A hot day at King’s Dominion – How to avoid Waiting In Lines!

On Friday, Brady, my sister Hanna and her friend Chris, and I drove a couple of hours down to Kings Dominion in Virginia for a fun day of roller coasters and water slides! We left in hopes that we’d get there before park opening and be in the front of the line for the “Volcano” which is probably the best roller coaster in the park. Of course, we headed straight there only to find it was closed. It was already insanely humid at hot. Just walking through the front part of the park already had me sweating all over. Brady and I bought a souvenir cup for $13 that would give us free refills for the entire day. It was a no-brainer because I think water bottles cost $4 apiece. I feel like we always drank through it within a minute or two of refilling because we were so hot.

Related: Hiking Chimney Rock on the 4th of July, Hanna’s Swimming Breakthrough!, Volunteering for a Triathlon with my Sister

I sat out while Hanna and Chris rode Intimidator 305 which is an insanely high speed (and jerky) roller coaster themed after the late Dale Earnhardt. It’s a great ride that I rode right after it opened in 2010 but I knew there was no way I’d be able to handle it with my back because it jerks from side to side really hard.

Our second goal was to make it into the water park as soon as it opened at noon because we knew it would probably be packed by mid-afternoon. We walked straight onto every single slide. Huge difference from last year when we waited over a half hour just for this one slide that Hanna rode this year 3 times in a row in less than 10 minutes! It’s a crazy slide where you step into a tube with a see-through floor beneath you. It counts down from three and then the floor drops and you fall down into the slide. I think it freaked me out more last year because I had waited so long and had listened to scream after scream. Since I got straight on it this time, I didn’t have as much of a chance to freak out but I was still shaking for a few minutes after.

Hanna convinced me that I needed to leave my flip flops in the locker so after 2 hours of walking around barefoot, I was starting to get legitimate burns on the bottom of my feet because the pavement was so hot. Also, I kept my glasses and sunglasses with me the whole time and ended up losing each pair once in the end pool… Sorry to anyone who’s ever been a lifeguard and had to fish for sunglasses! By the time we left the water park, long lines had formed for most of the slides so it was a good call to get there early!

Drop towers have always been my favorite rides because I love that falling sensation (I love the Tower of Terror at WDW!). Hanna and I rode it twice and probably would have kept going if the guys weren’t being boring. The new ride at King’s Dominion this year is called Delirium and is basically a giant swing with a circular base that you sit around while it spins and swings back and forth. Maybe it sounds boring or doesn’t make sense, but it was easily my favorite ride of the day. I love the falling feeling and I love the swinging feeling so this ride was relaxing, thrilling, and so much fun at the same time.

We came back through the front of the park for lunch and then we jumped on the log flume ride so Brady could get soaked.

Then we saw a show that’s a less impressive version of what Cirque du Soleil does but it was entertaining enough and a good break from the heat and being on our feet.

If you’ve ever been to the Magic Kingdom, then you’ve probably tried a Dole Whip. These treat are pineapple soft-serve heaven. Last year I discovered that they had a cart selling them in the park just not actually called “Dole Whips” because I think that’s a Disney thing. This year I think I saw at least 4 spots that were selling them as “Island Twists”. So so so so good.

While Hanna and Chris went to ride the Intimidator, Brady and I wandered through Planet Snoopy and rode “Boo Blasters”. It used to be a Scooby-Doo theme but they’ve unthemed it. When we all met up again, we rode the Boo Blasters together and I ran away with the top score even though I was sitting in the back!

The Dominator roller coaster at the front of the park was our last ride of the day which usually gets ridden 2 or 3 times but we were all tired so it was a one-time thing for this trip. I had to do the Eiffel Tower (1/3 scale replica) so Brady and I did a quick trip to the top before walking out of the park.

Between the waterpark stairs and the insane heat/humidity I was worn out. It was still a really fun day though and it’s probably the most rides I’ve ridden in one day at King’s Dominion. We did not wait long in a single line so I guess the heat kept everyone away. My phone said that it was 95° but felt like 109° so I’m not surprised by the low crowds. My favorite rides of the day were the swings, the drop tower, the tube water slides, and Delirium.

We left the park around 6:30 and we stopped at Quickway Hibachi on the way back home for dinner which was my first time trying it. My back actually held up surprisingly well and maybe even felt a little better than normal by the end of the day? I’m glad it cooperated with me for once.

Have you ever been to King’s Dominion? Fave ride?

What’s your favorite type of ride at any amusement park?