Knoebels - 9/6/09

I just got back from Knoebels. After leaving from Pittsburgh at around 7 this morning, I arrived at the park around 11:30.

After buying tickets, I immediately headed to Phoenix, the ride I wanted to go on most of all. This coaster lives up to its reputation for airtime. I rode it three times during the day, with the final time,in the front car being the best. Overall it is my favorite ride at this park. I also rode Twister but because of its intensity, I decided that one ride on this was plenty. Twister has intense lateral forces tht make Kennywood's Thunderbolt seem mild by comparison. It's still a great ride but not nearly as rerideable as Phoenix.

Two flat rides that everyone recommends as being the best of their kind are the Flyer and the Skooters. I rode both of them and they both live up to their reputation. They remind me of the great rides that West View Park had years ago. The Flyers are awesome especially with the manuevers you can do to make use of the wind changes as the ride goes around. The Skooters have that intense bumping that Lusse cars are famous for. I even got a little bit of whiplash when I was rearended. Other flats I rode were the Giant Ferris Wheel with its great view of the hills surrounding the park and two thrill rides not found at either Kennywood or Waldameer: Downdraft and Power Surge. Either of these two rides would be a great addition to the Western PA. parks.

Other rides ridden were the Log Flume, the Haunted House and the Pioneer Train. Each of these rides was special in some way. The flume is very scenic with its wooded setting and its tunnel. The Pioneer Train goes under the Twister (more shades of West View which once had a train that passed under a roller coaster) and then goes into the woods like the train at Conneaut Lake. The Haunted House is a true classic darkride with a great variety of stunts including some basic pop up items along with some classic Bill Tracey scenes.

I didn't actually ride the Carousel but I did enjoy listening to the band organ and watching riders try to grab the rings. It's no surprise that this consistently wins awards for being the best Carousel in the country.

Food at the park was good and reasonably priced. I had Pizza at Cesari's and dinner at the Alamo.

The park was quite busy and that is where the ticket system is appreciated..POP was not available today but even if it were, it wouldn't have been worth it unless you wanted to power ride the coasters and stay from open to close.

The park presents a major contrast with corporate parks such as SFGA, Dorney, Hershey and Kennywood. It is more rustic in nature and has that old-fashioned atmosphere that no longer exists at most parks. That combined with reasonable prices and a friendly setting makes this park really special. May it always remain this way in the future.

I left at 6:30 to get home at a reasonavble time. Hopefully in the future I will return for a full day to enjoy the other rides, experience the park after dark, watch some shows, and sample more of the park's food.

Art, I gotta agree with on EVERY aspect of KG. I only had a chance to spend a couple of hours there, and I WANT TO GO BACK!!!!!!

It's one of those "hidden gems" in the amusment world, ones only the locals and us coaster junkies know about. It's off the beaten path (hard to believe I-80, which carries millions of people a year is less than five miles away). There's a bonus to going to KG: The scienic drive though the PA countryside.

Hardly anyone in the Pittsburgh area knows about this park. It would be a great park for those who miss the former West View Park. And yes, the drive to the park from Pittsburgh is long but very scenic.

There are two things that I would like to see added to KG. First, a drop tower similar to Waldameer's. Second, a looping coaster. Knoebels should buy that coaster that is sitting in mothballs at DelGrossos and set it up. A looping coaster just doesn't seem right for DG which would be better served by a small woodie like the one being built at Quassy.

I'm not sure if a steel looper would fit in with KG's vibe. MAYBE something along the lines of Magnum, but smaller in scale.

You ,know, i bet you're slightly shocked that somebody from NH would have a clue about KG either. Heck, my sister's boyfriend (who was nice enough to let me crash at his place), who's in Port Jervis, NY, had NO CLUE about it.

I knew OF it from the posting here, and knew it was SOMEWHERE in PA, but beyond that, nada. Say the billboard on the way out to Indianapolis and was determined to stop on the way back. Glad I did. :)

There are two things that I would like to see added to KG. First, a drop tower similar to Waldameer's. Second, a looping coaster. Knoebels should buy that coaster that is sitting in mothballs at DelGrossos and set it up

Agreed on the drop tower. A Frog Hopper just doesn't cut it :)

As for a decrepit loop-screw coaster... They had one, albeit a Vekoma, so they're probably not keen to acquire another one. It used to be where Flying Turns is now.

I for one would like to see them get a mouse. Sure they have them at Hershey and Dorney, but Hershey's price is insane and Dorney's line is insane. DelGrosso's has no line, but there's nothing else there for the enthusiast to ride.

Hopman said:
I'm not sure if a steel looper would fit in with KG's vibe. MAYBE something along the lines of Magnum, but smaller in scale.

One thing that would absolutely fit in with their vibe would be a terrain coaster. A few years ago I heard a rumor that they'd very much like to have one, but the piece of mountain they want isn't for sale yet.

That could work well, especialy if cut down as few trees as possible.

If they pulled off something ala Ravine Flyer near the Skyway, it might work.

Either that or havit gound around the river.