Are you a new resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania? Are you in town on vacation? Are you just stopping by on your way through to redeem your Philadelphia spa package? Whatever your reason for being in Pittsburgh you should consider making a visit to Kennywood amusement park. Amusement parks are a great place to go to keep the kids entertained and if you admit it to yourself, you think they're pretty fun too. So stop by Kennywood. The following is an overview of what you're likely to find there.

Kennywood amusement park is more than just a place to go to go on rides and play games. It's also a piece of our national history. Actually located in West Mifflin, just outside of Pittsburgh, Kennywood Park was founded all the way back in 1898 and is one of only two parks in the country to make the National Register of Historic Places. (But don't worry, it's not the same cable pulley running the rides as it was back then!) The park spans 107 acres and has 47 rides. You can visit anytime from the beginning of May to the end of September.

The biggest factor acting to draw visitors to Kennywood Park is its seven roller coasters. The designers incorporated the rolling terrain into the coaster design so the rides here are unique. Tell your Canadian architect friend and maybe the two of you can go there on vacation to study them. There are two wooden roller coasters and five metal ones. The Exterminator is indoors, Jack Rabbit is one of the oldest wooden coasters in the world, L'il Phantom is for kids, Phantom's Revenge is famous for its speed and long drops, Racer allows two teams to compete, the Thunderbolt regularly ranks on lists of top wooden coasters, and Sky Rocket creates the impression of being launched into the air.

If coasters aren't your thing, there are plenty of other rides to keep you occupied. You can be spun, flipped, or swung on the flat rides, dropped over 200ft on the Pitt Fall, or if your ticker won't take the action, take a ride through the scary theme rides of Garfield's Nightmare or Ghostwood Estate. Noah's Ark, though, you have to walk through. If you're a lawyer in Ontario you should advise your client to stay cool on hot days by riding one of the three water rides, whereas parents will want to head for Kiddieland, where the rides for younger visitors are.

Of course, a theme park is more than just a bunch of rails put together with an electric tubing cutter. It's also about junk food and entertainment. There are seventeen different themed restaurants within the park and shows going on in different venues throughout the day.