Jack Rabbit (Kennywood)

Jack Rabbit is a wooden roller coaster located at Kennywood Park 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. Due to the use of a small lap bar in the cars, some young children are disallowed to enter the ride, as 42” is the minimum. 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. In 1991, the tunnel was restored at a slightly shorter length.

Jack Rabbit was built shortly after Miller patented a new track design in 1920. This design involved the use of wheels both under and over the track, which allowed Miller to create the attraction's largest 70 ft drop, which was very large for the time. It is also known for its double dip element following the lift hill. The double dip produces strong airtime.

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 Jack Rabbit estimated to be from 1920 on their YouTube channel. The video features clips of people on the ride and shots taken from the front row seat of Jack Rabbit. Kennywood claims their video is "the oldest coaster POV video in the world".

Awards
The nonprofit organization American Coaster Enthusiasts (ACE) designated Jack Rabbit as a Coaster Classic. ACE also designated Jack Rabbit as an "ACE Roller Coaster Landmark" in June 2010. It is also a contributing structure to the Kennywood Park historic district, listed on the National Register of Historic Places.