The Jack Rabbit, located in the front of Kennywood Park in West Mifflin Pennsylvania, is one of the first roller coasters built and released to the public at the park.
This ride just so happens to be the first roller coaster I ever rode when I was just 6 years old. The Jack Rabbit was built in the early 1920’s and is still up and running today. Not only was this my first roller coaster, this was one of the first roller coasters to use under-friction wheels on the cars. The ride lasts for 1 minute and 36 seconds and hits top speeds of 45mph. Which doesn’t seem like a lot until you are going on a steep downhill. This ride is all wooden and rigid making for a rough ride, but this makes it more fun in my opinion. Along with going 45mph you are going down two 70 foot drops which was unknown to the world and is one of the most unique, famous, and thrilling parts of the ride.
In order to ride the Jack Rabbit you must be 42″ and riders between 42″ and 48″ must be accompanied with a responsible person. The seats in the cars of the Jack Rabbit have a leather interior and a lap belt to keep you safe during the ride. I think these are some of the best seats on cars in Kennywood. The lap belt stretches over two people in the car. Not only does the ride last less than 2 minutes, the line is also super quick. Waiting in line is always the most boring part for me, however with the Jack Rabbit it feels like barely 15 minuets. Other rides, like the Steel Curtain, can have lines with 2 or 3 hour waits.
I reccommed to check out the Jack Rabbit next time you go to Kennywood.
