Kings Dominion Review

Cedar Fair is known for having some of the best amusement parks in the world. Arguably, they are best known for Cedar Point, which has one of the largest collections of roller coasters in the country. Kings Dominion is one of their smaller parks but it still has a lot to offer. Located in Doswell, Virginia, Kings Dominion is a fun park for thrill-seekers and families. 

Most people who go to this park enjoy it, but it is not as popular as other Cedar Fair parks. I have grown up with Kings Dominion as it is the second closest amusement park to me, so I visit it a lot. For me, it is a very fun park, but it needs a couple more rides to make it an amazing park. Let’s take a look at why.

Rides

The park has 12 roller coasters ranging from kiddie coasters to crazy, intense roller coasters. Some of these include Intimidator 305, Twisted Timbers, Racer 75, Grizzly, Dominator, Flight of Fear and Backlot Stunt Coaster. Intimidator 305 and Twisted Timbers are two coasters that make this park worth visiting alone. 

Twisted Timbers is an awesome RMC hybrid that provides some of the best airtime and Intimidator 305 (i305) is an Intamin Giga that is simply the most intense rollercoaster I have ever been on. I305 is a crazy rollercoaster that puts so many forces on your body. Dominator, Flight of Fear, and Backlot stunt coaster are good complementary coasters that give the park a good selection of coasters. 

Avalanche is also a good toboggan ride that is good for those who don’t love crazy thrills. Unfortunately, Anaconda and Grizzly are very bad coasters. These both give me a headache when I ride them, so I will usually skip them.

The park has had a lot of rollercoasters come and go, including Volcano: The Blast Coaster, which shocked a lot of people when it closed last year. This was an awesome inverted launch coaster that literally shot you out of a volcano. It was an awesome ride and completely unique. 

Unfortunately, in its later years, it repeatedly kept breaking down and was closed more often than not. It was upsetting when it was announced, but I completely understand why Kings Dominion decided to close it. Hopefully, they announce something awesome to replace it soon.

Kings Dominion has a good assortment of flat rides including Delirium, Drop Zone (a 300-foot drop tower) and Windseeker, a 300-foot tall swing. There is also Boo Blasters on Boo Hill, a haunted mansion-themed shooting ride that I consider to be a hidden gem. Planet Snoopy is a land perfect for kids, with lots of rides for little kids themed to The Peanuts. 

If it is hot, then the log flume and White Water Canyon are two good water rides that will help cool you down. They also have several shows, including a 4-D theater, however, the movie showing in the theater often rotates so I’m not sure what it always is.

The operations of the rides at Kings Dominion is pretty good. The rides are usually open and do not experience many problems, although I have been there at times where a lot of the rides can temporarily close. Overall, the rides are usually reliable but don’t be shocked if there are temporary closures.

Kings Dominion often doesn’t have long lines during the week, but can get crowded during the weekend. Volcano would often have lines that could get up to an hour and a half. There is a fast lane option that you can purchase, however, check and see what the wait times are like before purchasing because it can often be light on crowds.

Water Park

The water park at Kings Dominion is ok. It is rather small. It does have some fun slides, such as Paradise Plunge, a tower of drop slides. The wave pool is rather small as well as the lazy river. It is receiving an expansion so that will add more to the water park. However, if it is a hot day, which it can often become in the summer, then it is still a good place to chill out for a bit after riding some coasters. It is in the back of the park so getting to it can be a bit of a hike.

Food

Kings Dominion has a lot of different food options throughout the park. Some are original counter-service restaurants, but there are also a lot of chains, such as Panda Express, Chick-Fil-A and Starbucks. 

The original places are good for the most part, but I have had some bad experiences with some of the food, so if you want to play it safe, then go to the chains. It is an amusement park, so just be prepared to pay a lot more, even at the normal chain restaurants.

Atmosphere

The theming at Kings Dominion is very mediocre. The only themed areas are really Planet Snoopy and Safari Village, but even then, there isn’t too much detail. Some of the rides do have good theming, such as Flight of Fear and Intimidator 305. My favorite area is the main entrance area. You are greeted by a pool of large fountains and the Eiffel Tower. 

The area is also playing awesome movie scores, creating a relaxing & epic environment that gets you excited to go explore. Sitting by the fountains can just be very relaxing. The Eiffel Tower also serves as a viewing tower where you can go up and look out at the entire park and get some great views. 

It’s too bad Volcano is no longer there because the volcano structure really added to the skyline of Kings Dominion. It’s a large park, but not the biggest I’ve ever been to. It doesn’t take too long to navigate from one side to the other.

Final Thoughts

Kings Dominion is a really great park to go to if you love rollercoasters. It has a solid roster of quality coasters as well as 2 coasters that are worth the price of admission alone. The lines are never too crazy and the rides don’t malfunction very often. There are a couple coasters, however, that are pretty bad. If the park gets one more fantastic rollercoaster to replace Volcano, then it would have one of the best rosters out there.

 Even if you are going with kids or just might not be a huge coaster person, there is still plenty for you to do. I’d say that its biggest weakness is the water park, but it does the job fine enough, especially if it is a hot day. This is a park that I can easily recommend to anyone, especially rollercoaster fanatics. 

I also recommend going for Haunt, their Halloween event. This is an awesome event with really good houses and scary experiences. I haven’t been to their Christmas event, Winterfest, but I hear that’s also an awesome experience. If you haven’t been to Kings Dominion, it’s a park that you should take the time to check out.

Final Grade: 4/5