Whirl-A-Round Swings at Kentucky Kingdom has been in operation since 2014. Designed and manufactured by Sartori Rides from their Swing line. These classic swings do everything you would want from a kid’s swing ride.
Whirl-A-Round Swings Experience
Whirl-A-Round Swings is a kiddie ride that sits at the entrance of King Louie’s Playland. Walk past Big Foot Trucks and this sits right across from Tin Lizzies. While this can get a fair amount of traffic, it has such great capacity that you will likely never wait for more than one cycle. Making it so there is no need to prioritize this ride over another. Riders must be at least 36 inches tall to ride. One metal bar that is attached to a chain will keep all riders safe. After the ride attendant has checked all restraints, the fun can begin!
Once the ride is in motion the kids will be swung around the structure. After about 2 rotations the ride will be up to full speed. There are no surprises or variations to this classic ride. It does its thing and then slows down. In total, the ride will last around a minute and a half. When the ride comes to a complete stop the kids are able to unlock their restraint and exit the ride safely.
Whirl-A-Round Swings: The Good
We noticed a couple of things off the bat that will separate this from other kid swing rides. First is this goes faster than the ones we see at other parks. That isn’t to say these go “fast” but it is noticeably faster than the standard. In our opinion, this is the right pace. It rides that fine line of not being boring, but not a thrill ride.
The second thing of note is the design. Every kid swing we encounter is filled with goofy characters. Instead, Kentucky Kingdom opted for a classically beautiful approach. More in line with what you would expect from an adult version of the ride. We could be swayed that this is a bad thing, but for what it counts, we like it.
Also, it is worth mentioning the height restriction here. Kentucky Kingdom goes overboard on almost all of its rides in who it restricts from riding. When you have kid rides like Rock n Roller that have a 48-inch minimum to ride alone you have done something wrong! Glad to see that Whirl-A-Round Swings is an exception. Kids who are 36 inches may ride alone. That means less crying because they don’t get to ride!
The Bad
Since there isn’t much to this ride, there isn’t much to complain about. We always appreciate a kid ride that allows adults to ride with, and that isn’t the case here. However, we can see that this type of ride would be hard to accommodate the old folks.
Final Verdict
Whirl-A-Round Swings at Kentucky Kingdom is a great addition to the park. For rides of this type, we believe they cracked the code in how fast it should go. It has a natural beauty to it that also helps separate it from the others. With its simple ride, there is just not much to complain about. This is classic fun that almost every kid will want to experience. Because of these reasons Whirl-A-Round Swings gets an eight out of ten.
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Mad Hatter at Kentucky Kingdom