Kennywood has many rides. They have 2 kiddie areas, many family rides, many thrill rides, and more. They focus more on Quality over Quantity. These rides are great quality, and today, I wanted to rank all of the ride I have ridden.
Before I get too far into this, I should say that I haven't ridden Black Widow, Skycoaster, or Paddle Boats. I also won't be including any kiddie rides on this list. Finally, walk through attractions aren't rides, so this isn't including Noah's Ark.
Now, let's get to the rides.
#21: Musik Express
I don't like this ride. Many people do, and it is popular, but I just don't like it. This ride feels like you are not secure. I was basically thrown into my friend. The ride didn't do anything fun. This is similar to the Bayern Kurve model, but I actually enjoyed Bayern Kurve before it was removed.
#20: Auto Race
I don't dislike this ride. It isn't that fun, but I'm not the target audience. It is meant for small kids. I would ride this if someone wanted me to ride with them, though. It has a line most of the time, so I only rode it once, and that was more than a year ago. I may ride it again in 2021, though. It is a classic, and I hope it stays for as long as possible. Depending on what you consider a coaster, this may be a launch coaster in the same way that Furius Baco is a coaster.
#19: Raging Rapids
This ride isn't that great. It is not boring, and it does provide some thrills, but it just isn't that good in comparison to the other rides at Kennywood. I only have ridden it a couple of times. It is very unreliable, and I haven't been able to ride it most of the times I wanted to. I think it will be removed soon to be replaced with a Mack PowerSplash.
#18: Merry-Go-Round
This ride is a fun, classic ride. I like how good this ride is, and Kennywood takes very good care of it, so I really like it. It just doesn't stack up to some of the other rides there.
#17: Gran Prix
These are some decent bumper cars. They didn't open in 2020 because of Social Distancing Requirements. I rode it a few times in 2019, and I enjoyed it.
#16: Ghostwood Estate
This is a newer Shooting Dark Ride. It is themed to a mansion where tons of people have died, and you have to get rid of the ghosts for the original owner. For Holiday Lights, it is rethemed to a Christmas ride where you have to help Santa. In 2020, they closed the shooting part, but it was still somewhat enjoyable.
#15: Old Mill
This was a recently returned Dark Ride. It was themed to Garfield for a while, but it is now a new version of The Old Mill. This was returned as a cheap addition for 2020. When it was Garfield's Nightmare, it was the worst ride in the park. Now, I really enjoy it.
#14: Wave Swinger
I really enjoy these. It is a fun, graceful ride with nice restraints. It gives a good view of Lost Kennywood, and it is quite fun. I can't wait to ride more of these. It isn't that forceful, but I do just enjoy this. It is family friendly, and I have been enjoying it since 2018.
#13: Pittsburg Plunge
This is a really fun water ride. I often will ride this then dry off on Wave Swinger. This isn't that forceful, but it gets you soaked. It has some floater airtime on the drop. I don't know if there are any other Hopkins Shoot-the-Chute rides, but if there are, I'd recommend that you ride them. This ride, in my opinion, is a Side Friction Coaster. It is completely based off of an old 1900s Shoot the Chute ride. The area is somewhat themed to Luna Park Pittsburgh (A Defunct Amusement Park), so it is believed that it is themed to the one from Luna Park Pittsburgh.
#12: Turtle
This is one of the last remaining Tumble Bug Rides. The only other one that currently operates is at Conneaut Lake Park, so it is definitely a rare ride now. This one appears to be better kept than the one at Conneaut Lake Park. This provides some decent airtime in some parts, and I am glad that Kennywood isn't removing it.
#11: The Whip
This is a classic ride model. I really enjoy this. I said before that I use Wave Swinger to help get dried off from Pittsburg Plunge, but I also dry off on Whip sometimes. I once went on a mini-marathon on Pittsburg Plunge followed by a mini-marathon on The Whip. This ride pulls some fun laterals and it spins a little. I really enjoy this ride, and I hope it will keep operating for years to come.
#10: The Cosmic Chaos
This is a Zamperla Disck'O, and it is very enjoyable. It doesn't have that great of restraints, but I don't mind. I know how to get breathing room, and I have lots of fun on this ride. It usually doesn't have much of a line, so I get to ride it a lot.
#9: Aero 360
This ride has tons of hangtime. This ride looks stunning and the hangtime starts to hurt a little because of the restraints. I can ride this all day. This is also one of Kennywood's only rides with a single-rider line (if it is open that day).
#8: Swing Shot
I LOVE this ride! It gives some great views of Phantom's Revenge. It feels terrifying, and I love it. It feels very forceful, it has great restraints, and it provides some good airtime.
#7: Thunderbolt
This is the weakest coaster at the park. It has a good layout, but it has been modified over time. It used to have a very fast speed hill, but they removed that. This ride focuses mainly on the laterals, and that is enjoyable. There is a rule that means that you need to have a buddy due to an accident in 1968. This ride, though, is quite rough. They retracked parts in the 2019-2020 Off Season, but that didn't do much.
#6: The Exterminator
This is a good ride. It has good theming, air conditioning, and good airtime. It feels well paced, and it has comfortable restraints. Just make sure to ride on the left side to avoid head banging.
#5: Jack Rabbit
This is a classic wooden coaster. It provides great airtime in the back on all the drops. There is sustained ejector airtime on the double down in all rows. Be prepared for some roughness on the bottom of the double down, though. That gave me a headache for around 5 minutes.
#4: Sky Rocket
This ride is very underrated. You roll out of the station and start going into a forceful launch. You then go up into a top hat, which provides sustained ejector airtime and a good view of nearby places. You then go into a fun cutback, a hangtime filled Zero-G-Roll, and then a mid-course brake run. This leads to a drop. Then there is a turn into a corkscrew. There is a banked turn into some twisty sections. There are some airtime hills, but only the last 2 provide airtime.
#3: Racer
This ride provides multiple moments of laterals and sustained ejector airtime. There is a fun dueling aspect where you are actually close enough to give a high five to someone on the other train. This used to be my favorite ride there until 2019, when I rode the 2 coasters that overtake it.
#2: The Phantom's Revenge
Phantom's Revenge is an insane thrill machine. This ride provides tons of ejector airtime. The first drop is intense. The straight section lets you see a nice view of Lost Kennywood. The second drop provides some floater airtime. There is an insane head chopper with Thunderbolt. There is then an intense turn-around. You then even experience another head chopper with Thunderbolt. This head chopper is during an airtime moment. There is then an insane ending with tons of airtime hills. The restraints that don't work to restrain you let you have lots of airtime. There is another head chopper with the final brake run. You then go to a few more airtime moments before hitting the final brakes. This is an amazing ride, and there is only one coaster at the park that can beat it.
#1: Steel Curtain
This ride is insane. You pull down your lap bar. It isn't that restrictive and it can't come down more during the ride. You start going up the lift. You go really slowly up this steep lift. It is terrifying. You then suddenly speed up. During this lift, you get a great view of the Mon and some steel mills. You get to the top and see the inversion ahead of you. It is terrifying. You go through the inversion 197 feet from the ground before diving down. There are 8 more inversions, tons of floater airtime moments, and some good laterals throughout the ride. There are tons of head choppers and you can even get a good view of the lagoon. Even when you hit the final brake run, you are still going very fast. It is completely smooth. I have also heard that it is a lot better in the front row, and I haven't even ridden front row yet, so that is something I hope to do soon.