Gluten-Free Foods:

• Personal Size Cheese Pizzas – Tower Pizza, Victoria’s Pizza, and Sharky’s
• Nachos and Gehl’s Cheddar Cheese Sauce – Border Café (view more information on the other new food offerings at Border Café in Clint’s blog post, here)
• Gluten-free hamburger buns – Trail’s End Grill, Jukebox Diner (ask for supervisor when ordering)
• French Fries – dedicated “french-fry-only” fryers are used at Border Café, Johnny’s, and Trail’s End Grill to ensure they are gluten-free
• Garden and Chef Salads – Available at many locations throughout the park; Honey French Dressing is our gluten-free salad dressing option
• Dippin’ Dots – Available at carts throughout the park and at Border Café, Congo Dippin’ Dots, and Snoopy’s Snack Shack (Cookies n’ Cream and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough are NOT gluten-free)
• Soft Frozen Lemonade – At Carts throughout the park
• Cotton Candy – Sold on Carts, Border Café, and by walk-around vendors and at a few other buildings
• Rita’s Italian Ice – All Italian Ice flavors are gluten free

Vegetarian / Healthier Options

• Garden and Chef Salads – Available at many locations throughout the park
• GoGo applesauce is available at many locations and may be substituted for french-fries on most combo meals
• Vegetarian Taco Salad available at Border Café
• Veggie Delite sub-sandwiches are available at Subway
• Malibu Vegan Organic Veggie Burger is available at Wayside Grill, Trail’s End Grill and Juke Box Diner
• Whole fruit, fresh fruit cups, veggie cups, baked lays, baked doritos, granola bars, and clif bars are available at the Fresh Market Cart in Congo and in Planet Snoopy.

Peanuts & Peanut Oil

• Peanut oil is used in the following locations: Both Chick-fil-A locations and our Boardwalk Fries Carts
• Locations that use nuts as ingredients or toppings for menu items include ANY location that sell: fresh-baked cookies, fudge, candied nuts, ice cream, caramel/candy apples, and brownies
• Cinnabon uses Pecans for the Pecan Bun

Sugar-Free Options

• Butter Pecan Ice Cream sweetened with SPLENDA® is available at Edy’s Tower Ice Cream
• Diet Coke is available at all restaurants that serve fountain drinks. Coke Zero is available at: Tower Pizza, Border Café, Theater Snacks, Country Kitchen, Tower Ice Cream, Tower Pretzel, and Trail’s End Grill
• Dasani bottled water is available at all food locations and throughout the park at carts and vending machines
• PRO DRINK TIP: All food locations will give you a free cup of water if you ask!
• At least 1 flavor of sugar free Italian ice offered daily – available at Rita’s Italian Ice

Kosher Meals and Halal Foods

• The following Dippin Dots flavors are certified Kosher: Banana Split, Birthday Cake, Bubble Gum, Chocolate, Cookie Dough, Vanilla, Rainbow Ice, Cookies and Cream

Options for the 8 Most Common Food Allergies

Eight of the most common food allergies include wheat, milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, shellfish, fish, and soy. You can enjoy allergy friendly snack and meal packs from companies like Lucy’s, Enjoy Life, and Sunbutter at the following locations.

•  Trails End Grill – Meal (5-6 assorted items) and Snack Packs (3 assorted items)
• Victoria’s Pizza - Meal (5-6 assorted items) and Snack Packs (3 assorted items)
• Marketplace in Planet Snoopy

Meal and Snack Pack will contain combinations these great products:

• Wild Garden Hummus Dip
• Sunbutter Spread
• Ener-G Pretzels
• AllerEnergy Fruit Bars
• Animal Cookies
• Fuji Apple crunch dried fruit
• Homefree mini cookies
• Froose assorted gummies
• Yummy earth organic peppermints

We want to know, have you tried any of these great products? What are your thoughts on them? Do you have any other food items that you would like to see in the park, respond in the comments section below.

As you entered KidZville from the Grove/Congo entrance, you were greeted by a clock tower pointing you in the direction of some of the featured attractions. Now you will be greeted by a stunning Snoopy topiary surrounded by smaller Woodstock topiaries.

Up next is the lost parents building. The old building had a sole purpose: reuniting kids with their families after taking a wrong turn. The newly expanded building still servers this purpose, however you can now sit and relax in 1,100 feet of air-conditioning. The building has room for children to take a nap during a tiring day in the park, as well as an area for mothers to feed and change their infants. The renovated building puts the comfort of guests in the fore front.

The Swing-A-Round, a ride that has been at the park since the beginning, has unfortunately been removed. However, not all is lost as Kings Dominion has replaced it with a fantastic attraction families can ride together. The Swing-A-Round could only accommodate children, but Woodstock Whirlybirds can accommodate children and their families to ensure everyone can experience it!

Although we did lose a swing ride, we gained a much more efficient one! Jeep Tours made its final spin last season to make room for Charlie Brown’s Wind Up. This new ride is a larger swing attraction, that unlike The Swing-A-Round can accommodate larger guests. Charlie Brown’s Wind Up is sure to thrill the pint sized thrill seekers, and give their parents a chance to experience  it with them.

Kings Dominion brought a truly unique ride to the Mid-Atlantic with Linus Launcher. Children and their families ride lying down as they soar through the sky. This is a much welcomed change from the old Hot Rods ride, which included spinning at a leisurely speed. Linus Launcher is sure to excite children as they get the chance to fly!

Everyone loves bumper cars, but sometimes children are too small to drive. That is not the case with Lucy’s Crabbie Cabbie! Kids can take the wheel as they smash into each other on on this wild ride. The cars have been painted and the building has been given a new look replacing its’ old stone age looking facade.

A family favorite, the Red Baron, has been given the Peanuts makeover as well. Now called Snoopy vs. the Red Baron, kids can take flight in their own aircraft and help Snoopy fight off the Red Baron. The remodeled ride looks fantastic with Snoopy sitting on top of it all!

Another welcomed change is the addition of Flying Ace Balloon Race. This high flying ride has much more thrills to offer than the old Spaceport attraction that once sat in its’ spot. Children and their families can pick a country and soar up to 43 feet in the air as they spin their balloon out of control! It is definitely one of the best additions to Planet Snoopy and is sure to be a family favorite!

One of the more depressing changes has to be the removal of Treasure Cave. Although Treasure Cave has been removed, we did receive a great train ride for families to enjoy together. Lead by Snoopy and Woodstock, families make their way around a set track on Snoopy’s Junction. Although one of the most memorable attractions of what once was has been removed, new memories can now be made!

Overall, Planet Snoopy is a fantastic and much needed addition to the park. KidZville had become outdated, but the Bigger Better Planet Snoopy area creates one of the best kids areas at any theme park!

This time, the culinary team at Kings Dominion has changed over the entire menu to a Mexican theme with items like burritos, nachos, tacos, and quesadillas. The menu has a set price of $9.79 and you can pick from one of the 5 options, most of which include chips.

When you approach the counter to order your food you will be given a clip board that will include the menu items and what you would like with it (see picture)

Here is my review on a few of the items I have sampled!

2 Taco Plate

With this item you get 2 hard shell tacos with the toppings of your choice and a side of chips. I went with beef, lettuce, shredded cheese, black olives, and onions. This was the first item I tried at Border Cafe and after seeing the portion sizes for the other items, I have to say its not as good of a value compared to the burrito or other items. My favorite part of the Plate was the fresh fried chips! Over all, everything was very tasty.

Burrito

This is my new “Best Value” at Kings Dominion. This item is a chipotle style burrito made to order and served with chips. You can get your choice of beef, chicken or steak all for the same price. The corn salsa and rice are made at the park fresh.

The burritos have taken over the “Best Value” title from Panda Express which raised their prices slightly over the off-season. When dining at Panda Express you always know what to expect in the quality and amount of food, and at the price they were offering made it a great value.  Now coming in under $10, you can get a very large burrito that tastes great!

You can also add guacamole, salsa, or queso for $1.59. Border Cafe does still offers the Woodstock Kid’s Meal for $7.99 and if you are in the mood for a churro you can pick on up for just $3.99!

Remember when you are out at the park this summer, they are no longer doing All-You-Can-Drink wristbands for $5.00. When you buy your souvenir cup, you get free refills that day and the rest of the season is just .99! This works out well for me, because I never filled me cup more than 5 times in a day.

Be sure to check out the new Border Cafe and I hope you enjoy it!

In 2013, Kings Dominion will continue to improve their food options! Of course, many of you already know about the much anticipated addition of Sweet Frog, but the park also has planned a bunch of fantastic new food options as well! Some of you may have tried the new never-frozen burgers last year, but this year, the park will be crafting fresh made burgers with improved buns. In addition to the burgers, a brand new gourmet toppings bar will be featured at The Juke Box Diner. Another food item that will be enhanced this year is the park’s fried chicken. The new fried chicken will be available in the Country Kitchen and will be hand breaded. Now I know what you might be thinking, this is not all that exciting. Well get ready for what might be one of the new top of the line eateries at the park. The Boarders Cafe will receive a brand new menu, which will feature many Mexican favorites as well as made-to-order burritos!

Now food might not be the most exciting aspect of the park to many guests, but I am certainly looking forward to trying out some of the new and improved food options this year! How many more days until March 29th?

Seven new live shows headlined by a BMX-style show and Broadway-style musical revue 

DOSWELL, VA (March 12, 2013) – Kings Dominion, the Mid-Atlantic’s premier amusement park for family-fun, has announced a major expansion in its live show offerings for the 2013 season, highlighted by a high-energy BMX bike show and a Broadway-style musical revue. In all, the entertainment package will include 7 new live shows, 10 total, making it the largest entertainment line-up in years at Kings Dominion.

Headlining the 2013 live entertainment package is the all new “All Wheel Sports”, a BMX-style show with bikers, skaters and gymnasts who were semifinalists on Season 7 of NBC’s “America’s Got Talent”. Park guests will watch in awe as the cast will flip, dive and perform stunts that defy gravity. “All Wheel Sports” will be performed in the PEANUTS^TM Showplace Theater in Planet Snoopy daily from June 22 – August 18.

Broadway is making its way to Kings Dominion with the all new “On Broadway” musical revue at the Kings Dominion Theatre. From the classics that started a sensation to the biggest hits in New York, “On Broadway” takes over from June 15 – August 18.

The additional live entertainment schedule includes:

• NEW – Charlie Brown’s All Star’s: Help cheer on Charlie Brown, Lucy and Linus as they gear up for the big baseball game in this all-new family musical, running March 29 – October 27.
• NEW – Schroeder’s Sing-Along: Warm up your voice and join Schroeder and the PEANUTS^TM gang for singing and dancing fun, running March 29 – October 27.
• Got Country: Kick back and relax as country music takes center stage as we celebrate some of today’s hottest hits, running March 29 –September 2.
• NEW – Karaoke Superstars: Take to the microphone with the biggest hits from the 50’s to today and be a star on stage, running March 29 –September 2.
• NEW – Pop Fusion: Keep the party going as Kings Dominion presents today’s most electrifying hits, running April 27 – September 2.
• PEANUTS^TM Rockin’ Party: Join the PEANUTS^TM gang for a rockin’ party on International Street, photo opportunities, along with meet and greets following the show.
• NEW – Dominion at Dusk: The sky lights up at night with “Dominion at Dusk”, featuring more than one million LED lights in “Snoopy’s Starlight Spectacular”, a chance to join singers and dancers with a new live show, “Street Beats”  and time to blast off with our nightly fireworks show. “Dominion at Dusk” will start at dusk on all 10:00 PM park closings, April 27 through September 1.

“This expansion of our live entertainment, along with our new Planet Snoopy at Kings Dominion, emphasizes our commitment to provide our guests with the best family-fun in the region,” Kings Dominion entertainment manger Jason Holbrooks said.

The expanded live entertainment package resulted in an additional approximately 50 employees hired to perform, with a majority of the entertainers from the Richmond area. For more details on Kings Dominion’s live entertainment, please visit http://www.kingsdominion.com/things-to-do/live-entertainment.

Kings Dominion to Hire 4,000 Seasonal Employees

Recruitment underway now for the park’s 39^th season of operation

DOSWELL, VA (January 24, 2013) – If you’re looking to not just work, but be FUNemployed, Kings Dominion is now accepting applications to fill 4,000 seasonal positions for the 2013 operating season.

Kings Dominion is looking for applicants to fill job openings throughout the park including food and beverage, games, merchandise, rides, admissions, guest services, first aid, security and various other departments. Entry-level, as well as supervisory positions, are available to qualified applicants.

Applicants looking to be FUNemployed at Kings Dominion must be at least 15 years of age and apply online at www.kingsdominion.com/jobs. Qualified candidates will be contacted to conduct an on-site interview.

“Kings Dominion is looking for high-energy, outgoing individuals who want to have fun, yet work hard at the same time to provide our park guests with the best entertainment experience in the region,” said Kings Dominion Human Resources Director Greg Talley. “We are committed to providing not just a place to work, but a place to be FUNemployed.”

Kings Dominion is also seeking qualified individuals to work for its entertainment team, including actors, dancers, singers, characters, technicians, theater attendants, stage managers, supervisors and more. Interested applicants are encouraged to apply online and attend one of the park’s two entertainment audition dates, which are scheduled for:

Saturday, February 2^nd and February 16^th at the Kings Dominion Theatre

1:00pm: Singers, Actors & Characters Registration

4:00pm: Dancers, Stage Managers, Technicians & All Other Positions Registration

Candidates who are unable to attend the audition dates are welcome to submit an audition video online at www.kingsdominion.com/jobs.

Kings Dominion will open for its 39^th season on March 29^th, when togetherness will take on a whole new meaning with the multi-million dollar expansion of Planet Snoopy. Based on one of the most beloved comic strip characters ever, Snoopy and the PEANUTS™ gang, Planet Snoopy will span nearly 14-acres and boast 8 new rides designed for families to experience together.

Kings Dominion, the Mid-Atlantic’s premier amusement park where Thrills Connect has announced SweetFrog, the popular Richmond-based self-serve frozen yogurt company will open its first-ever amusement park location at Kings Dominion in the spring of 2013. SweetFrog will be located outside of Woodstock Express, a re-themed roller coaster in the park’s newly expanded Planet Snoopy.

SweetFrog at Kings Dominion will offer families a large selection of delicious frozen yogurt flavors including fat free, sugar free, and gluten free options. Customers will also have dozens of toppings to choose from including fresh fruit, granola, wet walnuts, crushed candy bars, chocolate, caramel, shredded coconut and more.

“We saw an opportunity to have another location in Virginia and were intrigued with the idea,” said SweetFrog Director of Marketing, Victor DiPace. “With Richmond being the home base of SweetFrog, what better place to have a location than at an amusement park in our own back yard? It is a perfect combination of entertainment, family and kids having fun.”

SweetFrog started in Richmond in 2009 when CEO Derek Cha hand-picked Richmond as the city to start his frozen yogurt business. SweetFrog now operates nearly 200 stores nationwide with continued expansion plans for 2013.

Kings Dominion will open for its 39^th season on March 29^th, when togetherness will take on a whole new meaning with the multi-million dollar expansion of Planet Snoopy. Based on one of the most beloved comic strip characters ever, Snoopy and the PEANUTS™ gang, Planet Snoopy will span nearly 14-acres and boast 8 new rides designed for families to experience together.

“We are thrilled to be partnering with such a local iconic brand that our guests can relate with and will be a great addition to our new Planet Snoopy children’s area,” said Kings Dominion Director of Marketing John Taylor. “Planet Snoopy is sure to deliver new and exciting experiences for the entire family with the addition of eight new rides and many enhanced guest amenities.”

 

Kings Dominion is excited to announce that Chase Mytrysak, 7, a second grader at Winding Creek Elementary School in Stafford, has been selected as the park’s first-ever Planet Snoopy KidCaster. Chase will be the park’s junior reporter, telling the world about the park’s Planet Snoopy construction. Kings Dominion will unveil its bigger, better Planet Snoopy in the spring, which will boast 8 new rides and span nearly 14-acres. Chase was chosen as the Planet Snoopy KidCaster from more than 150 applicants.

For those of you who do not know about the Give Kids the World Village, it is a 70 acre resort in Orlando, Florida. They offer children with life-threatening diseases and their families, an all expense paid trip to the Sunshine State. While staying in the village, families will get the opportunity to meet their favorite characters, visit Central Florida’s many theme parks and attractions, and even have ice cream for breakfast!

If you want to take part in this great event to help out a wonderful charity, stay tuned to our Facebook page to find out when registration opens. While you’re waiting, feel free to check out the GKTW website, www.givekidstheworld.com for more information on the village, and to read letters from some of the families they’ve helped.  So, mark your calendars for June 9th and sign up for Team Coaster Crew! Remember to let all of your friends and family know so that they can donate to this fantastic cause.