New Details Released on Kentucky Kingdom’s Discovery Meadow – Everything You Need to Know

Kentucky Kingdom (Louisville, KY), owned by Herschend Family Entertainment, announced more details yesterday for their new land, Discovery Meadow.  The new area will include 3 new family rides, 10 re-imagined rides, a new 4,800 sq ft playground, and 2 upgraded dining venues.  

Discovery Meadow’s New Rides and Re-themed Attractions

Starting with the rides and attractions, there is actually a lot to cover. This Discovery Meadow Addition includes over 33% of the rides and attractions already located in Kentucky Kingdom.

While the manufacturers haven’t been confirmed by the park itself, we can speculate on what they should be based on the photos of the new rides provided by the park.

• Rebird Racer – This new family ride is definitely manufactured by Zamperla, and this is a Flying Tigers model. The vehicles are suspended and offer gentle swings and turns on their guided path.

• Cumberland Express – This is a family train ride, and while the two other new attractions we are sure of the manufacturer, this one we are a little more unsure of. Zamperla has train models, but this doesn’t look like some of the ones they have at some of the Six Flags parks (ex: Snoopy’s Junction at Kings Dominion). We will see when we get more information on the ride, but it looks very cool nonetheless.

• Scouts Squirrel Race – This is a family attraction and is most certainly a Zamperla Jump Around model. Herschend already has this model at other parks on the chain, such as Frogs and Fireflies at Dollywood. It’s a short but fun ride for the little ones. It has a ramp that makes the cars bounce as they go around in a circle.

Next, we have the renamed rides. All of these attractions were already located in Kentucky Kingdom prior to this park update and refresh. The former names are provided on the list below.

• Garden Carousel (formerly Bella Musica) – This classic carousel opened in 1996 and was named International Carousel from 1996 to 2009 before being renamed to Bella Musica. The newly named Garden Carousel was manufactured by Wood Design Amusement Rides and will be going into its 29th operating season in the park. This is a great ride for the whole family (of course, because it’s a carousel).

• Hollyhock and Roll (formerly Roller Skater) – This family coaster opened in the park in 1994. It is manufactured by Vekoma Rides Manufacturing, and it is one of their widely popular Junior Coaster models. This is another great ride for the whole family!

• Honeybee Buzzers (formerly Prof. John’s Flying Machines) – This flat ride opened at Kentucky Kingdom in 2014. It was manufactured by Larson International and it is a Flying Scooter model, seen in many regional parks in the USA.

• Mile High Falls (name staying the same) – This water ride opened in the 1994 season at Kentucky Kingdom. It is a Shoot the Chute model by Hopkins Rides.

• Nature’s Bounty (formerly Bluebeard’s Bounty) – This flat ride opened in the 1990 season at Kentucky Kingdom. This ride is manufactured by HUSS Rides and is a Pirate Ship model.

• Spring Fling (formerly Flying Dutchman) – This flat ride opened in the park’s 1991 season. Manufactured by Intamin, this ride is a Flying Dutchman model.

• Treetop Drop (formerly FearFALL) – This flat ride drop tower opened in 2014. The attraction is manufactured by Larson International and is a Super Shot model.

• Wind Chaser (formerly Storm Chaser) – This is one of the most popular roller coasters in the park. It opened on April 3rd, 2016, and is a Rocky Mountain Construction IBox Track model. This roller coaster reaches speeds of up to 52 miles per hour on its 2,744-foot track. It has a capacity of 960 riders per hour and has 3 inversions.

• Woodland Run (formerly Thunder Run) – This is one of the park’s more rugged offerings. It opened in Kentucky Kingdoms’ 1990 season. This wooden coaster reaches speeds of up to 53 miles per hour on its 2,850-foot track. It was manufactured by the Dinn Corporation, but the trains on the ride are from the classic coaster manufacturer: Philadelphia Toboggan Company.

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These new attractions and the retheming of the area didn’t come without attraction removals last year. In 2024, the park retired several attractions.

• Cyclos – This flat ride operated from 2015 to 2024 at Kentucky Kingdom. Manufactured by Zamperla, this attraction was a Discovery Midi Revolution model. A thrill attraction in the park lineup, thrill seekers will have to look for other options in the park.

• Eye of the Storm – This flat ride operated from 2017 to 2024 at Kentucky Kingdom. Manufactured by Larson International, this is a Giant Loop model. Known by most to give off a carnival vibe, most would say it is good that this thrill attraction is gone from the park’s lineup.

• Raging Rapids River Ride – Formerly called Penguin’s Blizzard River, this water ride operated from 1999 to 2024. This was a Rapids Ride model manufactured by Intamin.

In addition to these removals, at the beginning of 2024, T3 was finally dismantled. Originally T2, the Vekoma Suspended Looping Coaster opened in 1995 and operated till 2022. It wasn’t till last year that the park got to tearing that attraction down. It’s important to note, this ride is not located within the suspected area this new land will be.

Scout the Squirrel is a new roaming character in this new section of Kentucky Kingdom. This really cute squirrel is becoming a mascot of sorts, and he’s really cute. The squirrel will be found meeting and greeting guests throughout the land. He’s also featured in the new ride: Scouts’ Squirrel Race.

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Happy Hollow is the name of the new 4,800-square-foot playground. In the press release, Kentucky Kingdom says, “Explore the new 4,800-square-foot natural playground designed to spark curiosity and inspire adventure”. This whole land investment is clearly about making this a more family-friendly place, which we are definitely here for!

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In their press release, Kentucky Kingdom has said there will be two upgraded dining venues.

• Bloom’s BBQ & Grill – This is an all-new barbecue location in the Discovery Meadow section of the park. There is no menu posted on the site quite yet, but we will be sure to update this when we hear more.

• Woodland Snacks – This is a prior snack location in the park. Their site reads “Enjoy a Kentucky-inspired snack while relaxing in the shaded seating at the all-new Discovery Meadow”. Same as the Barbecue location, no new menu has been posted yet.

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Kentucky Kingdom announces their re-names for their 11 Million dollar land investment: Discovery Meadow 🌺

Discover a playground, 2 upgraded restaurants, 13 NEW or reimagined rides, and more! 🛝
pic.twitter.com/kUTCinCMus

— RideRover (@riderover_) February 12, 2025

The park opens for the season in Louisville, Kentucky, on May 10th! Hurricane Bay Water Park opens on May 24th.

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