Any Tips for Knoeble's & Hersheypark?

Hi guys! Life has been crazy, new job, old job & the same old life.

Anyway, with my new job, I FINALLY have some vacation time. One of my roomates & I are planning a road trip to PA. We're planning an afternoon at Knoebles after driving down from NH and then two days at Hershey. Beyond that we're open.

Any tips for Hershey about must do things to ride & see? Is two days enough? Is knobles doable in 8 hours?

I appecaite your info & imput.

I'm not a huge Knoebels fan...but 8 hours probably isn't enough. I'd say a full day at Knoebels for sure. Honestly, I don't know that you need 2 days at Hershey, it all depends on your riding habits, when you go (crowds), etc.

I did Knoebels in maybe three hours and did pretty much everything I planned on doing. I mean, I wouldn't have minded trying some of the food or riding a few more things, but given five hours, perhaps, I'd have been good. Knoebels just isn't my thing.

As for Hershey, if the crowds aren't bad, one day is good. I usually go during the times of the year when the operating hours aren't as long as usual and I get my fill, but I think the fact that I go there a couple times a year every year means that missing out on one thing or another doesn't bug me very much.

If you can do a weekday at both places and stay open-close, doing most everything shouldn't be difficult. Knoebels has tons of rides of all types, so you can be selective about what you want to ride. If you plan on trying to marathon the coasters, you might look into whether they're offering POP on the day you go. And DO NOT MISS Haunted Mansion and the Bumper Cars. Best of their type.

Knoebels is doable in 8 hours.

Knoebels is definitely doable in under eight hours. Even with children, you can hit everything and be done in under six.

My personal fave at Knoebels: Phoenix, second seat from the front, right side. This is subjective, but you're not sitting on a wheel in the second seat, and the airtime is ridiculous without being jarring (I find the back to be rough). Of course the flyers are great. The Cosmotron is a cool Musik Express in the dark, and it still goes backwards. The long train ride with the station towards the front of the park is a really pretty, relaxing train ride through the woods.

Hershey: unless you're a credit junkie, skip Wildcat. Don't miss Lightning Racer, though, especially the red train in the back seat. Also, Skyrush got the new restraints according to pictures I've seen, so if the restraints are less painful, Skyrush could now be one of the sickest airtime coasters on the planet. I'd give it at least one try and see. Storm Runner is a great launcher that, while short in duration, packs a wallop. SooperDooperLooper is a classic ride, and the new trains have completely revitalized the experience. Give yourself a little time to check out Chocolate World's free ride as well. It is nicely done, smells yummy, and you'll be singing the Hershey's chocolate song all day afterwards. Be wary of the free samples at the end though. I swear they are test candies in the weirdest configurations. *laugh*

Wildcat up front is pretty spectacular, actually.

^^ This is why we need a vote down button. ;) j/k

I agree. That way, I could vote down all the "El Toro is better in the back" posts that you and Mike keep making. ;)

D'oh!

While in Hersheypark, do not miss Chocolate World just outside the entrance sometime during your visit. It makes for a good break from the park in the middle of the day, in my opinion. The Chocolate Tour ride is a must. If you miss that, you might as well not even made a trip to Hersheypark. I am hearing good things about the new 4-D movie at Chocolate World too. The old 4-D movie was nice enough.

There is also ZooAmerica, which is easy to miss. Do it if you like animals and have enough time. It's small and really wont take up much time, and is a good break from the park if you need it. (Is it still open? I didn't get to see it last September when I went.)

While Wildcat may be way too bumpy, feeling like riding down a gravel road on a wagon with square wheels, it does have a very awesome layout. I don't hate that ride.

Lightning Racers holds a special place in my heart though. It is one of my favorite coasters anywhere. It's not the biggest or fastest wooden coaster in the world, but it's just so exciting. Plus the line is never as long as the other coasters in the park.

Storm Runner is short, but a very original launcher. The last inversion set tricks my brain sometimes as to knowing which way is up.

Fahrenheit gets some negative talk, but I think it is awesome. It's compact and disorientating. My only problem with the ride is the color matches Storm Runners color too much, and that's really nothing.

Great Bear has a fantastic first half. The helix directly off of the lift hill is intense and exciting, and one of my favorite drops anywhere follows.

Comet is cool, but just like Great Bear, the last half limps of the ride somewhat limps back to the station.

Skyrush is not my cup of tea. Maybe it's better this year with the new restraints.

Knoebles is a strange park. I didn't love the park as a whole the first few times I went, but it grew on me after a few visits. The two wood coasters are top quality. It will be fun to figure out which of the two you like the most. Phoenix is a great double out-and-back with some interesting double-downs and double-ups. Twister is very intense and gives a very wild ride. (I like Twister a lot more. lol)

Do not miss the Haunted Mansion. It is unique in that it really tricks you into being startled many times throughout the ride. Also, do not miss the Sky Lift. It give you a very crazy view of the park and surrounding mountains. Both of these rides are an upcharge, and well worth it.

I haven't been to Knoebles for a while now, but it is really cool if you can overlook the carnival feel of some of it. The park is in a league of its own. A lot of the rides are top quality, but the layout is very confusing in a plopped-down kind of way. Trees grow out of gravel paths, an untraveled road separates one area of the park from another, and Twister is just out of the way in relation to the rest of the park. Overlook that and the terrible restrooms, and notice how unique the park is, and you should have a great time.

...In my opinion, anyways.

sirloindude said:

I agree. That way, I could vote down all the "El Toro is better in the back" posts that you and Mike keep making. ;)

Voted up SOLELY because it made me LOL at 5:37 a.m. That's hard to do, Justin.

Thanks guys!

Another coiuple of quick questions: I'm kind of a big guy (not tall, just a bit stocky), any problems with having to the "walk of shame" on any of the coasters @ Hershey?

Is the "front of line pass" @ Hershey really needed?

Are the all-day wristband @ Knoeble's a good value?

I did visit KG briefly for a couple of hours back in '09, but didn't have a chance to explore the park fully.

If I recall, you and I have close to the same build, although I think I'm a shade taller. I have no trouble with anything at Hershey.

If you're there on a weekday, you shouldn't need FOL. I don't know much about theirs, but I think it allows only one ride, and not on every coaster. I may be wrong.

If you want multiple rides on Phoenix (yes!) and Twister (DOUBLE Yes!), get the POP with the woods included. As mentioned above, it's not available all the time.

It depends on how much you ride for POP. If you plan on riding about 10 rides, don't get it. If you plan on riding about 15 rides, look at how much you'll ride Phoenix and Twister. If they're 1-2 times each, just pay per ride. If they're 3-5 times each, get POP. If you're planning on riding 20+ rides, get POP.

Or you could go with my Knoebel's strategy:

Buy the POP no matter what, just ride whatever you want, and don't care about nickels and dimes.

Most other parks do get my nickel and dime analysis, but there's something about Knoebel's that demands forgetting about the $ and just having fun.

I will definitly get POP at KG. When I was there back in '09, I only had money & time for a run on the bumper cars, a lap each on Pheonix & Twister, and a lap on the train.

Any idea if Flying Turns will be operationg this year or am I somewhere in thw Twilight Zone?

Oh, if any of you guys have AAA, I found out they have two day Hershey tix for only $74.00.

^Herseypark offers a "preview" the night before you use your full day ticket. You can go in (at no extra charge) 2.5 hours before the park closes.

Any Trailblazer love? I love that ride :) It's short, but so sweet and covered with all that lush green stuff. And sooperdooperLooper of course, can't wait to try out the new trains!

The preview night really made my trip to Hershey a breeze. I did Chocolate World and the tour ride before the preview night started, so it really felt like an extra free day at Hershey. The rides were walk-on's during the 2.5 hours, and I got on most of the coasters. As a result of the preview night, it was easy to do everything I wanted the next day at the park.

Also, you can hand the parking ticket from the preview night in the next day so that you don't have to pay for parking a 2nd time.

Not sure how many on here know about it, but Hershey Park has a really nice little restaurant called the Coaster Cafe that sits right outside of the employee entrance/exit between The Claw and the Play Dome Arcade. You'll have to get stamped and go out the main gate and walk around to it (passing the front of HP Stadium), but it is definitely worth it. They have very good made-to-order and a la carte food, high def tv's - and the prices are almost too good to be true. But I can assure you, they are.