Out in California, Disneyland truly is an amazing park. But if you’re looking for more thrill rides or you have some extra time on your hands during your trip, consider heading over to Knott’s Berry Farm. This Cedar Fair owned amusement park is only about 10 minute ride over from the Disneyland area.
Themeing
While it’s not Disney themeing, I do think that Knott’s Berry Farm does a pretty good job with this, especially compared to some of the other Cedar Fair parks that have little to no theme. The most impressive of these is probably Ghost Town, which makes up a large section of the park and has a very cool wild west vibe going. There’s also Camp Snoopy (an area for kids with the Peanuts gang), Fiesta Village (with a Spanish/Mexican feel), and the Boardwalk.
Rides
If you like roller coasters, you’ll find some good ones at Knott’s. The Xcelerator in particular, though very short, is an intense and fun one. There are also a couple of good and unique rides here. The Pony Express is a somewhat tame roller coaster that gets its fun out of the ride vehicle – you straddle a horse and ride around as if you’re actually on one. And the sidewinder is a roller coaster where the car you’re in actually moves and spins around on the track, adding an extra layer of excitement. Finally, there’s the new 3D arcade style ride called Voyage to the Iron Reef, which is fun and very well done. It’s somewhat similar to Toy Story Mania in that you have a gun and are shooting things to gain points, but it feels a little more intense and immersive.
Food
I’ve heard very good things about the chicken dinner you can get just outside the gates of the park, but we didn’t get a chance to try that. Unfortunately most of the fare inside of the park was your typical mediocre theme park food at extremely high prices. We were on the lookout for something different, and when we finally found a place with a salad I tried to order it only to be told they didn’t actually have it that day. We ended up with typical chicken fingers, fries, and pizza instead.
Entertainment
There are a number of live shows that happen throughout the day at Knott’s Berry Farm, and we were able to catch two of them. The first was a Wild West stunt show, and I have to admit that it was super cheesy and over the top, and the stunts weren’t all that impressive. That being said, the kids in the audience absolutely LOVED it. They were cracking up at everything. So perhaps not geared toward adults but if you’ve got kids they will probably enjoy it. The other one we saw was a show called Mystery Lodge. It’s hard to describe exactly what this is, but it has some really cool special effects that made it worth seeing. The story was a little odd/convoluted, but what they were able to do with the effects was really neat.
Knott’s Berry Farm also has special events going on throughout the year, particularly for Halloween (when you get Knott’s Scary Farm) and Christmas (Knott’s Merry Farm).
All in all I’d say if you’re in the area and have extra time to spend, at least half a day at Knott’s is worth it if you like roller coasters. Tickets are fairly inexpensive and you can find some good deals (I actually got our tickets for free from using My Coke Rewards points!). It can’t really compare with Disney (what can?), but it was still fun.
Have you been to Knott’s Berry Farm? What did you think of it?
I love Knott’s Berry farm! It’s decently close to where my home is, and with it being significantly cheaper, my family frequented it just as much as we did Disneyland growing up! I’ve had that chicken dinner, and it is well worth the experience! It certainly is not the best chicken dinner you’ll have in your life, but the ambiance is what makes it special.
Oh, that’s cool that your home was so close to Knott’s! I would probably go pretty often if I lived close. I know if we go back the chicken dinner is definitely something I want to try!
WE went there back in August and had a great time! We also didn’t get a chance to try the famous chicken either but the food inside the park was good. They had a Starbucks so we were happy when the afternoon rolled around and really needed a pick-me-up!
Oh, that was good! We had dinner plans back at Downtown Disney so we left around mid-afternoon – our pick me up was a quick nap before dinner 😉
I really enjoyed Knott’s Berry Farm when I went with my family a few years back! It’s definitely not Disney, but it’s fun.
LiveLifeWell,
Allison
That’s great! I agree, it was a lot of fun.
I think I went as a kid, but dint remember much. I’d love to take my kids to the Camp Snoopy!
I bet they would love it! There are Cedar Fair parks all around the country and I think most of them have a camp Snoopy section.
I’ve always wanted to go to Knott’s Berry Farm, but I haven’t gotten the chance yet 🙁 My cousin’s wife is from California so they’ve been there a couple of times and loved it!
I have always wanted to go there! It looks like so much fun!
It was a fun day, a good side trip if you’re in the area!