Collier’s Weekly: The Top 5 Christmas Remixes at Kennywood’s Holiday Lights

PHOTO COURTESY KENNYWOOD

Kennywood’s annual Holiday Lights celebration is awash in seasonal splendor.

The nightly tree lighting is majestic; the light displays on the lagoon are energizing. Meet-and-greets with Rudolph and Santa make for indelible memories. There’s hot cocoa and other yuletide fare all over the park — to go along with millions of light displays, from tiny details to towering creations (don’t miss Santa’s sleigh high atop the Phantom’s Revenge, visible from miles away).

Kennywood loyalists, however, don’t dare set foot in the park without getting in a few rides. Many of the park’s signature attractions remain open for Holiday Lights; on days when the weather is temperate (none appear to be forthcoming, but we can hope), that roster even includes the Jack Rabbit and Aero 360 for chilly thrills.

Not all rides, however, are quite as Christmassy as they could be. Although you should prioritize your favorites, as you do on any visit to Kennywood, you may want to prioritize the most festive attractions. I can help, in convenient ranked form.

5) Musik Express
There’s nothing all that different about this high-speed, rockin’ ride — but the storied Express is always about what song is playing. During the most wonderful time of the year, that means a surprisingly varied roster of uptempo holiday hits. Sure, you’ve heard “Last Christmas,” but have you heard it while centrifugal force whips you into the arms of your beloved, bestie or offspring? Probably not! Also, Musik Express is (mostly) shielded from wind and snow, so it’s one of the most intense rides guaranteed to be open during your visit to Holiday Lights.

4) Merry-Go-Round
It’s a simple, but effective, Christmas overlay: The lights on the century-old carousel are replaced with red, green and white bulbs, while the nostalgic Wurlitzer organ produces only traditional carols. Kennywood’s winter festivities may be a mere 15 years old, but when you hear the organ puff and ding through “Good King Wenceslas,” you’ll believe your grandparents must have come to Kennywood on Christmas Eve.

3) Noah’s Ark
The park did not slash the Santa hat budget, that’s for sure. Most of the animals and other characters found inside Noah’s Ark are outfitted with holiday headgear, including the old man himself. You’ll also find strategically deployed string lights, elf outfits and more throughout the silly scenes in this Biblical fun house. The highlight is an oddly beautiful string of blue lights in place of the waterfall near the attraction’s entrance. As a personal favorite, Noah’s Ark might’ve ranked higher on the list … if the Whale had been converted to a narwhal for the season. Kennywood, call it a note for next year.

2) Gingerbread Express
The newly relaunched train ride through park history has been given Kennywood’s most massive holiday overlay, with the pleasant journey now taking guests through a whimsical gingerbread village. You’ll find all manner of cookie merriment and mayhem on the 10-minute ride; keep your eyes out to catch the gingerbread folks in an original car from the bygone Log Jammer. You’ll still get the fascinating and informative audio history of the park during your ride, but you may be too busy spying the innumerable details in the displays — or peering out over the Edgar Thomson Works in the distance — to fully digest the history.

1) Ghostwood Estates
Who would’ve thought: The ghost-blasting dark ride gets the most thorough Christmas remix of any attraction in the park. You’ll see Santa puttering around the windows of the towering manse as you approach; when you enter the ride’s “Haunted Mansion” style introduction room, the traditional video has been replaced by one featuring elves Holly and Jolly begging for your help evicting ghosts of Christmas past, present and future. Inside, the scenes are festooned with tinsel and seasonal trappings — it’s like a shooting gallery inside “A Christmas Carol.”