Pennsylvania's Premier Amusement Park Is A Fun, Family-Friendly Destination Just Outside Of Pittsburgh

Nothing promises endless hours of family fun like bonding over exciting attractions and heart-pumping thrill rides at one of the best amusement parks in the U.S. The country boasts amazing theme parks from coast to coast, but this one is a national historic landmark that's also made the USA Today 10 Best list for theme parks five years in a row. These accolades belong to Kennywood, Pennsylvania's premier amusement park, where you'll find a handful of classic roller coasters from the 1920s. Located just outside of the bustling, revitalized one-time steel capital of Pittsburgh, Kennywood is a fun-loving, family-friendly destination where little ones and adults alike will have an incredible time.

Kennywood is named after Charles Kenny, who purchased the land where the amusement park sits two centuries ago. The area was nicknamed Kenny's Grove during the Civil War when it became a favorite place for locals to socialize. In time, a trolley park sprang up on the land, which was eventually leased by the Monongahela Street Railway, owned by the famed Mellon family. American financier and philanthropist Andrew Mellon renamed the site Kennywood and added pony rides, a dance hall, and boat rides on its pretty lagoon. In 1902, the park's first roller coaster, the Figure Eight Toboggan, opened. The rest, as they say, is history.

Today, three of Kennywood's 40 rides and attractions are original wooden roller coasters from the 1920s:the iconic Jack Rabbit, Racer, and Thunderbolt They were all designed by John Miller, who revolutionized roller coasters by inventing upstop wheels that lock wheels to tracks, allowing rides to hit high speeds without jumping.

From kids' zones and extreme roller coasters, to holiday extravaganzas and tributes to the Pittsburgh Steelers, Kennywood serves up oodles of fun for the whole family. Little ones can fly helicopters on Parker's Cloud Cruisers, ride the pint-sized roller coaster Lil' Phantom, and marvel over historic Noah's Ark, an 80-year-old funhouse ensconced inside the belly of a blue whale. Kennywood offers eight high-octane roller coasters to thrill the pants off teens and adults. Standouts include Pennsylvania's tallest roller coaster, Steel Curtain, the 85-mile-per-hour Phantom's Revenge, voted the country's number one roller coaster on USA Today's 10Best list, and Black Widow, which swings riders 146 feet above the ground. Come prepared to beat the queues with these tips to avoid huge lines at theme parks.

More rides and attractions join Kennywood's regular line-up for seasonal events. During summertime, water rides like Raging Rapids and the super-soaking Pittsburgh Plunge open up. Halloween ushers in Phantom Fall Fest, several weeks filled with spooky food and haunted houses. The star of the Christmas season is Holiday Lights, the perfect time to bring kids to meet Santa and Rudolph, build stuffed animals at the Bear Factory, and experience 25 more amazing rides and attractions. "Been here several times growing up and love the place but this is the first time I went for holidays lights and let me tell you it was magical," exclaims one Tripadvisor review.

Standard tickets for Kennywood are $74.99 for adults and children, but you can often find discounts during holidays and events, as well as everyday discounts for military and seniors. If you just can't get enough Kennywood, the park offers three tiers of season passes ranging from roughly $100 to $190.