SoCal Advice

I apologize in advance for this post if it annoys anybody, but I did a quick perusal of some other threads, and didn't think this would be redundant or out of line.

I am making my first ever trip out to SoCal next week (along with my wife and family), and will be visiting both SFMM and Knotts as well as doing other things. I know we have a number of people from the area here (Moosh in particular) who are very knowledgable about the parks, and the area, and wanted to glean a little from their wisdom.

We are going to MM on Monday, Memorial Day, and Knotts on Wednesday, June 1st. First off, should these be pretty good days to go? I figured with all the things to do there at MM, it would be best to go on a day it's open longer, even though it is a Holiday, and could be more crowded than a weekday. As far as Wednesday, I figured school would still be in session during the week, and crowds at Knotts shouldn't be too bad. Was my thinking accurate, or no?

I'm really concerned about not being able to ride either "X" or Deja Vu at MM, since they always seem to be shutting down. Does anybody know if they have been running fairly consistently lately? Also, if anybody knows of any coasters at either location being down for rehab right now, I would like to have an idea so I can fend off dissapointment ahead of time. I'd rather mope about it now rather than get there and be pissed!

Any other advice about the park anybody wants to give to a first time visitor would also be greatly appreciated, as I want to be able to enjoy my time there to the fullest, and know many of you have a good read on both parks. Thanks in advance for your help, and I hope I'm not out of place in asking for some advice.

-David

If you want to fend off disappointment, just assume nothing will be up and running at MM and be pleasantly surprised when you get to ride Scream. ;)

And it's nice that you are going to Knott's after MM. You'll appreciate it more.

Have fun!

PS...there's an interesting cemetary just behine paramount studios that has a lot of old movioe stars including Mel Blanc. Check it out if you're in to that kind of thing. Beutiful place actually.

"I go out at 3 o' clock for a quart of milk and come home to my son treating his body like an amusement park!" - Estelle Costanza

Hi David,

You are picking the perfect time to go. While it is a holiday, Memorial Day most people are at BBQs, the beach or getting ready to go back to work the next day having already done the theme park thing Sat or Sun. So you are picking a good day to go. And Knott's will be totally fine midweek. No worries there. All the coasters should be running there. Don't know about Magic Mountain.

What about Disney? Are you hitting that to? They have started their 50th anniversary celebrations and the fireworks show is very different from anything ever done there before. Worth a look if you get a chance.

As for first time advice:

Knott's:
1) Make sure you have a meal at the Chicken Dinner resturant. It's historical and more importantly, it's good!
2) Get there at opening and hit Ghostrider first. The line will only get longer throughout the day.
3) Make sure you see Mystery Lodge. It's kind of hidden and easy to miss. But it's a great show to see for a first time visitor.
4) Along those same lines, take your time in Ghost Town and really poke around. There's a lot to see if you look in windows, read the signs, and spend some time in the graveyard. If you just blow through there you will miss a lot of what Knott's is about.

Magic Mountain:
1) Make sure you are there before opening. Allow enough time to be at the gate prior to opening time. Then hit X first thing. Go up the hill under the bridge and then make a right and go up and over that bridge to get to X.
2) Next up should be Deja Vu. It's at the back of the park. After that you can hit rides in order as you come to them. Resist the temptation to do Viper while you are leaving X. You can hit it later and need to hit the lower capacity rides first.
3) If Flashback is open, take some asprin before riding. LOL

janfrederick said:
If you want to fend off disappointment, just assume nothing will be up and running at MM and be pleasantly surprised when you get to ride Scream.

Hands down, the best trip advice I have ever heard!

Rob Ascough said:
janfrederick said:
If you want to fend off disappointment, just assume nothing will be up and running at MM and be pleasantly surprised when you get to ride Scream.
Hands down, the best trip advice I have ever heard!

That's never a good sign! LOL!

Thanks to those who've given advice so far. I'm glad to hear I'm going at the right time, and hopefully I get to actually ride some rides at MM! ;)

Watch out for riots, as they are a regular occurance at Magic Mountain. They are pretty much unavoidable.

Down is the new up.

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