Knoebel's is a great park! (8/19/06)

As some of you may remeber, a month or two ago I was on here asking about what were some must do's at Coney Island. I asked because this past weekend we went to Pennsylvania to visit relatives, and my family and I were gonna go to NYC for the day this past saturday.

The only thing was that my mom and step-dad were going to stay in the Scranton area to see my step-sister's daughter cheerlead, and also my step-uncle's son had a football game, so my girlfriend, my step-brother and I would have to fend for ourselves. the other problem was that on our way up, I lost about $100 somewhere in MD or PA. Therefore we were low on cash.

So we were given a few suggestions of other places to go, and we decided to go to Knoebel's (which my step-uncle gave us about $26 in ride tickets that persuaded us also). One thing about it was that my step-uncle told me he thought it was a great value, and that he never went there feeling ripped off.

On the day of the visit we were on our way, and got stopped by a construction traffic jam for about 45 minutes (I now understand why some of you call PA the roadconstruction capital). But the traffic cleared up and we were on our way. As we finally arrived to the parking lot, my first thought was "holy crap, this isn't good!" As the parking lot was stuffed to capacity, and appeared to be going to overflow parking. I thought that would mean we would spend a good amount of our day waiting in long lines.

Once we got into the park, i saw that there was a ton of people in the park which did not make me think the lines would be any shorter than i originally thought with the parking lot. My girlfriend wanted a drink, and this was where surprise number one came, the large drink was $2! not 3-4, but 2. you don't see that very ofton at amusement parks these days. After we got a pepsi, the three of us decided to head for Twister.

Twister had both trains going and we only waited for about 10-20 minutes (surprise number two). Rode it in the middle the first time. Twister has an awesome layout and great speed. I love the helixes and the tunnel was a suprise as i had no idea that it had one. The lap bar was a little loose which made for good airtime since this thing lacks in the seatbelt department.

After twister, we headed for the back of the park and rode Fandango. We only waited about 15 minutes for this one. I have been on MaXair at Cedar Point and Delirium at Kings Island, and I thought this was a lot more fun than either of them. I love the short, quick swings, and how close you feel to the line (since it is really close to it!).

We then took a ride on Phoenix, which has some of the best airtime that I have expirienced. I love the lack of seatbelts at this park, it makes for some of the best air around! We also only waited about 15 minutes for a middle row ride.

We wondered around a bit and looked inside the carousel mueseum a bit, which I thought was really neat, although I think my girlfriend and step-brother could have cared less (sorry, im a amuesment park nerd!).

I decided to do a bit of credit whoring, and took a ride on the High Speed Thrill Coaster. The crew on this ride was a riot and i realized that every ride person here so far had been friendly, and also qucik, which is something I think Six Flags could learn from! The guy taking the tickets on this ride even said that he loved his job, which one can tell by looking at some six flags employees' faces that may not be the case. The ride itself was a fun little coaster, and is in a neat spot with the motor boat cannal going under it.

We had just about enough tickets for one more ride, so we went with power surge, which I thought was a bizarrly awesome ride! It was a little slow, but the way it turns in multiple axies was really cool!

So at this point we decided to take some stuff back to the car, and also to move it closer to the front so that we would not have to walk back as far after buying more tickets. Once that was done, we baught about $10 each in tickets.

On the second half of our tour, my step-brother and I did a back row ride on twister while my girlfriend went to the front. This was one of the best rides I had ever had on a twisting woodie. We also rode the carousel, the scenic skyway which has a great veiw of the park on the way back, the Skooters which are the best bumper cars I have been on, and also provided the comedic moment of the day. While in line, my step-brother said it would be really funny to cause a pile-up that took out most of the cars on the ride. At one point I was trying to make a hit on the side, and got hit on the tail that put me sideways into the side rail on the floor, and it caused a pile-up that everyone on the ride was in, and therefore the ride-ops stopped that ride, and had to pull me out to get it going again.

After the interstate lock-up :) We rode Phoenix agian, this time in the back car, second row, and the air was even better. The rocket slide was next, and was one of the best slides I have been on. We took another ride on Phoenix, this time in the last ride, and the last row had the best air of the day. My girlfriend had enough so she let me and my step-brother split her reamining tickets, and we went for one last ride on twister.

Overall, I loved this park, Ithink that anyone that is in the area should visit it as it was truly a great value, and was an excellent time for the three of us.

The positives:
-Great Rides, Twister and Phoenix took the number 2 and 3 spots on my wooden coaster list respectivly. The flats we went on were also awesome
-Value, we used about 17-19 bucks each for ride tickets, and I would say is was definatly worth it, I don't know that we could have even done enough rides to justify getting a ride pass if they were available that day (since it was saturday). Also the food was really cheap for an amusement park.
-Capacity, The park was packed, but we never waited anymore than 20 minutes for anything. And the ride crews were really fast, which made for an even less wait!

The negatives:
-The traffic getting there sucked, but there isn't much you can do about that.
-The weather at first was a little bit of a bummer since it was raining pretty well, but it certainly did not ruin the day.

There are a few things that I will do differently next time I go to Knoebel's, for one I will try to remember my swimsuit so that I can go to the pool as that would be a lot of fun from the looks of it, as the water slides look like a blast too. I also want to have a little more time to do the water stuff, and also to do more of the rides. I know we could have done more rides instead of re-rides on the coasters, but they are awesome coasters! I also wouls bring more money for the above, and also to try some of their food since it all smelled awesome!

I can't wait till the next time I go, and I hope that when I do, the Flying Turns will be open, cause that looks awesome as well!

Best advice I would give for Knoebels... go during the week when you can buy a wrist band (with coaster option).

For Knoebels, a 15 or 20 minute wait is a long wait... during the week you don't run into that, and with the wrist band you can ride until you are exhausted!

If you can't make it during the week, then try for a weekend in either May or September when they offer the wrist bands. Crowd's are usually lighter then as well.

A few other advantages of Knobels...

Best bumper cars you'll find anywhere.

Best amusement park food.

One of the best merry-go-round including the brass ring.

Natural setting is great, lots of shade.

Log ride is exceptional.

Top family park in my book.

Great camping near by.

Knobels is a one of a kind, always a good time.

Are you sure that there bumper cars are the best? I've been on some pretty dang good ones in this area. Great tr! I won't be going to Knoebel's until PPP 2007. I can't wait.

Every time I read a Knoebel's TR, I start to smile. Big fun and lots of it!

While you had some weather issues, you can't really fault the park for that.

Glad you had a great time!

Nice title...if youre 8 years old that holds true...

Not sure I follow, Fball...you're saying Knoebel's is not a great park if you're over 8?

Exactly...actually i should have just worded it like this: Knoebel's is a just a carnival that stays in one place...a stationary carnival...thats it.

Ok...but if that's the case, it's the best damn carnival around, and that's selling it short. It actually outdoes many (if not most) of the larger parks in the States. I don't know of more than a handful of parks with rides that are as impeccably maintained as Knoebels'.

I agree with Richie--I couldn't help but smile while reading this TR, and reminisce of my first trip a couple years ago. *** Edited 8/23/2006 2:36:47 AM UTC by Vater***

I know many, and all are better than Knoebels....lets see

Kennywood
Cedar Point
Alton Towers
Thorpe Park
Blackpool PB
Knotts
Coney Island/Astroland
Holiday World
Valleyfair
Hersheypark

Need more? lets face it...Knoebel's has a good ride in Twister...Phoenix is decent but I can find just as much airtime and a much better layout on plenty of other coasters. The paths arent even paved. All the rides look portable. It has a FEW bright spots, but it has a carnival feel, only one good coaster IMO, and is just plain dinky. its just my opinion, but saying Knoebel's is GREAT irks me. Im sorry I feel that way, but im glad CarolinaCaniac had fun there anyway.

Not knocking your opinion...but I will warn you that you may be irked quite a bit as there is a boatload of CBuzzers who feel that Knoebels is nirvana. :)

In fact, it's the carnival feel, unpaved paths, and 'dinky'-ness that I actually appreciate about it. It's kind of the antithesis of the corporate theme park. And don't get me wrong, I enjoy the larger parks for their vast amount and variety of rides. But Knoebels is a nice change from all that...I find that a visit there is much more relaxing than at (most) other parks.

BTW, about half the parks in your list are among the ones I was thinking of. The other half I haven't been to, so of course I can't form an opinion about them. So, maybe it's a bit more than a handful...though still not a lot, to me.

Anyway, I'm not trying to change your opinion...not everyone is going to like every park. But I think Knoebels is great, and I'm over 8. :)

*** Edited 8/23/2006 3:12:01 AM UTC by Vater***

I'll be at Knoebels over labor day weekend as the "recently dumped me" :( I love Knoebels, but it holds so many memories and I think it'll take a little work to really enjoy it there, although I know I still will

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John Moore said:
Are you sure that there bumper cars are the best? I've been on some pretty dang good ones in this area. Great tr! I won't be going to Knoebel's until PPP 2007. I can't wait.

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They are the best bumper cars, especially when I'm riding! I saw some crazy things happen when the right people are involved! When I start to ride I completely forget that there are any other ride in the park. What really makes the bumper cars even more then bone jarring hits and actual speed is Jack. "One way only. No head on collisions!" From what I hear he gets more complaints then any other ride op at the park. I guess you either love or hate him! Most people think he's just an old miserable son of a ***** but if you get to know him he is one of the funniest people I've ever met. I think he needs his own reality show!

In my opinion, Coney Island / Astroworld (even with the Cyclone) isn't in the same league as Knoebels.

The flats at Astroworld have insane cycles, but there aren't that many of them and I believe that public bathrooms are non-existant. The areas surrounding it can be dangerous...despite the recent addition of Keyspan Park (Brooklyn Cyclones Minor League Baseball Team)...especially late at night. The areas around Knoebles are full of woodland critters and trees. Yogi and Boo boo Bear might want your picnic goodies, but they don't travel in gangs ducking around the cops at Nathans and the homeless under the boardwalk.

Bridges over streams or crack-heads in the alley...I vote for Kozmo.

I've never understood the arguments about Knoebels not having enough concrete or asphalt, and the rides looking portable.

First of all, traditional parks have always been a place for people to escape the concrete and asphalt of the cities and towns they live and work in. Say Knoebels would pave over all those gravel walkways. They spend a few million on acres of concrete and for what? They have that cost to pass on to the guests, and then you'd only complain that there weren't any new rides.

Second, if all those walkways were paved instead of gravel, I can guarantee those flood level markers would be at least a foot higher, and more of the park would be flooded. Water would take longer to recede, and more rides and buildings would be in danger of being flooded. What's the gain here by paving all those walkways?

The funny thing about many of those "portable" looking rides is that they've been in place and operating much longer than heavily themed rides in other parks that were removed years ago. For example, I remember riding Merry Mixer nearly 40 years ago. I was 8 then too! Good guess, Fball.

It, the train, and the pool were the only attractions outside the entrance gate next to the Alamo. They were "across the road"-- back then all park traffic traveled that road past the pool right where Power Surge and Downdraft stand today to enter the parking lot.

That's the beauty of this forum, Reimer. We can all have our own opinions and we don't have to agree on the same things. I enjoyed my visits to several of the parks on your list. Doesn't mean I can't like Knoebels too. You don't like their coasters, fine it's your opinion, but obviously may other people do. So I'd advise you to learn to accept other people's opinions and resist the urge to chime in with a smart remark.

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RatherGoodBear said:

Second, if all those walkways were paved instead of gravel, I can guarantee those flood level markers would be at least a foot higher, and more of the park would be flooded. Water would take longer to recede, and more rides and buildings would be in danger of being flooded.

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^Wouldnt that just suck...

Knoebel's may be peaceful, but if I want to sleep, I'll go to bed, and if I want to lounge and relax I'll go to a Caribbean island, but if I want to thrill ride, i WONT go to Knoebel's. *** Edited 8/23/2006 6:01:03 AM UTC by FballReimer11***

I'll be there in October, like clockwork....well, a slow clock, but ya know what I mean...:)

And I've not gotten many rides on O-n-B woodies anywhere that *get* me the way Phoenix does...

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Phoenix is decent but I can find just as much airtime and a much better layout on plenty of other coasters.

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That is (IMO) the funniest, and at the same time dumbest thing I've seen posted here. Try riding in the third row and come back to me afterwards.

Anyway, Knoebel's is truly great, and it took me awhile to realize how fortunate I am to live just 15 minutes away. The only park that I've enjoyed as much as Knoebel's was Islands of Adventure when I was there in May. No other park I've been to compares. *** Edited 8/23/2006 6:50:50 AM UTC by Camden Crazy***

The ride is mediocre, and its not even Knoebel's original ride, it was relocated, so stop giving them credit for it. And yes ive ridden in the famous 3rd row, yeah i got good air, but Ive gotten good air on plenty of other coasters that excited me way more than the silly Phoenix.

Snoozefest anyone?