LOUISVILLE (WHAS11) -- Beginning this Sunday, April 29, Kentucky Kingdom opens for weekends in April and May.
The water park, Hurricane Bay, opens weekends beginning May 19. Kentucky Kingdom and Hurricane Bay will be open daily starting on Memorial Day weekend.
Kentucky Kingdom has added new rides, shows, and many amenities for its guests, including more benches, shade structures, expanded dining areas, and drink stations.
The new rides in 2018 include “Scream Extreme” - a thrill ride that swings its passengers, who sit in suspended, open-air seats, through a complete 360-degree loop, soaring 60 feet in the air - and the “Rock ‘n’ Roller” - a family-styled Himalaya ride that’s geared for children, but also seats mom and dad. In addition to these new rides, the classic Thunder Run wooden roller coaster has undergone extensive re-tracking and now delivers a faster and smoother ride experience, without sacrificing any of its much heralded “air time.”
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There is a new show the Kentucky Kingdom will host in 2018 called Avian Adventure, featuring the acrobatic displays of free-flying Andean Condors, African Eagles, and other exotic birds. The show, opens on Memorial Day weekend in the amphitheater and is produced by Birds N Beasts, Inc. Park visitors will have three chances a day to see the show.
Also beginning Memorial Day weekend, the popular Sea Lion Splash, featuring performances by a “family” of rescued sea lions, will return to Kentucky Kingdom’s Aqua Theatre. Sea Lion Splash is produced by Squalus Inc., a nationally credited marine mammal facility based in Florida and one of only a few organizations approved to take in beached sea lions that have been deemed unable to survive in the wild.
The park’s 5D Cinema will present two new highly entertaining “movies you ride:” Happy Family, The Ride and Journey 2 the Mysterious Island. The latter stars Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
A new ride experience is also just outside the park, only minutes away from Kentucky Kingdom’s front gates. Beginning June 1, Kentucky Kingdom will open Zipline Kingdom, located at the Jefferson Memorial Forest. Zipline Kingdom provides a special three-hour experience, offering its riders beautiful views of the forest’s wooded terrain from treetops 30 feet up. Five zipline sections connect riders with 39 different activities, among them Tarzan swings, a suspended zig-zag bridge, rope ladders, a log swing, a plank crossing, a half trapeze, and a net tunnel. Admission to Zipline Kingdom is $70 for walk-ups and online purchases, but the first visit is free for all Kentucky Kingdom season pass holders. For more information and to make an advance reservation for this attraction, visit ziplinekingdom.com. Reservations will be taken beginning May 15.
Kentucky Kingdom season passes are now on sale for $69.95. Besides a free visit to Zipline Kingdom, season pass holders receive other benefits like: free parking, $1 soft drinks, a 20 percent discount on all food and merchandise purchased in the park, a 30 percent discount off a large (18-inch) pizza, and additional discounts totaling $30 for games and cabana rentals.
To learn more about the many benefits of a season pass and to purchase your pass online, visit kentuckykingdom.com. You can also purchase season passes at all area Kroger stores and at the park. When Kentucky Kingdom is closed on weekdays during April and May, season passes can still be purchased at the park’s Administration Building between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.
The general admission price for 2018 is $54.95 for adults and $39.95 for children (under 48 inches tall) and for seniors (age 55 or older).
