct competition nearby. Kings Island is about two hours away, and Holiday World is about an hour and 20 minutes away. Wild Adventures isn't close enough Orlando or Atlanta to be in direct competition with any of those parks, and both Dollywood and Silver Dollar City have a minimum of a three-hour gap between them and their closest major park competitors. Sure, it won't be run the way Ed Hart was planning, where a new coaster was added every couple of years, but I also don't see Herschend treating this park they way they have handled Wild Adventures. While the parks are similar, they are both in different sized cities with different competition factors. - Gary
I think it's gonna be somewhere between SDC and Wild Adventures (which focuses more on animals anyways). I think the best thing is that we might see some rides that KK couldn't afford on their own, and an overall better experience.
Hi Chris, this is an off topic question, but I've always wondered... what are your thoughts on Boardwalk Bullet? Is it as elite as people say? Too rough? I've never heard you talk about it before, so I've always wondered what you've thought about it.
@@AirtimeThrills Thats definitely an unpopular opinion, I imagine you rode it on a bad day... well, can't wait to see the vid to see your fleshed out opinions on this!
As a former NE Florida resident I can tell you that part of why Wild Adventures doesn't get much development is that it is literally in the middle of nowhere. Park comps would be places like Darien Lake, Great escape, Valley fair, and Mt. Olympus. It s more of an animal and family park than major thrill destination and only nominally competes with Disney/Universal. I can see KK being treated more like the fun spot parks and overall I think this was both inevitable and beneficial.
I feel that this is positive since they plan on boosting attendance by quite a bit which will make it quite profitable, so I don’t think it’ll be like Wild Adventures in Georgia.
Wild Adventures has the issue of being the place people pass up on the way to Orlando. Louisville if it can attract Indianapolis metro would be an additional 2.5 million people to the area. Problem is Indy residents go to Hw, IB and KI mainly. Herschend has to appeal and change the image! KK is a jewel and now has the Capitol. However being on a piece of property ran by the state fairground board and the state of Kentucky poses another issue. All in all I hope it goes really well! And I’m glad the leadership is mainly staying!
I think that in between ki and holiday world that they really don't have a choice but to invest. However I could see it being like six flags new england it gets investments but not as much as the other parks in the chain.
I hope that the T4 project still happens under Herschend, I don’t think it’s very likely, but I would love to see an RMC Raptor at one of my home parks
I understand where you are coming from with your concerns on investment in attractions. Wild adventures was the first thing that came to mind when looking at Herschend’s recent accusations since it is the only other park they’ve acquired aside from Dollywood back when they purchased it from an independent owner. I have heard some bad things about Hershends treatment of Wild adventures. As far as I know they don’t offer any of the festivals or seasonal attractions that Dollywood or Silver dollar city offer, I’ve heard their Coaster upkeep and maintenance isn’t too consistent, and I’ve heard some negative things about their animal exhibits, but that’s just speculation. I think if they offer new seasonal attractions and shows they could appeal to a bigger audience and potentially make it more of a tourist destination, but at the same time I think rides and rollercoasters are going to be their major selling point to compete with parks like Holiday world, Kings island, and their two now sister owned parks. Wild adventures isn’t really close to any other parks besides Six flags over Georgia and the Florida parks, so maybe Herschends just doesn’t see the need to get them anything major. I also think Wild adventures appeals mostly to a local audience since Valdosta is on the side of the interstate and the park doesn’t get much advertisement or interstate recognition besides a few billboards here and there.
The fact they put a big name in charge means they see alot of potential. I don't think it will be Wild Adventures but I also don't think it will be Dollywood at the same time, it will be somewhere in the middle kind of like Celebration City used to be
I think this move will make the park more successful, for sure. However it will likely become much less "enthusiast-friendly" as you mention. Hopefully they get some large capital projects in the coming years. They've got some stiff competition with Kings Island and Holiday World nearby.
Six Flags Darien Lake was my home park for many years and Herschend oversaw operations from 2011-2014. I’d say this was an interesting era since the park didn’t necessarily get any new attractions outside of a few family rides and a relocated S&S tower ride. Not sure how this impacts Kentucky Kingdom, but I should mention at the time Herschend took control of operations at Darien Lake, each coaster except Boomerang generally ran two trains either every day or on select days during the summer. That was not the case by the time Herschend left and before you visited in 2018, but I’m not sure how much of the influence was on them. Overall, I can’t say whether or not there was a poor relationship with the ownership group, but I don’t think Darien Lake’s popularity has grown a ton since those years, nor am I entirely sure how much Six Flags will invest in Darien Lake with all that’s gone on in the past year. Also, I think it’s ironic how Herschend is taking over operations at another former Six Flags park, but it appears as if Ed has given Kentucky Kingdom a fantastic reputation when compared to the Six Flags era, and if Herschend recognizes the potential of that park then I imagine the future is bright. Love your videos and can’t wait for the documentary about Magic Mountain.
As Wild Adventures is my home park, and I’ve never been to Dolly or SDC, I very much have my concerns. Wild Adventures has basically been abandoned by Herschend, and it’s hard to think that will change anytime soon, and now even more so that there’s a new park competing for Herschend’s money
You also have to think that wild adventures is in the same state as a major park and other massive parks that surround it in other states and KK doesn’t have to compete with other major parks to that extent
@@childattacker6723 that’s true. Park closest to KK is Holiday world and that’s over a hr from the park but big parks is 2-4 hrs with Kings island, Six flags St. Louis, Dollywood.
I think this is a good thing. KK is not going to be turned into SDC or Dollywood because the location simply doesn't lend itself to that kind of change. However, I do think that the location lends itself to stronger investments than Darien, NY, Valdosta, GA or Oklahoma City, OK. I expect that this park won't get the same level of investment as the Pigeon Forge and Branson parks but I think it will get some needed TLC. The park has been adding good coasters and water park additions but it still needs a lot of work in terms of park appearance and overall park experience. I think Herschend will start there. I think that the park atmosphere that would fit this park the best would be that of an old timey carnival or boardwalk. Something with a lot of lights and fun facades. Add in some strategic trees and landscaping and you're set. This park needs a sense of identity (and to have a lot of areas refurbished) and I think Herschend will do just that. I also like the idea of better dining and entertainment. I'd also like to see a good log flume. I don't think KK needs to just pack in a bunch of coasters without ever fixing it's appearance. The overall park experience is what it is desperately lacking and I'm hopeful that Herschend will fix that. Plus, you know they will get more coasters eventually.
The way you deal with a park is vastly different when you own it versus when you're hired to run it. You also treat each park in a manner which matches the market served by that individual park.
Sadly I think they could go the wild adventures route. That 3 year valuation for the sale price scares me. And I don’t think they’d cannibalize their own attendance pool for DW in northern Kentucky. Also KI is a direct rival to this park I wonder if they would really go aggressive into the shoes segment and force KI to do more of the same.
I think so too (Wild Adv route). They will add some mild flats, shows, and the upkeep will be fine; to be honest, I don't see any new coaster additions. Atleast KK's coaster lineup is much better than Wild Adv (and the park is landlocked).
Hey they not only have Kings Island as a rival but Holiday World too and that park is super popular with the Western part of the state. I hope the rivalry will spring some life into Kentucky Kingdom.
I am optimistic that they'll run this park much better than Six Flags did as long as they don't get into a dispute with the Kentucky State Fair Board. I think they might treat this more like Wild Adventures than they will Silver Dollar City or Dollywood but that's okay as I think Herschend may start to show more love for Wild Adventures soon, especially if the rumor of Cheetah becoming an RMC hybrid is true. To be honest I hope Herschend acquires Magic Springs in Arkansas next. That was another park formally owned by Ed Hart and that could also use a lot of attention as well.
If I bought the park the park off Ed hart I would do the fallowing 1. Give thunder run a titan track re tracking 2.ask b&m to retrack t3 completely 3. Add a new compact infinity coaster like hang time at knotts 4. Give lighting run and Storm chaser a retheme 5.get rid of roller skater and add a new mock spinner
Ok 1 thunder get retracted in places every off season, 2, or get Vakoma new track from there new hanging coasters, 3. I dig that,4.like, 5. I Like the spinner idea but roller skater a good family ride
1.2mil people in the metro area and next to an airport. Surely this has more potential upside than even silver dollar city and dollywood, this is the perfect investment for them and they will go with the same gameplan
This is a tough one to call. Herschend hasn't done much ride-wise for any of the smaller parks they've owned, but they've never owned a small park quite like Kentucky Kingdom. Over the next 10 years, I expect 2-3 new coasters, several childrens' flat rides, and probably a Screamin' Swing. A Gerstlauer Infinity Coaster seems to be an obvious choice, as well as a Mack Water Coaster/Power Splash. Maybe even a small-scale B&M of some sort; or that very small, launched Mack Extreme Spinner concept layout. Whatever they choose, Herschend will try to make it something that will appeal to a broad audience.
KK will be ran well (some new family friendly additions like shows, mild flats etc) but as far as adding thrilling attractions it will be similar to Wild Adventures. On a positive note, KK has a pretty good coaster lineup as it is (much better than Wild Adv), and the park is landlocked. I hope that I'm wrong concerning future thrilling attractions at KK.
I'm much more concerned about the potential sale of Conneaut Lake to Keldon Holdings, a company that I know very little about and have not been able to find much info on so far, than I am about Kentucky Kingdom being sold to Herschend. Even if Herschend doesn't invest heavily in Kentucky Kingdom, the park will still likely be profitable and remain an amusement park. Conneaut Lake's future, even with the possible sale, is much less certain.
I believe it’s time we see an HFE platinum pass that gets you into all of their properties. I think they have a big enough portfolio to make that happen. Also, while I see the concerns if using Wild Adventures as a case study, I think the location of that park is what’s holding it back the most. It’s too far away to be a good day trip from Atlanta and it’s not close enough to major city centers in Florida to be a draw from there either. I believe KK is in a much better position to be taken care of, but I do believe it will lose some of that enthusiast charm.
I think there’s a chance that Kentucky Kingdom will become a bit like Michigan’s Adventure. It’s too small to compete with Kings Island, like how Michigan’s Adventure is too small to compete and draw people away from Chicago and SFGA. And only being 4 hours from Dollywood, Herschend isn’t going to build up Kentucky Kingdom enough to steal people away from their own flagship park, like how Cedar Fair doesn’t want Metro Detroiters going out to Michigan’s Adventure and taking business away from their flagship of Cedar Point. Like Dollywood and Kentucky Kingdom, Michigan’s Adventure and Cedar Point are only 4 hours apart and are essentially in the same market. Now I don’t think Kentucky Kingdom will go 10+ years without a new coaster the way Michigan’s Adventure has, but I definitely don’t think a major B&M is in their future
I disagree with that. Unlike ceader point with has a radial pool of pepole to draw from. Kuntucky kingdom draws almost all of its pepole from up north meanwhile dollywood draws tourists and pepole from Virginia and Western Tennessee not so much Louisville or the other Midwestern cities near kuntucky kingdom. The reason michigian adventure was so much of a threat is becuase if the park became a massive park it could steal ceader points main profit center which is detroit, not rly the case with kuntucky kingdom. That area between dollywood and kuntucky is mostly a lowly populated area that is super poor. I guess you could say it could steal pepole from Nashville but again dollywood mostly attracts tourists and potentially losing guests from Nashville is not a good enough reason to try and dig into the potentially gold mine of Indianapolis and Columbus.
@@CaptainCroissant No. Wild Adventures is a completely different market product. It gets all the attention it deserves based on attendance and profit margin.
@@BackSeatJunkie To be honest we don’t really know yet if they do that or not. It’s very clear that dollywood and silver dollar city are there premium parks
I think they are going to invest for a little wile like 5 to ten years I think it just going to be park improvements little rides but then won’t invest after that . But I hope it gets great rides and gets better coaster this park could really use a sky rocket 2
I’ve gone to Kentucky kingdom for a few years, because I am from Louisville. And I don’t get to go there often now because I live in Alabama now. In my opinion the park should stay how it is now and NOT be sold.
Well, let’s think about it this way What happened the last time Ed Hart sold the park? I know that’s a bit of a glass half empty view point but I feel like it something to consider
I might be wrong but I’m pretty sure the reason wild adventures is so neglected is because the zoo portion of the park is more profitiable for herschend
If the park does well with tourism and does good with halloween and Christmas. I csn see it doing well and offer do differnt things Espically offering like a fall/family Halloween it do well
In my eyes, Kentucky Kingdom will experience a huge boon as Herschend executes its initial plan for the park, but in the long run, will be neglected more then people would like.
So, I do think that with the financial strain that was put on parks it would have been unrealistic to expect Kentucky Kingdom to have continued investment as they had before the pandemic hit. You would have been looking at years of low investment or risk of long term financial instability. So, if they needed to sell, Herschend was the best case scenario.
One thing Kentucky kingdom has that wild adventures doesn’t is Compition. Kentucky kingdom has Holiday world, six flags St. Louis snd great America, kings island, and of course Dollywood where wild adventures only has Over Georgia and that’s 3 hrs away like universal studios Florida. All of Kentucky kingdom are 1-4 hrs away.
PRO: KENTUCKY KINGDOM CINNAMON BREAD
I hope they bring in their strawberries in the snow too!
Does WA have them?
Con: We're gonna miss Ed Hart
Pro: You could hit the big 3 Hershend Parks on a road trip in 3-4 days.
Well Wild adventures still has more coasters than KK soooo....
Also KK and WA are around the same size and Dollywood and SDC are the big parks
@@coasterhockygamingboy9549 but quality > quanity
Pros: Its not Six Flags 😂
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Cons it's not cedar fair
@@jackholguin6706 That might also be a pro. CF would probably rarely add anything since it’s close to KI and wouldn’t be one of their high attendance parks
@@jackholguin6706 ehh it could go either way, it could get great investments or be ignored if that happened
@@lukez6203 I see it similar to Dorney Park. It's a great park, but with less land to work with and stiff competition, it might not be worth investing in as much.
I hope they actually invest in the park and not just leave it to have nothing like Darien Lake or Wild Adventures
Wild Adventures gets the investment levels it deserves based on the traffic and profits generated by it.
I could definitely see this being great for Herschend because they can make combo passes to Dollywood and Kentucky Kingdom considering the parks aren't too too terribly far away from each other
Like 4 hrs
Similar to the CP and KI combo pass
@@AirtimeThrills yea. Or something like Kk and. The aquarium pass to. Or if u show your kk pass u get so much off
Or they could do something like the bigger chains and have an upgraded pass level with access to all on Herschend's parks.
@@bandmfanboy Maby.
"teenagers spend the least amount at parks" i think you're over estimating the amount of money toddlers have to spend on their own terms there, friend ; ) great video as always !
I'd love to see Herschend offer a pass like Cedar Fair's platinum pass to allow you access to all of their parks. Right now the best I have as an SDC passholder is 50% off one-day tickets to Dollywood
Good to know that deal exists
@@AirtimeThrills It works backwards too. My DW pass gets me 50% off a SDC ticket at the gate.
This is my home park and I still really hope that they add a coaster every 2-4 years, great video btw!
Yeah Kentucky kingdom's a great Park I mean I understand the worry that down the line this will just be a Park that gets no investments..
But I don't think people should worry unless that happens down the line..
I'm going to be more optimistic and say I think they will do good things for this park..
Thanks for the shout out! Keep it up with the great content Chris!
ooh join wave from the discord promotion!! Great video, and well done on making it so fast
I feel like this is going to have more pros than cons in my opinion...
I hope they turn this into a “Dollywood” like park and not a “Wild Adventures”
@@ArtiicXD Wild Adventures is in a dying city and it’s a place people pass on the way to Orlando!
I think Ed Hart selling it to them is a smart move. Ed Hart himself is a very smart businessman, and I think he knows just how amazing Herschend is at managing their properties, especially those of Silver Dollar City and Dollywood. He knows the quality of their parks, and he knows how much he values quality for Kentucky Kingdom. What he's done for Kentucky Kingdom since 2014 has been amazing, and hopefully he'll have some say into what the future for the park is if he decides to work closely with Herschend.
I'm glad that Herschend Family Entertainment is working with Kentucky Kingdom! 👍
I will really really miss the old version of this park. I love Kentucky Kingdom and Ed Heart was a Legend. He really took great care of this place and fixed it up great and I am sad to see him and his group go and I wish the best for him. There are many pros and cons with this, no alcohol, no free drinks, more shows, maybe a launch coaster cause ed hated them, and more expensive food but it will be better... Also, I really hope they keep Thunder Run.
They are keeping alcohol, I believe!! One of the employees for their social media, Jessi, posted about it on her twitter: www.reddit.com/r/rollercoasters/comments/lrfk6j/kentucky_kingdom_on_property_alcohol_beer_sales/
Interesting to hear, living in northern Kentucky between KK and Kings Island. There's a good chance I may end up with free admission to KK, since my workplace already has an organizational agreement with Herschend.
Well, Ed Hart could save another park.
Fantasy Island?
@@CSMLiveReacts That or Enchanted Forest in Oregon, since that park seems to be on the brink of bankruptcy due to COVID-19.
Six flags America
Elitch Gardens
@@AirtimeThrills I’m sorry but there is nothing anyone can do to save that park.
Let's just hope they keep the great customer service and fan support!
That clip at the end tho👌
Drop the mic moment lol
I see the park being in the middle, they need to be competitive and entertainment might not be enough. Maybe get an S&S Launch coaster to compete w/ Thunderbird and Flight of Fear, but that might be the biggest coaster they get unless they get a Eurofighter or Infinity coaster all comes up.
I am surprised that Hershend hasn't called Zierer to build a Wicked or Impulse clone for Wild Adventures because those are good and cheap rides even if it takes 2-3 years to get ROI. Also a new Water coaster might boost season pass sales for Wild Adventures
Have you been following SDC on social media recently? Their team is killing it. I really enjoyed my visit to Kentucky Kingdom this year and I have high hopes for Herschend improving the theming of the park.
It'll be cool to walk around the park during Christmas since Dollywood & Silver Dollar City have Christmas events
DISCORD GANG RISE UP
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Hi
my legs are non existent therefore i can not
Discord gang
I have arrived, late, but I have arrived
Great video man. Love this pro and cons videos
Remember Celebration City?!?
Ughhhh I didn’t even think about the ticket prices going up 😒
I live about twenty minutes from Kentucky kingdom. I love it. 😍😍😍
:)
The concerns you expressed are what I was thinking too. There is something special and unique about Kentucky Kingdom that could end up being lost. I'm sure plenty of good will come out of this sale that could make it worth what we may lose, but we'll have to wait and see.
Are you going to make a video about the reopenings this spring?
I dont think so
Once again, I agree with you, it’s all about perspective and I think it’s really going to be a lateral move when all things are considered but there will be some special things about the park lost
Personally, I think both. I feel like maybe the friendly home town coaster enthusiast amusement park may be gone. But also I like how family oriented hershend is and how well they take care of there parks.
There's always Holiday Park's Holiwood Nights to look forward to.
Each Herschend property has a unique vibe and style. There are things done at Dollywood that would never fly at Silver Dollar City. Kentucky Kingdom is more "amusement park" than "theme park" and Wild Adventure is; well, Wild Adventure. this factor leads to each Herschend property feeling like a "local home town" park and not some corporate clone.
BackSeatJunkie Yeah I don’t see how Herschend could make KK really different from any old park. It doesn’t have much land, a state fair basically controls the park, and they focused a lot on coasters rather than families in the previous years.
I love Herschend a lot. However, I don't think this is the right move. KK is incredibly unique in how it interacts with the community, and if that is lost, that will be very unfortunate.
How do this move impact KI’s campground plans. They have to make KI a multi destination park.
Being a Kentucky Native and actually work a bout 2 to 3 miles from Kentucky Kingdom. I believe this will be a good move since Louisville is in a prime location in the region, that why King's Island and Holiday World have been successful. Also Herschend want a park that's close to major city and Kentucky Kingdom is a decent location.
Kentucky Kingdom also has a stronger reputation and unique history. My question is what theme they are going to go forward. I believe we will be going more theme focused instead of ride drop everywhere so it would lose the Six Flags Feel. Plus the new park feel could make it feel more different then a budget King's Island or rejected Six Flags park.
I don't think we will have to worry about the community being disappointed either. Ed Hart is still has minority ownership in Kentucky Kingdom and part of the reason they are stepping down now is Covid hit other aspects of his business enterprises. Kentucky Kingdom is his only Asument park but he owns several other small companies that needs his attention now. He can step away from the park without worrying about it as he straightens the other area out. Plus him and his investments group are getting close to retirement ages and want to go and enjoy life.
And out of the major park chains, do you want Cedar Fair to own the park; no, it would become Michigan Adventure 2.0 since King's Island 2 hrs away or worse Geague Lake.
Six Flags; no, they wrecked the park once and look close to doing it again with some other properties they own.
SeaWorld; No, they are under Financial dress rights now so it would be a good move for either party.
At least with Herschend, they have only Three properties and the likelyhood of Kentucky Kingdom staying Successful is more promising.
First I agree. But second I can see them making a park a destination when u come to louisville
I think using what Herschend did with Wild Adventures as a basis of determining what they'll do with Kentucky Kingdom is a bit of a fallacy. Valdosta is a city with a population of about 57,000+ people, and the next two closest major cities are an hour and a half or more away in Tallahassee and Jacksonville. There isn't anything in particular that draws people to Valdosta in regards to tourism, and it has a smaller immediate population base. Dollywood and Silver Dollar City are both in very popular tourist destinations between the Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg area in Tennessee and Branson in Missouri. So while they may not be major population centers, (10,000+ combined between Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg, and 11,000+ in Branson there are a ton of tourists that come to those respective areas.
Louisville has its share of attractions to bring people into the area, such as the Louisville Slugger Museum and the Kentucky Derby, plus Louisville is the largest city out of the four park locations in terms of population at 617,000+ people. On top of that, there is another factor that will contribute to Kentucky Kingdom that doesn't apply to Dollywood, Silver Dollar City or Wild Adventures...direct competition nearby. Kings Island is about two hours away, and Holiday World is about an hour and 20 minutes away. Wild Adventures isn't close enough Orlando or Atlanta to be in direct competition with any of those parks, and both Dollywood and Silver Dollar City have a minimum of a three-hour gap between them and their closest major park competitors.
Sure, it won't be run the way Ed Hart was planning, where a new coaster was added every couple of years, but I also don't see Herschend treating this park they way they have handled Wild Adventures. While the parks are similar, they are both in different sized cities with different competition factors.
- Gary
con: the nearest raptor is around 1000 miles in any direction
Since I’m only at parks for the coasters, I’m kinda skeptical about this
What if Mack Launch coaster add?? perhaps spin spin?? yes. would be good with spin spin.
I think it's gonna be somewhere between SDC and Wild Adventures (which focuses more on animals anyways). I think the best thing is that we might see some rides that KK couldn't afford on their own, and an overall better experience.
What will be more popular in Louisville? KFC or KK Cinnamon Bread
Hi Chris, this is an off topic question, but I've always wondered... what are your thoughts on Boardwalk Bullet? Is it as elite as people say? Too rough? I've never heard you talk about it before, so I've always wondered what you've thought about it.
My original video for today actually talks about Boardwalk Bullet, i thought it wasnt too rough and it was just kind of an average woodie
@@AirtimeThrills Thats definitely an unpopular opinion, I imagine you rode it on a bad day... well, can't wait to see the vid to see your fleshed out opinions on this!
As a former NE Florida resident I can tell you that part of why Wild Adventures doesn't get much development is that it is literally in the middle of nowhere. Park comps would be places like Darien Lake, Great escape, Valley fair, and Mt. Olympus. It s more of an animal and family park than major thrill destination and only nominally competes with Disney/Universal. I can see KK being treated more like the fun spot parks and overall I think this was both inevitable and beneficial.
I can see them making the park a more family style park then a thrill park but having thrilling rides to
Great video
Omg here comes the rmc baby haha!! Hype it up fan boys let's go!!
*Storm Chaser has entered the chat*
@@AirtimeThrills iGiggle
Can we have a pros and cons of airtime thrills
I feel that this is positive since they plan on boosting attendance by quite a bit which will make it quite profitable, so I don’t think it’ll be like Wild Adventures in Georgia.
exactly.
Wild Adventures has the issue of being the place people pass up on the way to Orlando. Louisville if it can attract Indianapolis metro would be an additional 2.5 million people to the area. Problem is Indy residents go to Hw, IB and KI mainly. Herschend has to appeal and change the image! KK is a jewel and now has the Capitol. However being on a piece of property ran by the state fairground board and the state of Kentucky poses another issue. All in all I hope it goes really well! And I’m glad the leadership is mainly staying!
Nashville too dude. The only other park they can really go to is Dollywood and that's further away than KK
I hope they treat my home park good
You should do an pro and cons list of different park events across the nation
I need to go to park events which is hard
TWO pros and cons, one on a coster and one on a park buyout! I MUST BE IN HEAVEN
I think that in between ki and holiday world that they really don't have a choice but to invest. However I could see it being like six flags new england it gets investments but not as much as the other parks in the chain.
I hope that the T4 project still happens under Herschend, I don’t think it’s very likely, but I would love to see an RMC Raptor at one of my home parks
Just hoping it’s still enthusiast friendly
do a rear in review for 1977
I understand where you are coming from with your concerns on investment in attractions. Wild adventures was the first thing that came to mind when looking at Herschend’s recent accusations since it is the only other park they’ve acquired aside from Dollywood back when they purchased it from an independent owner. I have heard some bad things about Hershends treatment of Wild adventures. As far as I know they don’t offer any of the festivals or seasonal attractions that Dollywood or Silver dollar city offer, I’ve heard their Coaster upkeep and maintenance isn’t too consistent, and I’ve heard some negative things about their animal exhibits, but that’s just speculation. I think if they offer new seasonal attractions and shows they could appeal to a bigger audience and potentially make it more of a tourist destination, but at the same time I think rides and rollercoasters are going to be their major selling point to compete with parks like Holiday world, Kings island, and their two now sister owned parks. Wild adventures isn’t really close to any other parks besides Six flags over Georgia and the Florida parks, so maybe Herschends just doesn’t see the need to get them anything major. I also think Wild adventures appeals mostly to a local audience since Valdosta is on the side of the interstate and the park doesn’t get much advertisement or interstate recognition besides a few billboards here and there.
First wow. Second I can see herchand making the park a lot better since kk has a lot of compition and they want to get people from other markets
500 Members Gang
Herschend knows what their doing the park is saved
It would be a dream come true if this happens to my home park
in India
@Blaster how nice. I thought I was the only one. How long have you been a thoosie?
Jeez it looks like they need to change the landing path
Video suggestion: The best element on every coaster at Cedar Point ranked.
I believe that overall this will be positive for Kentucky Kingdom.
The fact they put a big name in charge means they see alot of potential. I don't think it will be Wild Adventures but I also don't think it will be Dollywood at the same time, it will be somewhere in the middle kind of like Celebration City used to be
I think this move will make the park more successful, for sure. However it will likely become much less "enthusiast-friendly" as you mention. Hopefully they get some large capital projects in the coming years. They've got some stiff competition with Kings Island and Holiday World nearby.
You should make a Pros & Cons of Cannibal at Lagoon. Btw great video!
I like that idea
Six Flags Darien Lake was my home park for many years and Herschend oversaw operations from 2011-2014. I’d say this was an interesting era since the park didn’t necessarily get any new attractions outside of a few family rides and a relocated S&S tower ride. Not sure how this impacts Kentucky Kingdom, but I should mention at the time Herschend took control of operations at Darien Lake, each coaster except Boomerang generally ran two trains either every day or on select days during the summer. That was not the case by the time Herschend left and before you visited in 2018, but I’m not sure how much of the influence was on them. Overall, I can’t say whether or not there was a poor relationship with the ownership group, but I don’t think Darien Lake’s popularity has grown a ton since those years, nor am I entirely sure how much Six Flags will invest in Darien Lake with all that’s gone on in the past year. Also, I think it’s ironic how Herschend is taking over operations at another former Six Flags park, but it appears as if Ed has given Kentucky Kingdom a fantastic reputation when compared to the Six Flags era, and if Herschend recognizes the potential of that park then I imagine the future is bright.
Love your videos and can’t wait for the documentary about Magic Mountain.
I really hope 1 train ops isn't coming to KK, even though that seems to be the case now a lot of the time
Cons: No more Keys to the Kingdom :(
:( that is so sad :( :( :(
Hopefully that stays.
Unlikely
According to Coaster Studios that event is still on at least for 2021. Just haven't gotten an official date set
They’re doing it this year
I think it could be good for coasters because they have more money but I’m not sure. I just wish I got to experience it when Ed was in charge
As Wild Adventures is my home park, and I’ve never been to Dolly or SDC, I very much have my concerns. Wild Adventures has basically been abandoned by Herschend, and it’s hard to think that will change anytime soon, and now even more so that there’s a new park competing for Herschend’s money
You also have to think that wild adventures is in the same state as a major park and other massive parks that surround it in other states and KK doesn’t have to compete with other major parks to that extent
@@childattacker6723 that’s true. Park closest to KK is Holiday world and that’s over a hr from the park but big parks is 2-4 hrs with Kings island, Six flags St. Louis, Dollywood.
I think this is a good thing. KK is not going to be turned into SDC or Dollywood because the location simply doesn't lend itself to that kind of change. However, I do think that the location lends itself to stronger investments than Darien, NY, Valdosta, GA or Oklahoma City, OK. I expect that this park won't get the same level of investment as the Pigeon Forge and Branson parks but I think it will get some needed TLC.
The park has been adding good coasters and water park additions but it still needs a lot of work in terms of park appearance and overall park experience. I think Herschend will start there. I think that the park atmosphere that would fit this park the best would be that of an old timey carnival or boardwalk. Something with a lot of lights and fun facades. Add in some strategic trees and landscaping and you're set. This park needs a sense of identity (and to have a lot of areas refurbished) and I think Herschend will do just that. I also like the idea of better dining and entertainment. I'd also like to see a good log flume.
I don't think KK needs to just pack in a bunch of coasters without ever fixing it's appearance. The overall park experience is what it is desperately lacking and I'm hopeful that Herschend will fix that. Plus, you know they will get more coasters eventually.
The way you deal with a park is vastly different when you own it versus when you're hired to run it. You also treat each park in a manner which matches the market served by that individual park.
Ed Hart was not a fan of launch coasters so it could lead to one in KY Kingdom.
Sadly I think they could go the wild adventures route. That 3 year valuation for the sale price scares me. And I don’t think they’d cannibalize their own attendance pool for DW in northern Kentucky. Also KI is a direct rival to this park I wonder if they would really go aggressive into the shoes segment and force KI to do more of the same.
I think so too (Wild Adv route). They will add some mild flats, shows, and the upkeep will be fine; to be honest, I don't see any new coaster additions. Atleast KK's coaster lineup is much better than Wild Adv (and the park is landlocked).
Hey they not only have Kings Island as a rival but Holiday World too and that park is super popular with the Western part of the state. I hope the rivalry will spring some life into Kentucky Kingdom.
Honestly we have to see. I don’t see the park going the wild adventure route but I do see them making it more competitive
I am optimistic that they'll run this park much better than Six Flags did as long as they don't get into a dispute with the Kentucky State Fair Board. I think they might treat this more like Wild Adventures than they will Silver Dollar City or Dollywood but that's okay as I think Herschend may start to show more love for Wild Adventures soon, especially if the rumor of Cheetah becoming an RMC hybrid is true. To be honest I hope Herschend acquires Magic Springs in Arkansas next. That was another park formally owned by Ed Hart and that could also use a lot of attention as well.
If I bought the park the park off Ed hart I would do the fallowing
1. Give thunder run a titan track re tracking
2.ask b&m to retrack t3 completely
3. Add a new compact infinity coaster like hang time at knotts
4. Give lighting run and Storm chaser a retheme
5.get rid of roller skater and add a new mock spinner
Ok 1 thunder get retracted in places every off season, 2, or get Vakoma new track from there new hanging coasters, 3. I dig that,4.like, 5. I
Like the spinner idea but roller skater a good family ride
You should do pros and cons of Kings Dominion
When i get back to the park ill consider it. My last trip was all jacked up
@@AirtimeThrills ok
1.2mil people in the metro area and next to an airport. Surely this has more potential upside than even silver dollar city and dollywood, this is the perfect investment for them and they will go with the same gameplan
This is a tough one to call. Herschend hasn't done much ride-wise for any of the smaller parks they've owned, but they've never owned a small park quite like Kentucky Kingdom. Over the next 10 years, I expect 2-3 new coasters, several childrens' flat rides, and probably a Screamin' Swing.
A Gerstlauer Infinity Coaster seems to be an obvious choice, as well as a Mack Water Coaster/Power Splash. Maybe even a small-scale B&M of some sort; or that very small, launched Mack Extreme Spinner concept layout. Whatever they choose, Herschend will try to make it something that will appeal to a broad audience.
I could see them Maybe put in a ride like dragon flyer at Dollywood to
Do pros and cons el toro
I worked at Wild Adventures for a couple of years. Really loved my job but the park was definitely HFE's lowest priority
KK will be ran well (some new family friendly additions like shows, mild flats etc) but as far as adding thrilling attractions it will be similar to Wild Adventures. On a positive note, KK has a pretty good coaster lineup as it is (much better than Wild Adv), and the park is landlocked. I hope that I'm wrong concerning future thrilling attractions at KK.
I tbink they get creative on adding future expansion.
I lost my hat on Lightening Run.
Airtime Thrills you should make a video about Six Flags Fiesta Texas pros and cons or Six Flags vs cedar fair
I did make a video about what six flags can learn from cedar fair, and i did a video about sfft last year
Ohhhhhhh I remember
Best coaster for each letter of the alphabet
this really suprised me
I think that herschend will be good for this park and make it even better and spend a lot of money sprucing it up.
“With some of the best roller coasters in the world” *shows powder keg*
You know....I guess everyone’s entitled to their own opinion.....
*TRIGGERED*
Oh boy I’m fuming!!!!!!
But like seriously it would probably be number 2 or 3 on my credit list so I can’t be talking
The term BEST is very broad....... Powder Keg is one of a kind and some days that's a good thing. LOL
I'm much more concerned about the potential sale of Conneaut Lake to Keldon Holdings, a company that I know very little about and have not been able to find much info on so far, than I am about Kentucky Kingdom being sold to Herschend.
Even if Herschend doesn't invest heavily in Kentucky Kingdom, the park will still likely be profitable and remain an amusement park. Conneaut Lake's future, even with the possible sale, is much less certain.
I believe it’s time we see an HFE platinum pass that gets you into all of their properties. I think they have a big enough portfolio to make that happen. Also, while I see the concerns if using Wild Adventures as a case study, I think the location of that park is what’s holding it back the most. It’s too far away to be a good day trip from Atlanta and it’s not close enough to major city centers in Florida to be a draw from there either. I believe KK is in a much better position to be taken care of, but I do believe it will lose some of that enthusiast charm.
That’s a good point. Wild adventure compition is 3-4 hrs away with Over Georgia and Universal studios. Where kk is 1-4
I think there’s a chance that Kentucky Kingdom will become a bit like Michigan’s Adventure. It’s too small to compete with Kings Island, like how Michigan’s Adventure is too small to compete and draw people away from Chicago and SFGA. And only being 4 hours from Dollywood, Herschend isn’t going to build up Kentucky Kingdom enough to steal people away from their own flagship park, like how Cedar Fair doesn’t want Metro Detroiters going out to Michigan’s Adventure and taking business away from their flagship of Cedar Point. Like Dollywood and Kentucky Kingdom, Michigan’s Adventure and Cedar Point are only 4 hours apart and are essentially in the same market. Now I don’t think Kentucky Kingdom will go 10+ years without a new coaster the way Michigan’s Adventure has, but I definitely don’t think a major B&M is in their future
I hope youre wrong, but you make sense
I disagree with that. Unlike ceader point with has a radial pool of pepole to draw from. Kuntucky kingdom draws almost all of its pepole from up north meanwhile dollywood draws tourists and pepole from Virginia and Western Tennessee not so much Louisville or the other Midwestern cities near kuntucky kingdom. The reason michigian adventure was so much of a threat is becuase if the park became a massive park it could steal ceader points main profit center which is detroit, not rly the case with kuntucky kingdom. That area between dollywood and kuntucky is mostly a lowly populated area that is super poor. I guess you could say it could steal pepole from Nashville but again dollywood mostly attracts tourists and potentially losing guests from Nashville is not a good enough reason to try and dig into the potentially gold mine of Indianapolis and Columbus.
I hope this doesn’t become a “loser” of the herschend chain
I hope no parks become a "loser" it would be nice if every park was a "winner"
That’s wild adventures
Herschend doesn't do "LOSER".
@@CaptainCroissant No. Wild Adventures is a completely different market product. It gets all the attention it deserves based on attendance and profit margin.
@@BackSeatJunkie To be honest we don’t really know yet if they do that or not. It’s very clear that dollywood and silver dollar city are there premium parks
I think they are going to invest for a little wile like 5 to ten years I think it just going to be park improvements little rides but then won’t invest after that . But I hope it gets great rides and gets better coaster this park could really use a sky rocket 2
I’ve gone to Kentucky kingdom for a few years, because I am from Louisville. And I don’t get to go there often now because I live in Alabama now. In my opinion the park should stay how it is now and NOT be sold.
Well, let’s think about it this way
What happened the last time Ed Hart sold the park? I know that’s a bit of a glass half empty view point but I feel like it something to consider
Not really.......who purchased the park the time before? It wasn't Herschend, so apples to oranges.
Herschend and Six Flags are different so I dont think its fair to compare. I think its better to look at how Herschend treats its different properties
Do Pros and Cons of Six Flags Fiesta Texas.
I did a whole video on SFFT late last year
I might be wrong but I’m pretty sure the reason wild adventures is so neglected is because the zoo portion of the park is more profitiable for herschend
If the park does well with tourism and does good with halloween and Christmas. I csn see it doing well and offer do differnt things Espically offering like a fall/family Halloween it do well
I thinks it's a net neutral honestly...and we will just have to wait and see
I feel ashamed after growing up in Cincinnati for so long im to lazy to make the trip.
In my eyes, Kentucky Kingdom will experience a huge boon as Herschend executes its initial plan for the park, but in the long run, will be neglected more then people would like.
So, I do think that with the financial strain that was put on parks it would have been unrealistic to expect Kentucky Kingdom to have continued investment as they had before the pandemic hit. You would have been looking at years of low investment or risk of long term financial instability. So, if they needed to sell, Herschend was the best case scenario.
I do think covid pushed them to do this now
One thing Kentucky kingdom has that wild adventures doesn’t is Compition. Kentucky kingdom has Holiday world, six flags St. Louis snd great America, kings island, and of course Dollywood where wild adventures only has Over Georgia and that’s 3 hrs away like universal studios Florida. All of Kentucky kingdom are 1-4 hrs away.