Is Knoebel's a Snoozefest?

IMO it is.

Only if you make it so.

If you can't have fun at Knoebles, Well I feel sorry for ya!

Chuck, who will gladly go in your place.

Did you say trollfest?

If you're looking for the latest in thrill ride technology and high prices, then Knoebels is not for you.

Knoebels is, however, a rare gem of a park. I'd describe it as a campground with rides. I'm not going to even get into all that makes Knoebels great.

I do have a question, though. How can anyone who considers themselves a rollercoaster enthusiast (or whatever the popular term is these days) not like Knoebels, or at least the 2 wooden gems they have there?

Everyone has their own opinions. Some good friends of mine visited this summer and didn't care for the place. To each his own.

I guess it is dependant on what you would rather have, broken thrill rides and bad customer service, or great classics and the best food ever.

As much as I go to other parks, Knoebels has a charm about it, something that reminds us of a simpler time. For me, it is being a family, going on our annual outing to the park, and just enjoying a long summer day. That for me is better than any Kinda Ka or Top Thrill Dragster.

But this is just my opinion.

But still, the original poster really didn't offer much in terms of justification. I haven't been so I can't comment. Smells like a lot of fun though.

Still, if someone posts something like that, my first thought is, "So what?"

*** Edited 4/27/2006 9:52:08 PM UTC by janfrederick***

I agree with Chuck , if you consider it like that I pity you. But, like others suggest, this seems merely like trolling.

Methinks the person who started this thread is confusing Knoebels for Nitro ;)

Hell, I got nothing to lose. I guess I'm big enough to finally come out of the closet. Consider this my official "outing."

I don't particularly care for the park myself.

That's not to say it's bad and I do think the initial post was trolling, but rather than close it, let's save it with some good opinion discussion. :)

It's not even just the 'small park' thing either. LC and IB are two of my favorite parks ever. There's just something about the place that didn't do it for me.

As far as the coasters, according to my ballot in Mitch's last wooden coaster poll, I apparently have 14 wooden coasters that I find more enjoyable than Phoenix or Twister.

Heck, I'll even go a step further down the enthusiast's balsphemous road to hell and admit I don't give a crap about the Flying Turns they're building either. It just doesn't interest me one bit.

I found this in my PM folder. It's from July 2004 in a reply to TeknoScorpion (who I still miss around here) in response to his inquiry of whether I planned on attending PPP that year -

---

As far as PPP, I'm about to commit the ultimate blasphemy and I will deny I said this until the day I die, but...

I don't really care for Knoebels. We made it there last year and I probably won't be back anytime soon. It's about 4 hours from me now and I have at least 5 or 6 other parks in that range that I much rather visit. Never been to PPP and I've yet to hear of anyone not having a good time there, but it's still not on my agenda.

I'm weird :)

---

Just my opinion and no more or less valid than anyone else's.

Although I disagree, that's a prefectly reasonable opinion, and I'm sure you're not the only person who feels like that. Seems like you're saying it's "not your cup of tea" and that's understandable. (Some people feel thre same about Disney, CP, etc) If the original poster had offered that level if insight, it wouldn't have seemed like outright trolling.

I guess I won't be seeing the haters this Saturday!!!

Before I knew better, I had passed a billboard for it on Route 80 a few times and thought that (from the looks of it) that it was just a small kiddie - ride park.

(I even thought that Kosmo, the mascot, looked like the critter from Herrs Potato Chip Bag). I collected some of the brocuhres from the rest - area tourist bins and never thought it would be ok enough to go to or to visit.

Two things changed my mind: The frequent comments on this board - and my son's height last summer (he just hit 42 inches last August and he was tall enough to go on both of thier "Big kid" coasters.)

I ended up loving it, as did he, and my wife who is really a non-rider didn't have to pay.

I was anticipating great food, but found what I ate (Pizza mostly) passable with the potato wedges outstanding, and I thought the rides would be weak, but some of them were outstanding.

We are not camper-type of people, so I can't comment about the cabins because we stayed at a hotel about 20 - 25 minutes away.

The crowds were not overwhelming and quite well behaved.

Deffinately (In my humble opinion) not a snoozefest.

I can see how some folks might not care for Knoebels. If you like big steel and high tech flats this is not them place for you. There is nothing wrong with that. Knoebels is 4 hours for us and we get there about twice a year. Love the place, but I wouldn't wnat to go there every time.

The two woodies, the Skooters, the Flyers and the Carousel with the brass ring keep us coming back, not to mention the nice atmosphere. Still, we like other places too and can understand others feelings.

Knoebels atmosphere kinda reminds me of Euclid Beach and all the old traditional parks like Chippewa and Meyers Lake I used to visit as a child. These are places I miss now. Well...I can still go to Chippewa, I just can't ride anything. :(

One man's "garbage" is apparently a lot of people's "treasure" in this case.

I happened to thoroughly enjoy Knoebel's. To me it was the atmosphere. Feeling like I was back in the 1920's. I didn't care for Mister Twister. However I really liked Phoenix. I really enjoyed the Pioneer train, the haunted house, and just being in a park in the middle of the mountains.

The Flying Turns does have me interested. I actually really enjoy the metal bobsled coasters alot. Especially the Mack version (only been on the one at PKD). Getting to ride one of the old wooden trough ones has me personally really excited just because of the uniqueness.

EDIT - somehow my last word got truncated. ODD. *** Edited 4/27/2006 10:34:29 PM UTC by beast7369***

I've lived an hour and a half away from Knoebel's... well, since I was born. As great of a park as it is, I've only been there three times. I've seen that most people love it, or ignore it. Myself? I love the park, but it's so out-of-the-way that my family usually ended up going to Hersheypark or Dorney Park instead. That said, I'm looking forward to being there on Sunday (and, oh yes, I will have my camera).

I did not offer much justification. But here it is. People say if you like lots of high tech steel and high tech thrill rides etc etc then Knoebels isnt for you. But ya know what, what about Kennywood? Im just so sick of Knoebels playing the "were an old classic family park" as the reason why theyre good. No, an old classic family park is Kennywood. Kennywood is the empitome of what a classic traditional park should be. Someone said its a campground with some rides. I agree with that. Knoebel's is a park with two wooden coasters, neither of which compare with Kennywood's woodies in my opinion. Tons of people LOVE Phoenix, but IMO Twister is a better ride, and its modeled after Mr Twister, a ride 100x better than Phoenix to begin with. I feel bad for twister that its at that park. But these are just my opinions. I just think the "old classic/traditional park" card is overplayed and overused. Thats what Kennywood is....Knoebel's to me as an old classic snoozefest. Im sorry for my vague post before.

---

Coastin Reimer said:
People say if you like lots of high tech steel and high tech thrill rides etc etc then Knoebels isnt for you. But ya know what, what about Kennywood?

---

Your argument doesn't work. Kennywood has high tech steel and high tech thrill rides!

I'm not sure I buy any comparison to Kennywood. When's the last time they built something "classic" like a wooden coaster. Like 80 years! What have they built? Steel Hyper, giant freefall, enclosed mouse, sally dark ride, new high tech flats, etc. The only "classic" thing they semi-recently build was faux-classic: Lost Kennywood. That's like Disney's Main St. USA. (I'm not bashing it...I love it!)

Knoebels is chosing to stay classic and "old fashoned" ...kind of the real deal.

It's like comparing a classic old historical house that has been preserved mostly as it was 100 years ago vs. a classic house that gutted and redone on the inside and full of modern stuff, plasma TVs, modern furnature and decorations, etc.

*** Edited 4/27/2006 11:07:22 PM UTC by Peabody***