Kings Dominion - July 17 and 18, 2024

Last year, I considered the "centerpiece" coasters of the trip to be Steel Vengenace and the Beast. This year, the centerpiece coasters of the trip were Fury 325 and Project 305. Exhausted from multiple days of parks in brutal heat, we tried our best to hit the ground running at Kings Dominion. That being said, day one was probably the hardest day of the entire trip due to just how hot it was.

I'll talk rides first, and get to the rest afterwards.

• Apple Zapple - Our first ride of the day was this strange extended Wild Mouse. The layout looks promising from the ground, but unfortunately this ride lacks the strong lateral forces that make Wild Mice great. It's not terrible, it just runs too slow.
• Racer 75 - Twisted Timbers was closed to start the day, so we proceeded to this gorgeous PTC classic. The Racer was one of my favorite rides at Kings Island, and this enthralled me in the same way. I must have gotten on this one seven or eight times overall, preferring the right side of the coaster in the front few rows. It's not significantly more forceful or noticeably rougher in the back, so I'll take the better views of the first row. I will say there was one jaw-dropping ejector moment from the coaster's left side that had me literally standing up in spite of the lapbar restraints. I love the back-and-forth lift hill, and the view of the full coaster from the top of the hill is just stunning. When someone says "roller coaster," the Racer and Racer 75 are what pop up in my head. I thought it was particularly interesting that, when one train is delayed from exiting the station, the other train waits on the lift hill for it to catch up, so you're racing no matter what.
• Twisted Timbers - By the time we got off Racer 75, Twisted Timbers had opened. Our first ride was in the very back row, and it is a GREAT example of a smaller scale RMC conversion. The ejector air on this thing is wild, and the barrel roll first drop is truly fantastic. I didn't realize that this was originally a clone of Hurler at Carowinds, and I hadn't done much research before visiting KD, so I tried to figure out what coaster this had been before RMC before getting to the station and realizing it looked identical to Hurler's station at Carowinds. Obviously, it is a far better ride than Hurler. The train design on this is really cool, and the orchard theme is pretty unique. Hard to decide whether this surpasses Wicked Cyclone as my favorite "small" RMC.
• Tumbili - Let me tell you, I thought this was just going to be the Joker, but not as good, because it's slightly smaller. Well, I found Tumbili to be a LOT wilder than the two Jokers I've ridden at SFGAdv and SFNE. So much so that it was a one-and-done simply because it nearly ruined my day riding it. That's not to say it's a bad ride, quite the opposite. I'm just too much of a weenie.
• Reptilian - My second Bobsled ever after Flying Turns at Knoebels. A different, less smooth, but faster and more exciting experience than Flying Turns. From the lift hill, you get a great view of the construction of the park's new B&M, which looks mighty promising. Hopefully this one sticks around for a long time.
• Backlot Stunt Coaster - I really enjoyed this ride at KI and was looking forward to riding its counterpart at KD. It took three rides before we were able to experience the pyrotechnic effects. A back row ride ragdolled us in hilarious fashion. It's fun, forceful, and has plenty going on, which makes it feel more like a 2024 family ride than a 2006 family ride.
• Anaconda - I was expecting this Arrow looper to hit me real hard, but it's actually not bad at all. The first drop into the tunnel is great and followed up with some forceful inversions. The second half of the ride meanders quite a bit, but because those final corkscrews are taken a bit slowly, you get great hangtime over the water. A far better experience than the smaller Corkscrew offshoot models. I'll say it: I'm an Anaconda enjoyer... as long as it's not in the back. That wasn't very fun.
• Project 305 - At the beginning of last year I'd ridden zero gigas. This was my fourth after Millie, Orion, and Fury, and it easily tops that list without much thought. That first turn after the drop produced a strong gray-out every time, even with tightly clenched feet/legs/ass, and I can't believe that it was once even stronger. An unholy matrimony between the size of Millie and the force of Maverick. Obviously the first drop is fantastic, but my favorite part of this ride are the quick twists and turns. I rode several times in front and back, and think this is firmly a front row ride. Do I think it surpasses Maverick, my #1? Probably not. Do I think Skyrush is better? Maybe. Maybe gigas just aren't my thing. I liked it, but it's not my favorite or even second-favorite in this park.
• Dominator - An awesome and underrated B&M floorless which takes my top floorless spot from Medusa at SFGAdv. I love the first massive loop, and think overall this is the best floorless layout I've ridden. The cobra roll is masterful, and it features a good example of B&M corkscrews that don't headbang. It feels like an afterthought at this park, but it was one of my favorites.
• Grizzly - Another woodie saved by the Gravity Group. The entrance and exit hidden behind the gift shop are odd, but it adds to the isolated atmosphere of the ride. It feels like it was trying to evoke the vibe of the Beast, but it doesn't quite get there. As a ride, it is a much different animal than the Beast. The first drop and turn are a bit mild and lull you into a false sense of security. The second portion of the ride is comparatively much wilder, with some good airtime pops and phenomenal laterals. As far as this park's woodies go, I rank it behind Racer 75, but it's still a really good ride. Consider it the Twister to this park's Phoenix.
• Flight of Fear - This ride was closed for much of our time here, but opened towards the tail end of day two. I loved this ride at KI, and while this ride is similar, I think I preferred KI's presentation overall. That ride seemed to keep its momentum better throughout the layout, while KD's peters out in the second half. I also thought the hangar queue was presented a bit better in KI, with better lighting and overall atmosphere. I was resigned to missing this one, and consider it a minor miracle that it opened at all.

The park has a nice collection of flats. The Ferris Wheel feels right at home next to Racer. The vintage Carousel is always welcome. The drop tower might be my wife's favorite of all time, with a really punchy release and brakes that look and feel legitimately insane. I appreciated that they renoved their Scrambler into something that thematically fits the jungle, though it is very easy to miss. Berserker is a now-rare Looping Starship that cuts a profile almost like a mini Eiffel Tower, which is neat. The Eiffel Tower was unfortunately closed during our visit. And their Arrow log flume, Shenandoah Lumber, has a really great setting in the woods and gets you a little wetter than others.

My main criticism of Kings Dominion was amplified due to the 95-degree heat - the park's shade is so inconsistent. Parts of the park, such as the "International Street" front section, are pretty heavily shaded and comfortable. Others, like the new-ish "Jungle X-Pedition" area, are brutally hot. I nearly went down in line for Tumbili and had to spend a good 30-45 minutes sitting in the nearby restaurant, where the AC was frigid and the water was ice cold. We had to cut day one short around 3:30 PM just because the heat was killing us so much. We did manage to get on everything before then, but I was just not going to make it through the day. Day two was about 10 degrees cooler, overcast for most of the day, and rained a bit, which made things far easier on us.

This park has a few rides in its history that I wish I could have gotten to ride myself, specifically Hypersonic XLC and Volcano. Probably not Shockwave.

Remarkable is how complementary this collection of coasters is to what's available an hour away at Busch Gardens. Between the two parks, there are few repeated models, and what's repeated is hardly redundant. That being said, Busch is a much nicer park in terms of overall atmosphere, and if I could only pick one, it's gotta be Busch.

With that in mind, KD is a much nicer experience than Carowinds. It's a more welcoming, more well-maintained park with better theming. Also the lockers are far more reasonably priced here. I do think KI is a better park overall, but KD is certainly no slouch, and beyond the two parks' International Streets and Eiffel Towers, they're very different.

Ride closures were more noticeable here than at other parks we visited. At various times, Project 305, Flight of Fear, Twisted Timbers, and the big ol swings all closed for a little while.

Crowds here were manageable on both days, with virtually no waits on any of the rides except for Flight of Fear. There were a few large camp or church groups roaming about that always seemed to just beat me to the lines, so I'd go into what would have been a station wait and end up with 30 people in front of me. I'll take 30 friendly parkgoers over 5 obnoxious teenagers, though.

Some non-park travel details for those possibly interested - of all the parks we visited, KD is the most "middle of nowhere," with fewer lodging and dining options immediately nearby. We ended up staying closer to Richmond at the Avid Hotel in Ashland. It was a decent hotel with a bit of a weird vibe, and again, lots of youth groups hanging out in the lobby. We ate breakfast on day one at a local place called the Rise and Shine Diner which did not sit well with us, and definitely contributed to our first day at the park ending early. Waffle House was a better choice on day two. We also grabbed Raising Cane's on the way out of town, and god, that shit goes so hard. Best chicken fingers ever, and I could drink that sauce.

TL;DR:

• A very good lineup with an obvious standout in Project 305, but overall a lesser park experience than Busch Gardens Williamsburg
• Better than Carowinds, not quite as good as Kings Island, but absolutely worth the trip

My personal ranking of the coasters at KD:

1. Twisted Timbers
2. Dominator
3. Project 305
4. Racer 75
5. Anaconda
6. Grizzly
7. Flight of Fear
8. Backlot Stunt Coaster
9. Reptilian
10. Apple Zapple
11. Tumbili