Lodging Recomendations near Knoebles?

I was wondering if anyone has some lodging recmendations near Knoeble's Grove & Kennywood. During my coaster tour May 28th-June 9th. I will be visiting Knoeble's Grove on June 3rd. Between June 3rd & 4th I will be in PA. On June 4th I will be at Kennywood. I maybe visiting Idlewild, Lakemont and Williams Grove during June 3rd & 4th because there about an hour from each other. Where are some good motel's to stay near or between Kennywood & Knoeble's Grove? Any cheap ones? Thanks!

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9 Years working at Valleyfair :)! Dragster Cedar Point Trip Countdown 17days! Club member 437.

I'd look closer to Kennywood for lodging. I live about 30 minutes from KG, and I can tell you firsthand that it's in the middle of nowhere and all you'll find are small motels and campsites. ;)

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If at first don't succeed, find out if the loser gets anything.

Glossar Motor Lodge, in Paxinos, is the closest "Motel 6" type hotel. It's not fancy but it's not expensive, either. I've also stayed at the Pine Barn Inn in Danville, about 10 miles away.

Check the park's website for other lodging options.

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"I don't like poop singers." Peabody, discussing American Idol.

I should've elaborated a little I suppose. About 30 or so miles west is Shamokin Dam, which has a Hampton Inn (? I believe thats what it is) as well as a few other hotels. Also, just off I-80 en route to Kennywood is New Columbia and Lewisburg (Home of Bucknell University) which has I think another Hampton Inn as well as a Days Inn and some other small motels. Hope this helps! :)

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If at first don't succeed, find out if the loser gets anything.

Your pickings are pretty slim for hotels around the Knoebels area. Like Moosh said Glossars is the closest about 5 miles from the park. Your other real choices are in Danville about 10 miles away. Danville hotels will probably be a little more expensive with Geisinger Medical Center and I-80 very close but you have a bit more of a selection in that area. There actually isn't much of a selection in a 20 mile radius of the park.

You could always stay at Knoebels campground. They have showers and you can just walk to the park since it is right behind Twister. In the morining they serve breakfast at the International Food Court.

If you are heading south on I-81 around the Hershey and Harrisburg area you will find alot more hotels but you will be paying more than up around Knoebels. But then you will be closer to Williams Grove.

Depending on your route Williams Grove or Lakemont will be out of your way. If you head south and take the turnpike to Pittsburgh Williams Grove and Idlewild will be doable. Going that way Kennywood is about 250 miles from my place. I'm about 12 miles from Knoebels. Going to Lakemont out thru State College is about a 220 mile drive to Kennywood. Going that way Lakemont and DelGrossos are very easily reached off of I-99. Either way you are looking at about a 3-4 hour drive from Knoebels to Kennywood.
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Signature will be closed today. Sorry for the inconveinance.

I forgot to mention I'm booked at a Hampton Inn in Danville for PPP in October, about 10-12 miles from the park.

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"I don't like poop singers." Peabody, discussing American Idol.

We stayed in Danville at a name brand motel. There was an awesome restaurant across the street that had lots of artwork and knick-knacks that you could buy. It was a perfect match for the feel of Knoebels. One warning I have is to not find your motel/hotel at night. It's incredibly dark up there in the mountains. I also almost hit a deer after our stay at the park.
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If you have a problem with clones, the solution is real simple—Stop traveling.

Thanks for the info. I will be playing it by ear. I did check Knoeble's web site for lodging. My trip is May 28th-June 9th. Here's the PA tour. I would like to take the longest drive first. Leaving Michigan's Adventure on June 2nd at 4pm. I will be coming from Michigan. Is it possible to do 2 parks in one day? I have my trip all squared away. Just need some ideas for my PA trippin.

June 3rd & 4th
3rd: Knoeble's (Morning)
3rd: Kennywood Park (Afternoon till close)
4th: Lakemont Park (Morning)
4th: Williams Grove (Afternoon)

Any ideas for the PA trip?

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9 Years working at Valleyfair :)! Dragster Cedar Point Trip Countdown 17days! Club member 437.

The way you have your trip your driving to eastern PA for Knoebels, then driving to south western PA, Central PA then Southern PA. I think PA works well in a loop pattern. Kennywood, Williams Grove, Hershey, Dorney, Knoebels, Lakemont, Conneaut.

Think of PA as a dollar: Kennywood is near the 1 in the lower left, Lakemont is the thing sticking out behind Georges neck, Knoebels is about 10:00 on the green seal to the right of George, Williams Grove is where the series is printed. I guess my point is: You need a small car to drive all over a dollar!

Knoebel's and Kennywood are the two biggest parks on your list and you should spend the majority of the day at each. Leaving Kennywood by 3 would get you to Knoebels by 6:30-7pm. I just think 3 or 4 hours just isn't enough for all there is at both parks.

By hitting Lakemont after Kennywood you will cut your drive time down to about an hour and a half. That should give you plenty of time for Lakemont and possibly Delgrossos before closing. Find out if the Altoona Curve are at home since Lakemont stays open till midnight game nights. Delgrossos is only about a half hour from Lakemont north on I-99. You will go right past it. Altoona has a better selection of hotels than the Knoebels area too. From Altoona Knoebels is about 2 and a half hours away.

Williams Grove is a little tough fitting in on your route. It's a good 2 hours from Knoebels in the opposite direction of all the other parks. If you were going to Hershey, Williams Grove would be a perfect morning stop. You can get to Hershey from there in about 30 minutes to and hour depending on Harrisburg traffic.

You could always do Kennywood, Williams Grove roughly 200 miles. Using the turnpike will cost you around $7 but it's a straight shot and about 2 1/2 hours. On your way to Knoebels you will only be about 10 miles or so from Hershey (tempting isn't it :)). Williams Grove is about 75 miles from Knoebels. Then Knoebels to Lakemont is around 150 miles.

Was that any help or did I really confuse you? Sorry if I did! :(

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Signature will be closed today. Sorry for the inconveinance.

*** This post was edited by coasterpunk 5/14/2003 1:20:22 AM ***

I agree with C-punk. You need to seriously rethink your itinerary, especially the order in which you're doing the parks as well as the parks you're considering visiting. You're doing a lot of unnecessary driving back and forth around PA, and you're skipping Idlewild, Del Grosso's, Conneaut Lake, and Hersheypark.

Both Kennywood and Knoebels require more than a half day, especially if you've never visited. IMHO you're cheating yourself to try to do both parks in one day. Plus it's 3 1/2 to 4 hour drive between the two parks.

Last year I spent a day at Kennywood, with a hotel east of Pittsburg on US22. The next day I spent a half-day at Idlewild, followed by 60 minutes at Del Grosso's Amusement Park [it was a credit whore stop, but where else can you find a 3-car train Galaxi with ejector air in the last car?] and finishing the night at Lakemont.

From Altoona you have two choices for Day Three: Knoebels [130 miles] or Harrisburg [136 miles]. If you choose Harrisburg first, visiting Herseypark and Williams Grove, that sets you up to spend Day Four at Knoebels, which puts you close to I-80 for your trip back west.

Matthew

PS - Conneaut Lake isn't far from the I-80/I-76 junction, between Pittsburg and Erie. Of all the parks you've listed that's the one that needs your financial support most!

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"I don't like poop singers." Peabody, discussing American Idol.

*** This post was edited by Mamoosh 5/14/2003 1:49:26 AM ***

This is some good info for me too as I am planning a trip from July 4 th through Juley 12th. July 5th however I will be at a wedding in Allentown. How convenient since Dorney is only blocks away from the wedding.

We plan to hit:
Dorney
Conneaut Lake (if they are indeed open!)
Knoebels
Hershey
Lakemont
Idlewild
Kennywood

Possibly Sesame Place to appease my girlfriend. ;)

We may also do the following but are not planned yet:
Williams Grove
Del Grosso's
Waldameer

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My website - currently down due to an upcoming move and revamp.

Beast 7369:

Del Grosso's is only about 20 minutes from Lakemont and while it is a nice, charming little park you won't need more than an hour there. Buy enough tickets for their coaster and you'll be in and out and only missing about $2.

Waldameer is a cute park with a nice flume, good Jr. Woodie, fun kiddie Miler, a great dark ride and walk-thru, and great views of the park and Lake Erie from their ferris wheel. You shouldn't need more than a 1/2-day there.

Conneaut is slated to open this year. The best time to be at Conneaut is the late afternoon and evening. If you're going to be there around dinner time walk over to the gorgeous historic Conneaut Lake Hotel and attend their Steak On the Lake dinner...you *won't* be sorry! Blue Streak is a fun coaster that's even better at night. And there are lots of little kitzchy hotels near the park to stay at. Conneaut is one of my favorite quirky small traditional parks...there's just no place like it ;)

Moosh - wishing he could make it back to Conneaut this year

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"I don't like poop singers." Peabody, discussing American Idol.

Moosh:
I actually currently plan to stay at Hotel Conneaut unless there are better hotels to stay in. Thought it would be kind of neat to experience what it was like to stay at an old time hotel.

Everyone:
Would it be recommended for us to have reservations for hotels/campgrounds for this trip. The only reservation we have so far if for a hotel near Dorney on July 4 and July 5. We kind of hoping to get to Allentown early enough to go into Dorney after 5pm on the 4th. We are hoping we dont need reservations since we really would like to be able to go with the flow.

Considering the current plans of attack in order that we likely will do things are:

Dorney on July 4th (alterative July 6th)
Sesame Place (July 6th unless we go to Dorney)
Hershey July 7th
Knoebels July 8th
Del Grosso's ???? (July 9)
Lakemont July 9
Idlewild July 9/10
Kennywood July 10/11
Conneaut Lake Park July 11/12
Waldameer ???? July 10

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My website - currently down due to an upcoming move and revamp.

Near Knoebels, I would recommend the Econo Lodge in Bloomsburg. The prices are usually very reasonable and it's by far the nicest Econo Lodge I've ever stayed at.

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Sue Barry
CoasterSue@aol.com

Or just do what I'm going to do.........

.......stay with Coasterpunk....... wink, wink.

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There's nothing like a woodie...

Beast7369:

I agree regarding the Conneaut Hotel...I'd like to stay there sometime, too. Be forwarned...the hotel does not have A/C.

mOOSH

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"I don't like poop singers." Peabody, discussing American Idol.

Thats always a solution Woody! As long as you don't mind my miserable noisy parrot! plus I know the "after hours' park places in the area! ;)

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Signature will be closed today. Sorry for the inconveinance.

Moosh, Yeah I know about the no AC at the Conneaut hotel and that may be the deciding factor in not staying there if it is too hot to bear it at night. Such a shame because I want to give them as much of my business as possible in order to help keep the park open.

I hope plenty of other people will go to Conneaut this year just to help them out.

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My website - currently down due to an upcoming move and revamp.

beast7369 - even if you're not staying at the hotel make sure to walk over and take a look. And as I said earlier their "Steak On The Lake" dinner is awesome!

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"I don't like poop singers." Peabody, discussing American Idol.

This may help you with your planning, this map shows where all of the major coaster parks (except the kiddie parks) are:

http://www.penncoasters.com/images/pamap.gif
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"If you make it too smooth, it'll be like sitting in your living room."
-Bill Cobb - Designer, Texas Cyclone