Why You Should Visit Paramount's Kings Dominion

Since we moved to Virginia, my family and I have made it a point to purchase season passes to Paramount’s Kings Dominion, an amusement / water park located about an hour north of Richmond, Virginia and about an hour south of Washington, D.C. We have a lot of experience with amusement parks and we often take family vacations at different venues around the United States. All of us love them and Paramount’s Kings Dominion consistently ranks as one of our favorites.

The park, which is situated near the small Virginia town of Doswell, encompasses about 400 acres and offers entertainment and attractions for family members of all ages.

For kids, there is a dedicated area called Kidzville that features rides for toddlers as well as small roller coasters for little ones not quite ready for the high-energy attractions. Themed exhibits include characters from various Nickelodeon shows and a Scooby-Doo Haunted Mansion ride that allows kids and parents to travel in a slow-moving car shooting adversaries with a mounted laser gun. Scores are tracked for each gun and kids can see where they rate on the shooting scale. Also in Kidzville is a giant play area where kids can run wild while parents take a little bit of a break from the activities in the park.

For those interested in old wooden roller coasters, Kings Dominion has plenty to offer. The Grizzly is a favorite with kids and adults alike and the Hurler is one of the fastest wooden coasters I have ever been on. One of our favorites is the Rebel Yell, which features two tracks running simultaneously. One set of cars hurls down the track forward while the other faces backward. Either one is sure to put smiles on everyone’s faces. The ride on these monsters is not as smooth as on the newer steel coasters, but for sheer thrill wooden coasters are hard to beat.

Of course, when talking about amusement parks you have to talk about thrill rides. These are the fastest, most intense of all amusement park rides, and Kings Dominion does not disappoint. Favorites include the Italian Job Turbo Coaster and the Anaconda, which features a 144-foot drop and an underwater tunnel.