This past weekend I completed my first coaster road trip of 2022, traveling to Virginia's Kings Dominion for the first time. Along for the ride was my girlfriend Justiss, my friend Riley and his friend Hunter. I will be giving both my thoughts and observations of the park, as well as a narrative of the trip itself.
The park was over 450 miles and 8hrs from home by car, so driving to the park was certainly a haul. I had picked up Justiss the night before to save time on Friday for our long drive. I started my day early with a 7 mile run, then cleaned out and packed the Civic. Even though my car is small it gets the best gas mileage therefore being the go to road trip vehicle. Once everything was ready to go we left my house around 10:20 Friday morning.
Before picking up Riley and Hunter, Justiss and I first stopped to get gas and drinks at Delta Sonic (as well as stopping to pickup my paycheck). We then got some drinks at Starbucks and picked up the guys at Riley's house. After a final stop at the credit union to deposit my paycheck (extra cash for the trip) we were officially off towards Virginia.
The drive was a combination of highways and backroads, and was fairly relaxed until a large amount of traffic from the capital region all the way to the hotel (which was right off of I-95). On the way we stopped a few times, as well as got lunch at McDonalds. Upon arrival at the hotel around 8pm, we were met with an issue when the gentleman at the desk of the Quality Inn informed us that we would not be able to check in as we are under 21. Fortunately, since Riley and I had been put in this situation on past trips, we had made sure to check online to make sure this hotel allowed 18 year old's to check inn, and the Expedia page for the Quality Inn said exactly that. After some negotiating and explaining our confusion, he let us check in regardless, thus saving us from having to use the tent in my trunk.
The Quality Inn we stayed in, located in Ruther Glenn VA, was actually pretty decent for only $118 for 2 nights. Both nights I slept well on the comfy beds, and the room was clean and visually pleasing (although the shower wasn't one of the better ones I've seen). The hotel also had free breakfast, which was appreciated. Overall I'd give the hotel a 7/10. Anyways, after a meal at Waffle House (a southern classic) we went to bed to get some rest after a long day of traveling.
Saturday 3/19
Saturday morning started off with a quick workout in the morning (I snuck onto a local track) and by 10:45 AM we were on our way to Kings Dominion. The park was only about 8 minutes from the hotel and my first impression was how easy it was to get to the park, as you can get to the entrance right off of I-95. That said, we were quite disappointed that the park was only open from 11-5, but that was likely due to staffing issues. While Kings Dominion doesn't have the most iconic entrance and skyline, I did find myself excited as we entered the park.
The first ride we tackled was the parks brand new attraction Tumbili, an S&S 4D free spin, and we even got pins for being some of the lucky first guests to ride the new coaster. While I won't review rides here for the most part (separate ranking) I will say it is a nice addition to the park. The new jungle themed area the ride is in was definitely a highlight of the park for me. Both Tumbili as well as the retheming of their Bobsled coaster (Reptilian) and their Scrambler (Arachnidia) were solid rethemes and the whole area looks great.
After Tumbili we continued on to conquer coasters Intimidator 305, Racer, Anaconda, and Twisted Timbers. In between coasters, we also decided to go on the Boo Blasters dark ride. Non-coaster rides are kind of hit or miss for me at most parks, and I'm very particular with what I choose to ride. Most rides that spin I usually avoid, and even drop towers are a rarity for me to go on. That said, shooting Dark Rides like Boo Blasters are some of my favorites and I found this attraction to be a solid 7/10 ride. We finished the day off with a ride on Dominator, a B&M Floorless coaster, as well as a second ride on Twisted Timbers. On the way out we purchased some souvenirs (I always buy at least 1 coaster-themed mug) and called it a day.
From there we continued to target coasters that we hadn't ridden yet and got a solid ride on Flight of Fear, the indoor launch coaster. After a couple more rides on Twisted Timbers we also tried out both the wild mouse Apple Zapple as well as the rough woodie Grizzly (the entrance of which is hidden behind a gift shop for some reason). Before attacking more rides we had some pretzel bites, then snagged yet another ride on Timbers. We wanted to re-ride Intimidator 305, but unfortunately it was down for the day. We finished the day mostly wandering the park, taking pictures, and ended it all with another ride on Boo Blasters.
Upon leaving the park at 5 PM, we stopped for dinner at an Olive Garden about 30 miles north of the park. After dinner we were off on our way home, eventually arriving at about 3:30 AM Monday morning. The drive home wasn't easy, but we fought off the exhaustion to get it done. Unfortunately my windshield got a puncture in it from some sort of rock that hit it during the drive, but since something always goes wrong on a road trip, I'll take windshield damage over something worse. Even though both drives were arduous, the park managed to make it worth it and this is definitely a trip to remember.
Wrap-Up
After two days at the park, I feel as if I got a pretty good taste of Kings Dominion. I was genuinely surprised at how much I enjoyed my time here, especially considering that on paper the park only has two real standout coasters. The park's layout was well designed and I found it to be even prettier than its sister park Kings Island. I also liked how convenient it was getting in and out of the park (rather than being stuck in traffic for a while). While I didn't have any food, I will admit nothing really stuck out to me as a must eat, but I'm sure on return visits I can further my investigation into the food. Again I didn't really do any of the flat rides (besides Boo Blasters) but for the most part they had a pretty full lineup of both flat rides and family rides. Whereas before this weekend I considered this a likely one time visit, I now would totally consider a return trip to the park, and I'm sure Justiss, Riley and Hunter would all agree with me. Kings Dominion might not have the elite lineup of some other Cedar Fair parks, but I found that the park works with what they have just fine. Overall I'd give the park a solid 7.5/10.
Park Pros - Great Standout Coasters; Good Atmosphere and Very Visually Pleasing; Good Ride Depth and Variety; Great Kids Areas and Solid Jungle Themed Area; Good Parking and Entrance.
Park Cons - Needs Another Standout Ride or Two; Could Add More Synergy to Themes; Food Seemed a Little Uninspired; some Rides Have Poor Capacity.
OVERALL: 7.5/10
