Kentucky Kingdom claims attendance record
The Kentucky Kingdom amusement park and its Hurricane Bay water facility had an estimated 800,000 visitors in the recently completed 2016 season, surpassing the previous year's attendance by more than 200,000.
Operators of the park at the Kentucky Exposition Center said that much of the increase was due to more out-of-state visitors. In addition to increasing marketing in the Nashville and Indianapolis metro areas, the park made some major upgrades for this past season, including the addition of a major new roller coaster – its fifth.
“Over the past three years, Kentucky Kingdom has firmly established itself as a regional attraction and is now drawing visitors from all over the country,” said Kentucky Kingdom CEO Ed Hart. “Our goal is to reach 1 million visitors as early as next year, and we expect much of the increase" to continue to come from out of the state.
Park spokeswoman Julie Johnson said, “Delivering an outstanding experience for our guests is the key to our success. We offer a great selection of rides and attractions, beautifully landscaped grounds, a friendly staff, and a clean, safe, and fun environment.”
Aaron Banks, Kentucky Kingdom’s executive chef, who manages food quality, procurement, and catering, noted that this season the park's food-service staff prepared more than 80,000 catered meals.
Hart said, “We are very grateful to both our full-time staff and our seasonal team members, many of whom are completing their third season with us." He said the park will continue to strive to be the state's No. 1 summertime destination.
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The park has just completed the third season of its "second coming." The Hart-led group reopened the park after it had been closed for five years, left in limbo by Six Flags, which filed bankruptcy in 2009.
The partners this past year sunk about $8 million into the new steel roller coaster, dubbed Storm Chaser. It proved to be a major new attraction for the fairgrounds amusement park for the 2016 season.
Storm Chaser was the centerpiece of $53 million investment that the Hart partnership has poured into the massive makeover of the theme park and companion Hurricane Bay water park since it took over the facility. The Hart group includes lawyer Ed Glasscock, businessman Bruce Lunsford, and the Al J. Schneider Co.
When the Hart group got the initial lease for the park from the Kentucky State Fair Board in 2013, the partners promised to invest $43.5 million in its redevelopment in the first three years. They have surpassed that figure by nearly $10 million.
A major increase in seating was added this past summer throughout the park, with many dozens of new benches that now line nearly every walkway — for visitors to rest, or for parents to wait for children to finish rides.
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Another upgrade this year was the addition of many new plantings in an ongoing horticulture effort throughout the park. More than 100 species of perennials and ornamental grasses, along with many annuals and specimen of trees all have been labeled.
The increase in out-of-town visitors reflects that the park this season intensified its marketing effort in Tennessee and Indiana.
The park operators have not disclosed what additions are planned for 2017, but Hart has said the annual upgrading of the park and the addition of new features every year will continue indefinitely.
Kentucky Kingdom 2017 season passes are now on sale for $59.95 (plus tax) at kentuckykingdom.com. Beginning Nov. 1, they will also be available at all local Kroger stores.
If purchased online prior to Oct. 31, 2016, the 2017 pass includes free drinks throughout the season. The season pass also comes with other benefits, such as free parking and a 20 percent discount on all food and merchandise purchased in the park.
Reporter Sheldon S. Shafer can be reached at (502) 582-7089, or via email at sshafer@courier-journal.com.