The Future of Kentucky Kingdom

[adrenaline1996]

I am slightly concerned with how Herschend is changing KK. I know the changes are minor at the moment, but they seem to be changing the tone of the park. For instance, between 2014 and 2019, they had high investment of thrill rides, and also the Halloscream event (which looked awesome). However, they've now replaced it with a more family-friendly event, so it feels like they're going to change it to a family park, when Ed Hart's direction was different.

I know there's the point of making theme parks inclusive of all the family, however, there are parks out there that just cater for young families. Thus, a thrill park for older families / adults should also be plausible.

 

[Wazzupnerds]

Thats the Herschend way. The only thing we can watch right now is if the park will become a SDC/Dollywood or a Wild Adventures/Celebration City. My guess is expect a big slowdown compared to what we saw for those few years.

 

[Snoo]

Thats the Herschend way. The only thing we can watch right now is if the park will become a SDC/Dollywood or a Wild Adventures/Celebration City. My guess is expect a big slowdown compared to what we saw for those few years.

This.

Ed was a man who wanted to grow and continue to compete. He invested properly with the right type of ride that fit his demo. Herschend is.. not like that. They try to mold parks not like that into that mold.. without realizing that their demo isn't always the same in some of the parks they buy.

Who knows.. maybe it works.. maybe it doesn't. I agree tho.. not a fan on all fronts of what they're doing.

 

[Hyde]

Interesting conundrum. In many ways, we're rarely here - amusement parks aren't typically given second chances when fully abandoned by their corporate master.

Ed in many respects was working to re-establish the park's core, which had been decimated by Six Flags' removal. In many respects, he pulled it off; bringing Thunder Run back to life, adding two top tier coasters (Lightning Run and Storm Chaser), providing a swing and a miss on trying new trains on T3.

As all are alluding to; Herschend operates at a more meticulous pace. In many respects, they have "family-friendly parks" down to a science - and the bad news is it doesn't really hold a lot of roller coaster chemistry. Highly confident in their ability to run and maintain the park; highly unsure how many big, new attractions we'll continue to see.