What to See in West Mifflin - Top Sights and Attractions

Roller coaster in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania. Phantom's Revenge, formerly named Steel Phantom, is a steel roller coaster at Kennywood amusement park in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania. When it opened as Steel Phantom in 1991, it featured the fastest speed and longest drop of any roller coaster in the world. It features a unique characteristic of having a second drop that is longer than its first. The ride was originally manufactured by Arrow Dynamics but was later modified and renovated by D.H. Morgan Manufacturing for the 2001 season, when it reopened as Phantom's Revenge. The drop and track length were both increased, and its four inversions were removed enabling the ride to remove its unpopular over-the-shoulder restraints.

The ride has been ranked in the top 50 of the annual Golden Ticket Awards every year since 2000, spending a considerable amount of that time in the top 10. In addition, it has been ranked consistently in the top 5 of the National Amusement Park Historical Association Favorite Steel Roller Coaster poll, with the exception of the association's 2008 results.^[1]

Roller coaster in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania. Jack Rabbit is a wooden roller coaster located at Kennywood Park near Pittsburgh in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania. Designed and built by John A. Miller and Harry C. Baker, Jack Rabbit opened in 1920, making it one of the oldest roller coasters in the world still in operation. The ride's three trains were manufactured by Edward Vettel, Sr. in 1951 and contain three cars of six seats each. The aging cars are considered a part of the ride's nostalgic experience but also lead to some young children being disallowed to enter the ride, due to the use of a small lap bar to hold in riders. A popular early feature of the ride was a tunnel which covered the turnaround section after the first drop, but this was removed in 1947 when the new cars were ordered. In 1991, the tunnel was restored, at a slightly shorter length.

The Jack Rabbit was built shortly after Miller patented a new track design in 1920 (which all wooden coasters built since have used). This design involved the use of wheels both under and over the track, which allowed Miller to create the then enormous 70-foot (21 m) drop that is the attraction's largest. It is most well known for its double dip element following the lift hill. The double dip produces strong airtime that makes the rider feel that they will be thrown from the seat, and a feeling that the train leaves the track (it rises up but the upstop wheels keep it firmly on the rails).

According to Rick Sebak, producer of Pittsburgh history programs for WQED, the layout and train design results in the rear seat of each train experiencing the greatest amount of airtime.

In 2019, Kennywood released a video of the Jack Rabbit, likely from 1920, on their YouTube channel. The video features clips of people on the ride and clips taken from the front row seat of the Jack Rabbit. Kennywood claims their video is "the oldest coaster POV video in the world".^[2]

Roller coaster in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania. The Exterminator is a steel roller coaster located at Kennywood amusement park in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh. The ride was developed by Reverchon Industries.

The ride is heavily themed around the concept of the rider as a rat attempting to escape from Kennywood exterminators. The concept is a pun of the phrase "Wild Mouse roller coaster", which describes this type of coaster, characterized by small cars (4 people/car for Exterminator) and sharp turns. Much of the theming takes place in the line for the ride, which includes such elaborate media as fake news broadcasts, and is usually the park's longest, being usually or beyond a 2 hour wait. The ride is very dark and unique, as the introduction says "unlike any ride you've rode before". The tracks are fast, rough, include a few sudden falls, and end with a fast finale that includes flashing lights, and the car seemingly spinning out of control. Like other spinning wild mouse coasters, the cars face forwards for the first half of the ride, but are free to spin during the second half.^[4]