Built in the 1880s, Kennywood Park has offered families in the Pittsburgh region joy and amusement for well over a century. And while the park does a great job of creating new attractions that keep us spellbound, it also hasn't forgotten its roots. Meandering around the winding paths of this historic summer haven, it's not hard to imagine Gibson girls and their beaus doing the same. And much of that has to do with the carefully preserved details that don't just give a nod to the past-- they walk right up and introduce themselves.
So as I visited Kennywood this weekend-- in addition to getting my obligatory batch of savory Potato Patch fries and spinning myself dizzy on the Exterminator-- I realized there's no better treasure this week, to pour from the Treasure Box, than the beauty of this local landmark.
The carousel was a logical place to start. And for lovers of Victorian art nouveau, it doesn't get much more detailed than this...
Cherubs peer from between ornate mirrors, while jokers laugh at the crowd around them...
Select a prancing pony...
Or maybe something a little more exotic...
And for the older crowd, how about this intricate art nouveau bench?
Step away from the carousel, and we see history in the park's wooden roller coasters. The facade of the Racer is the same design this dual coaster had sported in the 1920s. After a period of modernization, it was returned to this original appearance with loving restoration...
The vision of new and old can be seen here, as well, where wooden spires stand side-by-side the roaring metal thunder of the Phantom's Revenge-- one HECK of a rip-roaring roller coaster ride.
Step a bit further, and we're through the threshold of Lost Kennywood, an area following the original footprint of the park, and from the time when Pittsburgh was minus an ending "H"!...
Here the Bavarian Swing has much to say about a time when decoration really mattered...
With landscapes...
And ladies fair...
Even the fountains of the park speak of attention to detail, and that littlest bit of magic...
You might find yourself back to the future in go-go boots...
Or carried away by some Pittsburgh pirates!..
So let's play a few rounds of ski-ball...
Have a fresh-squeezed lemonade...
And then, I'm afraid, I have to say...
Goodnight!- If you missed Sunday's Virtual Vacation-- as we explore three states through 1930s postcards, click here.
And maybe I'll see you this Sunday? If not, enjoy that beautiful summer weather, my friends!
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