The 2023 Southeast Tour

Twenty-twenty-three was my most prolific year of coaster riding ever, adding a total of 146 new coasters to my count and visiting 75 different theme and amusement parks (or standalone attractions). After dwindling off for a number of years after my relocation to California, 2019 got me back into the habit of planning longer road trips to new locations led by a New England tour. That put the spark back into me and, determined not to fall too far behind an increasingly changing coaster landscape, I started drawing up more plans for 2020. Well…

It wasn’t until 2023 that many of those travel ideas I had been saving for several years came to fruition. Nearly every month was something new, taking advantage of opportunities as they presented themselves, some for work, most for leisure. The biggest was a major southeast road trip in June that was actually a combination of at least three separate itineraries I had previously drafted, where I could finally check off a number of smaller parks and return to several larger ones that had seen multiple major additions since my last visits anywhere from 8 to 15 years prior. This included three new-to-me giga coasters and five RMC hybrids. I tried to compress it as tight as possible into a two week window, with nearly every hour accounted for, yet still with enough variation and flexibility that we wouldn’t be run ragged by the end of it. With a few exceptions, the trip went off flawlessly.

I daresay the itinerary even had some narrative elegance that made me consider I might like to share it on these pages someday, similar as I had done for Europe in 2010 and Asia in 2011. With 2024 as a year of transition and 2025 still having a lot of uncertainty, I expect it may be some time before I ever attempt another travel plan as ambitious again… if it ever happens at all. So while I’m feeling motivated to write about it, I’d like to take a look back at all that I accomplished across two weeks in June 2023.

Kentucky Kingdom

Louisville, Kentucky – Sunday, June 4th & Monday, June 5th, 2023

Spirit offered incredibly cheap direct flights from LAX to Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport, which is located directly next to Kentucky Kingdom, making this park an ideal candidate for which to start the trip across the American South. After an early morning flight on Sunday, it was off to Kentucky Kingdom to process my season pass for a couple hours of early evening rides. (With parking included, it was cheaper to spend two half-days using a season pass than daily tickets. A 50% discount applicable to Dollywood later in the trip only sweetened the deal.)

This marked my fourth time to Kentucky Kingdom, after visits in 2000, 2009, and 2015. The report from 2009 was one of the early ones I would document on this website back when the park was still under the Six Flags branding.¹ It’s since gone under several changes of management, including a period where the park seemed likely to be closed entirely. The current collection of coasters looks radically different from that earlier report, to a degree it’s hard to believe it’s still the same park.

While the infrastructure of Kentucky Kingdom remains mostly the same, including the famed bridge over a major roadway, the park now has a decidedly different vibe from either its 2000 or 2009 iterations. The original Kentucky Kingdom led under Ed Hart in the 1990s wanted to position itself as a major regional amusement park that could go toe-to-toe with the likes of Kings Island and Cedar Point. Chang was not only the first B&M coaster built at an independently owned American theme park, but one of their largest installations prior to 1997 as well. We forget what a big deal that was at the time. That ride is now long, long gone, along with numerous others that departed during the version 2.0 Six Flags era in the 2000s, which mostly focused on downsizing and efficiencies. It was not in good condition when Six Flags left, and Kentucky Kingdom was nearly closed permanently.

Kentucky Kingdom is now entering its fourth major era after it was acquired by Herschend, yet as of 2023 the park still felt very representative of the second Ed Hart era covering the 2010s, with only the cinnamon bread shop as of 2023 indicating the most recent change of ownership. That 3.0 version of Kentucky Kingdom had many new rides to fill the pads left by Six Flags, most feeling more temporary with a smaller footprint and lower profile.² Compared to the 1990s it feels like a much more local park, closer to a permanent funfair, even as it retains the scrappy entrepreneurial spirit that characterized both of the Hart eras. Yet in some ways it’s more successful than the 1.0 version of Kentucky Kingdom ever was. Nearly every ride in the line-up is an enjoyable winner that punches above its weight class, contrasted with the prototypical failures or oversized lemons that made up the old park. They also have possibly the most aggressive pairing of mid-sized steel coasters in middle America, and the wooden pairing isn’t bad either. The ambition is lower, but it’s now more finely calibrated specifically for coaster enthusiasts in a way that makes it a competitive thrill destination in an already very crowded market.

Thunder Run

The worst thing to happen to Thunder Run was for its layout to be cloned for the lackluster Hurler coasters a few years after its debut. Their poor riding experience would help sink Thunder Run’s reputation along with them, and it also took the shine off what a unique layout it actually has. Dropping straight into a low speed curve is a pretty audacious opening act, and the following set of three airtime hills likewise remain low and powerful across every crest. Even RMC’s conversion of this sequence on Kings Dominion’s Hurler (covered later in this trip) doesn’t quite live up to the standard set by the Kentucky original, thanks to the proximity of several mature trees and some surprise lateral shimmies thrown in.

It’s too bad Thunder Run then loses much of its oomph on the following curves, which have elongated egg-shaped transitions, a mathematically-rational design feature that nevertheless is completely unnecessary. The last few bunny hops are rougher and lacking in airtime. If it didn’t have such a dropoff in quality toward the final moments, Thunder Run could have stacked favorably among the top wooden coasters in the region. At least the single train operation has limited usage and kept the track from getting too beat up, which hopefully bodes well for a long life for Thunder Run as this 1990 creation ticks closer from “old” to “classic” status with each passing year.

Lightning Run

The storm-related monikers at Kentucky Kingdom don’t really count as theming, but they do help give the park a more cohesive sense of identity. It seems Ed Hart learned that lesson after his first go-around at Kentucky Kingdom in the 90s, when rides were given “cool” sounding yet completely arbitrary names that attracted some criticism. Now there’s Thunder Run, Lightning Run, Storm Chaser, and even Eye of the Storm as a flat ride.³

Lightning Run not only saw the resurrection of Kentucky Kingdom and Mr. Hart’s return to leading the park, but also the resurrection of Morgan Manufacturing, now under the Chance Rides banner, as the inheritors of the first generation of hypercoasters. While Lightning Run still uses the boxy oversized track style from the earlier Morgan hypercoasters, it’s a shockingly nimble thrill ride that has more in common with a typical RMC coaster than any of the earlier Morgan hypercoasters. No surprise given that it was designed by Joe Draves, one of the leading apostles of the New American Style of Coaster Design founded by Alan Shilke of Ride Centerline that’s found its way to Chance, S&S and, yes, RMC.

In fact, Lightning Run might be one of the better examples from this category of aggressively innovative track layouts, since the absence of any inversions allows a “back-to-basics” focus on curves and hills, where a cleaner ride choreography emerges that doesn’t get bogged down in novel elements. Part one is the most traditional sequence of big drops and overbanked curves, then in part two it segues into a more aggressive, faster-paced twister-style layout, until a part three finale were it suddenly transitions into the fastest-paced rapid-fire series of airtime-producing bunny hops. It’s such an effective balance of elements and pacing that I wouldn’t change anything about it, other than maybe make it 20% bigger if it had the room. If the reported price tag of $7 million is to be believed, it’s easily one of the best valued coasters on the ride market, which begs the question why it hasn’t seen more replicas in the ten years since its debut.⁴

Storm Chaser

This all-steel RMC I-Box track conversion of the former Twisted Twins dueling coaster by CCI is similar in size and intensity as Lightning Run but with the addition of two inversions, including a barrel roll downdrop on the initial descent. I’ve earned the increasingly rare achievement of having ridden both tracks of Twisted Twins in 2000 before they went silent in 2007, and while the original ride had some aggressively sharp drops and underbanked turns characteristic of late-era CCI, there’s no arguing that Storm Chaser is clearly the superior attraction. The new track (which traces the original “Lola” route) is a much faster and more dynamic ride by virtue of keeping a lower, ground-hugging profile. Yet the too-tall, twin-tracked structure that made for an underwhelming coaster experience still offered something of value on the approach; tucked far away at the western end of the park, it once served as an imposing landmark to draw you back and an immersive presence standing in the middle plaza. Now with the low profile and empty gaps, the whole area feels underwhelming and barren from the pathways, like it recently suffered windshear damage. If a twin-tracked Twisted Colossus style refurbishment wasn’t possible, then something on the order of Iron Gwazi that more creatively used both the original dueling track’s footprints would have been a far preferable outcome.

But having Storm Chaser is a lot better than having nothing, and by the metrics of small-to-midsize RMC creations Storm Chaser rates well near the top of the pack. The beginning of the ride is incredible, with the barrel roll downdrop leading into a strong, sustained ejector camelback airtime hill providing a highly effective survey of sensations to be flung from one’s seat all within the first few seconds of the action. The following overbanked curves and trick-track turns sustain good speed and a satisfying mix of positive and lateral forces. Next, another sharp airtime hill and zero-G roll are fun if not a little lacking in purpose as they less effectively repeat the earlier maneuvers whilst wandering across an open field. A trick-track double down is more fun to watch from the plaza than it is to actually ride as the lapbar digs in on each side-to-side thrust. Lastly, a 270 degree helix is a rudimentary if inoffensive finale, the closest resemblance to the CCI original as it tries to make up for its loss of speed. The first half is enough of a powerhouse to maybe snatch the title of best coaster at Kentucky Kingdom from Lightning Run, but I wish it could be more consistent all the way to the end to enter the ranks of top tier RMC creations. Storm Chaser starts as an F-5 before it gradually peters out into a dust devil.

Kentucky Flyer

The land Kentucky Kingdom sits on is a complex patchwork of legal ownership between the theme park and the Kentucky State Fair Board. These added layers of red tape have slowed the park’s development in the past, even threatening to close Kentucky Kingdom all together at one point, but it also may have led to the addition of a Gravity Group family coaster in 2019. Kentucky Flyer is very awkwardly positioned on a trail at the far end of the water park, the opposite side from all the other dry rides, and its simple out-and-back layout cuts through a berm in order to position the turn around in an adjoining parking lot. This makes little sense from a master planning or design perspective, where I’m sure dozens of more sensible plans for a similar coaster would have been possible, except it served as an easy way to trigger the right of option for 20 acres of land on the other side of that berm, all while the park and Fair Board were locked in a lawsuit over parking usage. I guess it proves that the best way to settle your legal problems is sometimes just to build a roller coaster!

As a maneuver during a legal dispute, Kentucky Flyer is undoubtedly one of the best possible outcomes, at least for visitors. But as a Gravity Group family wooden coaster, it might be among my least favorite of the genre. I don’t know if it’s the ergonomics of the Timberliners or the way the hills are profiled, but the airtime isn’t very present apart from a brief, sharp whipping sensation over the hill crests, punctuated by lateral side-to-side slams as the layout snakes along the contours of the berm. It doesn’t help that there are no real standout moments in the simple out-and-back layout, as each element is fairly indistinguishable from the others. Kentucky Flyer is not rough or intense per se (although it does have a bit of a Timberliner rattle), but it does have the personality comparable to a small nippy dog. Cute at first, but I don’t need to spend a ton of time around it.

Giant Wheel

Kentucky Kingdom’s relationship with Vekoma has seen the introduction of the first Suspended Looping Coaster to North America as well as one of the first Boomerangs and Roller Skaters. With the closure of T3, the Vekoma-made Giant Wheel has proven to be the relationship’s most lasting impact on Kentucky Kingdom’s landscape. I’ll ride it at least once per visit, and apart from the view of Thunder Run, each time has brought substantially different vistas. I expect that to continue to be true on my next visit, whenever that may be.

Malibu Jack’s Louisville

About a 15-20 minute drive from Kentucky Kingdom in the Louisville suburbs, one can find Malibu Jack’s, one of a chain of FECs around the state of Kentucky that are home to the ubiquitous SBF Visa Spinning Coasters, barely ten years old and already the most copied production model in the history of roller coasters. Twist-N-Shout is found directly to the left of the main entrance, making it an easy pitstop for coaster counters.

The rest of the facility was fairly empty on this Sunday evening. I did a quick tour, amused by the kitschy mashup of SoCal iconography that I had just come from that morning.

Louisville

While there are a number of chain hotels near Kentucky Kingdom due to the proximity of the airport (one even overlooks the turnaround of the Kentucky Flyer), we elected to stay at the Galt House Hotel in Downtown Louisville to better take in the city and its signature libations along the Bourbon Trail.

The Galt House Hotel features “Gallop to Glory,” a Walk of Fame style installation for winning jockeys in the Kentucky Derby.

Despite going from Pacific to Eastern time, I awoke early the next morning to stroll along Main Street, where among other sights I encountered Louisville’s famed replica Statue of David, sculpted in foam and covered in gaudy gold spray paint.

Behind David is the 21c Museum Hotel Louisville, part of a chain of boutique hotels that include a free modern art museum on the premises. Because the front desk is staffed all night, the museum is open 24 hours, making for an excellent way to pack more culture into the odd hours of the day while on a full travel schedule.

On the way back to Kentucky Kingdom for a couple hours the next morning, I stopped at the Witches’ Tree. This gnarled tree is often festooned with beads and trinkets, left by locals as appeasement for a curse placed long ago by a coven of witches.

Bernheim Forest & Arboretum

After a few more hours at Kentucky Kingdom, it was time to start the journey deeper into the South. About 20 miles south along I-65 is the Bernheim Forest and Arboretum. The nature park includes 40 miles of walking trails, along one of which you can find a trio of Forest Giants created by Danish artist Thomas Danbo and completed in 2019. The first one, Little Nis, is easy enough to find staring into his reflection at a pond near the visitor roadway.

The largest giant is Mama Loumari, resting against a tree in the shade in the forest near the middle of the trail.

Passing over a river further on, Little Elina is found in a clearing. The distance between her and her brother along the Forest Giant trail is about one mile each way.

Next: Mammoth Cave, Beech Bend & Nashville