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 Interactive map of Knott's Berry Farm | |
| Location | 8039 Beach Boulevard Buena Park, California 90620, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 33°50′39″N118°00′01″W / 33.844178°N 118.000267°W /33.844178; -118.000267 |
| Status | Operating |
| Opened | 1920 (as a berry stand) 1941 (as a theme park) |
| Owner | Six Flags |
| General manager | Jon Storbeck |
| Theme | TheOld West andCalifornia history and culture |
| Slogan | America's 1st Theme Park, California's Best Theme Park, The Friendliest Place in the West |
| Operating season | Year-round |
| Attendance | 4,503,000 (2024)[1] |
| Area | 57 acres (23 ha) |
| Attractions | |
| Total | 43 |
| Roller coasters | 10 |
| Water rides | 2 |
| Website | sixflags |
Knott's Berry Farm is a 57-acre (2,500,000 sq ft; 230,000 m2)amusement park inBuena Park, California, United States, owned and operated bySix Flags. In March 2015, it was ranked as thetwelfth-most-visited theme park in North America, while averaging approximately 4 million visitors per year. The park features over 40 rides, includingroller coasters,family rides,dark rides, andwater rides.
Walter and Cordelia Knott first settled in Buena Park in 1920. The park began as a roadside berry stand run byWalter Knott alongState Route 39 in California. In 1941, the replicaghost town opened, paving the way for Knott’s Berry Farm to become a theme park. It was officially named Knott’s Berry Farm in 1947. By the 1940s, a restaurant, several shops, and other attractions had been constructed on the property to entertain a growing number of visitors. The site continued its transformation into a modern amusement park over the next two decades, and an admission charge was added in 1968. In 1997, the park was sold toCedar Fair for $300 million.[2][3] Cedar Fair later merged with Six Flags in 2024.[4]
The park sits on the site of a former berry farm established byWalter Knott and his family who moved to Buena Park in 1920. Around 1923,[5] the Knott family began selling berries, berry preserves, and pies from a roadside stand called Knott’s Berry Place alongState Route 39. In June 1934, the Knotts began selling fried chicken dinners in a tea room on the property, later named "Mrs. Knott's Chicken Dinner Restaurant."[6] The dinners soon became a major tourist draw, and the Knotts built several shops and other attractions to entertain visitors waiting for a seat in the restaurant. In 1940, Walter Knott began constructing a replica Ghost Town on the property, the beginning of the present-day theme park. Ghost Town was Walter Knott's tribute to the pioneers, which included his own grandparents who came to California in a covered wagon from Texas in 1868 (when his mother was two years old).[7][8][9][10] The idea of an amusement park picked up in the 1950s when Walter Knott opened a "summer-long county fair."[11]
Paul von Klieben was Walter Knott's key employee in the creation of the Ghost Town at Knott's Berry Farm and the restoration of the ghost town ofCalico, California. In 1941, he joined Knott's as a staff artist, then served as art director there from 1943 to 1953. He traveled toghost towns in the West, conducted research, and designed most of the Ghost Town section of Knott's Berry Farm. He created concept art for most of the buildings that were built there. He also drew up floor plans, oversaw the construction of buildings, and even spent some time painting concrete to look like natural rock. His Old West paintings and murals adorned the walls of many structures in the park, and a number of them still do. His art was also used extensively in Knott's newspapers, menus, brochures, catalogs and other publications.[12][13][14][15]
In 1956, Walter Knott arranged withMarion Speer to bring his Western Trails Museum collection to Knott's Berry Farm. Speer had been an enthusiastic supporter of Walter Knott's efforts to create Ghost Town, and had written articles for Knott's newspaper, theGhost Town News. In 1956, twenty years after creating his museum, Marion Speer (at age 72) donated the carefully cataloged collection of 30,000 items to Knott's in return for Knott's housing it, displaying it and naming Speer as curator. Speer continued in that position until he retired in 1969 at the age of 84.[16][17][18][19][20]
The museum was once housed in a building (which has since been razed) at Knott's Berry Farm between Jeffries Barn (now known as the Wilderness Dance Hall) and the schoolhouse. The Western Trails Museum at Knott's is now just south of the saloon in Ghost Town.[21][17][22]
The park became a popular destination for conservative college students in the 1960s, especially as conservative organizations like the California Free Enterprise Association, the Libres Foundation, and the Americanism Educational League were based there.[23] Its conservative appeal was so great that the final rallyBarry Goldwater held prior to the1964 Republican primary election in California, which boasted speakers including Goldwater himself and future presidentRonald Reagan, was held at Knott's.[24] According to Assistant Professor Caroline Rolland-Diamond of theParis West University Nanterre La Défense:
it also appealed to conservative Americans, young and old, because the idealized representation of a past devoid of social and racial tensions that it offered stood in sharp contrast with the political and social upheavals affecting California since theFree Speech Movement erupted at theUniversity of California at Berkeleyin 1964.
— Caroline Rolland-Diamond,Revue française d'études américaines (2016)[25]
In the late 1960s, a 10-foot-high (3.0 m) brick wall with barbed wire embedded into the top was constructed around "Ghost Town" and for the first time, in 1968, an admission price was required to get into that section of the park (ostensibly to keep out the "hippies" and local long-haired youth from freely "hanging out" in the park that were, on occasion, causing problems and degrading the Knott's "family" image). The entrance price originally being set at $1 for adults and 25¢ for children.[26] Previous to this, entry was free and the cost was based on purchasing a ticket for each ride, using the A-E ticketing system similar to that of Disneyland. The Calico Log Ride (the original name of theTimber Mountain Log Ride) opened in 1969.[27] Also during this period, an attempt to create a monorail system between Knott's and Disneyland was reportedly in the works for many years, however, project construction never began due to costs and legal issues obtaining needed property and gaining necessary right-of-way access.
When Cordelia Knott died on April 12, 1974, Walter turned his attention toward political causes.[28][29] The Roaring Twenties[30] rethemed Gypsy Camp in the 1970s with the addition of a nostalgic traditional amusement area, Wheeler Dealer Bumper Cars, andKnott's Bear-y Tales. Then with the northward expansion of a 1920s-era Knott's Airfield-themed area featuring the Cloud 9 Dance Hall, Sky Cabin/Sky Jump and Motorcycle Chasesteeplechase roller coaster above the electric guided rail Gasoline Alley car ride.[31]
The Sky Tower with the illuminated "K" in logo script at the top was built to support two attractions, the Sky Jump, operated from 1976 to 1999,[32] and theSky Cabin. The Sky Jump boarded one or two standing riders anticipating the thrill of the drop into baskets beneath a faux parachute canopy. From the top, twelve arms supported the vertical cable tracks of wire rope which lifted the baskets. The Sky Cabin ringed the support pole with a single floor of seats that are enclosed behind windows. Its ring revolves slowly as it rises to the top and back offering a pleasantly changing vista. It is very sensitive to weather and passenger motion, such as walking, which is prohibited during the trip. During winds 25+ mph or rain it is closed. When built, the tower was the tallest structure in Orange County[33] (a distinction briefly held byWindSeeker before its relocation toWorlds of Fun in 2012.)
Motorcycle Chase, a modernized steeplechase rollercoaster built in 1976 byArrow Development, featured single motorbike-themed vehicles racing side-by-side, each on one of four parallel tracks, launched together.[31] One or two riders straddled each "Indian motorcycle" attraction vehicle. The tubular steel monorail track closely followed dips and bumps in "the road" and tilted to lean riders about the curves. Gasoline Alley, an electric steel-guide rail car ride below, was built together and intimately intertwined, which enhanced ride-to-ride interaction thrill value.[34] Rider safety concerns of the high center of gravity coupled with the method of rider restraints caused it to be rethemed Wacky Soap Box Racers with vehicles themed to look like soap box racers, each seating two riders, strapped in low (nearly straddling the track), surrounded by the close-fitting car sides, and the dips and bumps of the track were straightened flat in 1980. Motorcycle Chase/Wacky Soap Box Racers was removed in 1996 for a dueling loop coasterWindjammer Surf Racers and nowXcelerator, a vertical launch coaster, takes its place.
On December 3, 1981, Walter Knott died,[35] survived by his children who would continue to operate Knott's as a family business for Sixteen Years.
In the 1980s, Knott's built the Calico Barn Dance featured Bobbi & Clyde as the house band. It was during the height of the "Urban Cowboy" era. The "Calico Barn Dance" was featured in Knott's TV commercials.
During the 1980s, Knott's met the competition in Southern California theme parks by theming a new land and building two massive attractions:Kingdom of the Dinosaurs, a primeval retheme of Knott's Bear-y Tales), in 1987 andBigfoot Rapids in 1988, a whitewaterriver rafting ride as the centerpiece of the new themed area Wild Water Wilderness.
TheBoomerang roller coaster replaced Corkscrew[30] in 1990 with a lift shuttle train passing to and from through a cobra roll and a vertical loop for six inversions each trip.
TheMystery Lodge (1994),[36] inspired byGeneral Motors "Spirit Lodge" pavilion, was a live show augmented withPepper's ghost and other special effects, which was among the most popular exhibits atExpo 86 in Vancouver,British Columbia, Canada, which was produced byBob Rogers of BRC Imagination Arts[37] and created with the assistance of the Kwagulth Native reserve in the village ofAlert Bay, British Columbia.[38] Mystery Lodge recreates a quiet summer night in Alert Bay, then guests "move inside" thelonghouse and listen to the storyteller weave a tale of the importance of family from the smoke of the bonfire.
TheJaguar! was opened on June 17, 1995, to add another roller coaster to the mix of Fiesta Village alongside Montezooma's Revenge.
In the 1990s, after Walter and Cordelia died, their children decided to sell off their businesses.
In 1995, the Knott family sold the food specialty business toConAgra Inc,[2] which later resold the brand toThe J.M. Smucker Company in 2008.[39] In 2024, Smuckers discontinued sale of the Knott's Berry Farm jams in grocery stores.[40]
On December 29, 1997, the Knott family sold the amusement park operations to Cedar Fair. Initially, the Knotts were given an opportunity to sell the park toThe Walt Disney Company. The park would have been amalgamated into theDisneyland Resort and converted intoDisney's America, which had previously failed to be built near Washington, D.C. The Knotts refused to sell the park to Disney out of fear that most of what Walter Knott had built would be eliminated.
In the late 1990s, Cedar Fair also acquired the Buena Park Hotel, located at the northwest corner of Grand and Crescent avenues.[41] It was then brought up toRadisson standards and branded Radisson Resort Hotel as a franchise. In 2004, the park renamed the Radisson Resort Hotel the Knott's Berry Farm Resort Hotel.[42]
Since being acquired by Cedar Fair, the park has seen an aggressive shift towardsthrill rides, with the construction of several largeroller coasters and the addition of a record-breakingShoot-the-Chutes ride namedPerilous Plunge. Perilous Plunge had the record of being the tallest and steepest water ride in the world until September 2012 when it was closed and removed.[43] Also, in 2013, Knott's Berry Farm announced that one of the most popular rides at the park, theTimber Mountain Log Ride, would be closed for a significant five-month refurbishment, led byGarner Holt Productions, Inc.[44]
On May 25, 2013, Knott's Berry Farm added three new family rides on the site of the former Perilous Plunge, including awild mouse calledCoast Rider, ascrambler flat ride called Pacific Scrambler, and Surfside Gliders. All three were constructed in the Boardwalk section of the park. An old bridge that connected the exit of Coast Rider and the Boardwalk became the entrance to Surfside Gliders and Pacific Scrambler. Following the 2013 season, Knott's Berry Farm removedWindseeker and moved it to Worlds of Fun, where it reopened in 2014. For the 2014 season, the historical Calico Mine Ride underwent a major refurbishment completed in six months.[45]
During the fall of 2019, Knott's Berry Farm announced the return ofKnott's Bear-y Tales as an interactive 4D dark ride as part of the park's 100th anniversary in 2020 with the nameKnott's Bear-y Tales: Return to the Fair. However, the park was indefinitely shut down due to theCOVID-19 pandemic at the end of its operating day on March 13, 2020.[46] Knott's Bear-y Tales and other planned changes to the park were postponed to 2021.[47] In June 2020, Knott's Marketplace reopened with health guidelines in place.[48] The following month, the park introducedTaste of Calico, an outdoorfood festival on weekends located in the Ghost Town section of the park. The event evolved over the season, becomingTaste of Knott's when it expanded into Fiesta Village and the Boardwalk,Taste of Fall-o-ween during the fall season,[49] andTaste of Merry Farm for the Christmas holiday season which was canceled in December 2020 due to the regional stay at home order issued byCalifornia GovernorGavin Newsom.[50]Amusement Today recognized theTaste Of events in its annualGolden Ticket Awards, awarding the park under the category "Industry Leader: Amusement/Theme Park" for its innovative approach.[51]
Knott's Berry Farm returned to normal operation on May 6, 2021, including the debut of the delayed Knott's Bear-y Tales attraction originally planned for 2020.[52] On July 1, 2024, Cedar Fair merged withSix Flags,[4] and the combinedSix Flags Entertainment Corporation took over Knott's Berry Farm, making them part of the same company as longtime rivalSix Flags Magic Mountain. Cedar Fair still has controlling shares of the company.[53]
The park's annualKnott's Scary Farm has drawn crowds since 1973. The idea for this event was presented at one of the regularly scheduled round table meetings for managers by Patricia Pawson. The actual event was created by Bill Hollingshead, Gary Salisbury, Martha Boyd and Gene Witham, along with other members of the Knott's Berry Farm Entertainment Department as documented in the DVDSeason of Screams. Initially, fake corpses and other static figures were rented from a Hollywood prop house, butBud Hurlbut, the creator/concessionaire of the Mine Ride, Log Ride and other rides at Knott's, decided that this wasn't enough.[63] He dressed up in a gorilla suit and started scaring guests on the Mine Ride. Halloween Haunt was an instant hit, and by the next year, the event sold out nightly.[64] During this special ticketed event, the entire park (or major portions of it) re-themes itself into a "haunted house" style attraction in the form of mazes and "scare zones" in the evening. Over a thousand specially employed monsters are also scattered—often hidden out of view—throughout the park at this time. Some of the characters have become well-known, such as the Green Witch, which was portrayed by Charlene Parker from 1983 to 2017, the longest of any performer.[65][66][67][68][69][70][71] Several attractions are decorated for the event including theTimber Mountain Log Ride andCalico Mine Train and there are 13 mazes of various themes. Elvira (actressCassandra Peterson) was introduced into the Halloween Event in 1982 and was prominently featured in many Halloween Haunt events until 2001. According to postings on herMy Space page, Cassandra was released from her contract by the park's new owners due to their wanting a more family-friendly appeal.[72] She returned for one night in 2012 for the 40th anniversary of the event then again featured in her nightly show from 2014 to 2017.[73] During October, Knott's Scary Farm generates half the revenue for Knott's Berry Farm's fiscal year.[citation needed]
Season of Screams is a DVD produced by an independent company that traces the beginnings of Halloween Haunt and the story behind how it all got started back in 1973. Season of Screams also highlights recent Halloween Haunts.
Winter Coaster Solace is an event that takes place on the first or second weekend of March every year when roller coaster enthusiasts can come before the park opens and stay after the park closes to ride the rides and eat at the Chicken Dinner Restaurant. It is intended to provide "solace" to visitors from other parts of the country where theme parks and roller coasters are seasonal, not year-round operations like the Southern California parks. Knott's Berry Farm also used to give attendees behind-the-scenes tours of the rides.
A Christmas event known as "Knott's Merry Farm" also happens annually. Previous Merry Farm events have included manufactured snow, handcraft exhibits, and a visit with Santa Claus. This event was created by Gary Salisbury in the fall of 1985.
Praise has been a Christian-themed celebration presented for many years as a mix-in special event of music and comedy on New Year's Eve.
Every spring, aboysenberry-themed food festival is held at Knott's that has food and drink prepared in a variety of ways with boysenberries. There are also special shows and music for the multi-week event.[74]
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The park consists of four themed areas:
Ghost Town is based on theghost town ofCalico, California and other real ghost towns in the Western United States. Walter Knott inherited his uncle's silver mill and land, then bought more of the actual ghost town in 1951 and developed it. In 1966, he donated that property to the corporate-municipalCounty of San Bernardino which then made the town of Calico into a public historic park, for which it charged an entrance/parking fee.
Craftsmen in Ghost Town demonstrate the arts of theblacksmith,woodcarver,glassblower, sign cutter, andspinner. Demonstrations of narrow-gauge railroading and farm equipment hobbyists accompany additional merchant stalls of cottage-craft fairs seasonally at discounted admission which is restricted to Ghost Town only.
The Ghost Town area has a few other notable attractions. The Bird Cage Theatre is an old-fashioned theater in Ghost Town. It only hosts two seasonal entertainments—during "Knott's Merry Farm", which includes two small productions: "Marley's Wings" and "A Christmas Carol", for the 2021 season, and "The Gift of the Magi" and "A Christmas Carol" for the 2022 season, and as well as a Halloween Haunt thrill show. The Calico Stage, a large open-air stage in Calico Square, hosts a variety of shows and acts, big and small, from "Home for the Holidays", a Knott's Merry Farm Christmas skit with singing, those of elementary school students, Gallagher, a local band, and the summer-spectacular All Wheels Extreme stunt show featuring youthful performers demonstrating aerial tricks with acrobatics, trampolines, and riding ramps with skates, scooters, skateboards, and freestyle bikes to popular music. The Calico Saloon recreates the revelry of music, singing and dancing, with Cameo Kate hosting a variety of acts. Jersey Lily, Judge Roy Bean's combination courthouse/saloon, offers certified comical "genuine illegal hitchin'" alongside pickles, candy, and sports/soft drinks.
The park formerly featured a 5th area. Formerly known as Wild Water Wilderness, now part of Ghost Town, the area features two major rides: thePony Express, a horse-themed family roller coaster installed in 2008 andCalico River Rapids, which opened in 1988 and was refurbished with a new theme for the 2019 season. Nearby Pony Express is Rapids Trader, a small merchandise stand. It is also home to Mystery Lodge, a multimedia show based on anExpo 86 pavilion featuring a Native American storyteller.
Western Trails Museum, relocated between the candy store and the General Store to accommodate Calico River Rapids (formerly Bigfoot Rapids), still features historical western artifacts large and small, from a hand-powered horse-drawn fire engine to a miniature replica of a borax hauling "Twenty Mule Team" and utensils necessary to survive the prairie and wilderness.
A common misconception is that at Knott's the terms "Ghost Town" and "Calico" are interchangeable, but that is not the case. Walter Knott explained that he built Ghost Town as a composite to represent ghost towns throughout the West, rather than as a replica of any one particular ghost town. The Calico Saloon was not named "Ghost Town" because it is supposedly located in Calico. Rather, it was named for the tradition of lining Gold-Rush-era buildings with red calico fabric. Also, the Ghost Town & Calico Railroad was named because "Ghost Town" and "Calico" are two separate places. Walter Knott always referred to the Old West section of Knott's Berry Farm as "Ghost Town", not "Calico."[75][76][77][78][79]
Some parts of Ghost Town are forever lost to progress. The conversion of the Silver Dollar Saloon to a shooting gallery, Hunters Paradise shooting gallery to Panda Express and the original Berry Stand, moved several times with its last location now occupied by theSilver Bullet station.
| Thrill level(out of 5)[80] |
|---|
| 1 (low) 2 (mild) 3 (moderate) 4 (high) 5 (aggressive) |
| Ride | Picture | Opened | Manufacturer | Description | Thrill level[80] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Butterfield Stagecoach |  | 1949 | Knott's Berry Farm | A family stagecoach ride that takes guests through the areas of Fiesta Village, Camp Snoopy and the Indian Trails area. | 1 |
| Calico Mine Ride |  | 1960 | Bud Hurlbut | A2 ft (610 mm)narrow-gauge[81] mine traindark ride. Riders board ore cars pulled by battery-powered[82] locomotives and journey deep into a faux mining excavation site. The ride closed for refurbishment in January 2014 and reopened on June 14, 2014.[83] | 3 |
| Calico River Rapids |  | 1988 | Intamin (Rethemed byGarner Holt Productions) | Formerly Bigfoot Rapids. Ariver rafting water ride. For the 2019 season, the attraction was refurbished to feature roughly 20 wildlife animatronics and water effects from Garner Holt Productions. | 4 |
| Ghost Town & Calico Railroad |   | 1952 | Baldwin Locomotive Works | An authentic3 ft (914 mm) narrow-gauge[84] train ride around the park. The ten-minute ride takes guests through the Wild Wilderness area, the Boardwalk area and Fiesta Village. All of the Passenger Cars came from theD&RGW, while one came from theRio Grande Southern. Some of the D&RGW cars were used on theSan Juan Express. | 1 |
| GhostRider |  | 1998 | Custom Coasters International (Retracked byGreat Coasters International) | Awooden roller coaster featuring multiple un-banked turns. | 5 |
| Pony Express |  | 2008 | Zamperla | Asteel roller coaster in which riders dip, turn and dive while harnessed in vehicles intended to simulate equestrianism. | 4 |
| Silver Bullet |  | 2004 | Bolliger & Mabillard | ABolliger & Mabillardinverted roller coaster featuring 6 inversions. | 5 |
| Timber Mountain Log Ride |  | 1969 | Bud Hurlbut &Arrow Development | A family friendly and classic themedlog flumedark ride attraction. The 4-minute ride features two major drops, of which the final drop is 42 feet. The ride opened in 1969 and re-opened in 2013 after an extensive refurbishment. The ride features more than 40 audio animatronics developed byGarner Holt Productions, forest scents and an exclusive ride soundtrack. | 5 |
Fiesta Village was built in 1969 under the pretense of a Mexican theme. It was built to pay tribute to California's Spanish and Mexican heritage. It was the second area constructed after the completion of Ghost Town. Stores like Casa California, restaurants like Pancho's Tacos, La Papa Loca, and La Victoria Cantina, games like Shoot If Yucan, and themed rides like La Revolución, Jaguar!, and MonteZOOMa: The Forbidden Fortress, along with the former attraction Tampico Tumbler, all contribute to the Mexican and Aztec theme of the area. In 2013 colorful string lights were added for the summer season.
| Ride | Picture | Year opened | Manufacturer | Description | Thrill level[80] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carrusel De California |  | 1955 | Dentzel Carousel | One of the world's oldest working Dentzel Carousels, this 100-year-old ride still revolves to the strains of its antique Band Organ. Menagerie carousel's 48 hand-carved animals including lions, tigers, ostriches, camels, zebras, giraffes, pigs, cats and horses. AWurlitzer No. 157Band Organ is also present, but unrestored. | 1 |
| Dragon Swing |  | 1980 | Chance Rides | Formerly was themed to a swingingpirate ship. With the new reimagined renovation, the attraction was repainted to have the appearance of an alebrije. | 3 |
| Hat Dance |  | 1969 | Rauenhorst Corporation &Mack Rides | ATeacups type ride. Riders spin sombrero-themed cuencos as they rotate on counterrevolutionary turntables. Originally namedHappy Sombrero. | 3 |
| Jaguar! |  | 1995 | Zierer | A steel family roller coaster. | 4 |
| La Revolucion |  | 2003 | Chance-Morgan | Riders rotate 360 degrees while simultaneously swinging back and forth in a pendulum motion. | 5 |
| Los Voladores |  | 1986 | Zierer | A classic familyswing ride. Riders board individual swing sets before orbiting a central tower. Originally namedSlingshot, then changed toWaveswinger until Fiesta's renovation in 2023. | 3 |
| MonteZOOMa: The Forbidden Fortress | .jpg) | 1978 | Anton Schwarzkopf | Riders accelerate from 0 to 55 mph (89 km/h) in 4.5 seconds. This coaster was awarded the American Coaster Enthusiasts Coaster Landmark Award on June 20, 2019. The coaster is the last Schwarzkopf Shuttle Loop left in the U.S. Formerly called Montezooma's Revenge (1978–2022).[85] | 5 |
| Sol Spin |  | 2017 | Mondial | A thrilling topsy-turvy adventure over 6 stories high as they rotate in all directions on one of six spinning arms. It was built on the spot ofWindseeker. | 5 |
Boardwalk Games include physical challenges such as a three-point challenge, baseball, and test your strength. Hawkers pitch a variety of traditional games as well, such as water racers, bucket toss, whack a mole, and ping pong toss. In September 2012,Perilous Plunge – one of Knott's major thrill rides – closed for an expansion of the Boardwalk.[citation needed] The boardwalk reopened a year later with two flat rides and a new family roller coaster taking the place of Perilous Plunge. The Boomerang roller coaster was repainted in green and yellow. Boomerang was removed in 2017 to make way for HangTime.[citation needed]
At the south end of the boardwalk is the family interactive dark ride:Knott's Bear-y Tales: Return to the Fair. The world's largestJohnny Rockets restaurant is located at Knott's Boardwalk, featuring over 5,900 square feet (550 m2) of indoor dining space for more than 260 guests.[citation needed] Also located in The Boardwalk is the 2000-seat Walter Knott Theatre hosting seasonal offerings, notably the ice-skating show "Snoopy's Night Before Christmas", with several different ice shows in the past, one of which, "Merry Christmas Snoopy!" relocated toCalifornia's Great America, another Cedar Fair park. It was renamed in 2020 from the Charles M. Schulz Theater to the Walter Knott Theater, as part of a refurbishment of the exterior for the park's 100th anniversary, which also included new LED signage to the theater's marquee.[citation needed]
| Ride | Picture | Year opened | Manufacturer | Description | Thrill level[80] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coast Rider |  | 2013 | Mack Rides | Asteelwild mouse roller coaster. The ride's layout is on the former site ofPerilous Plunge. | 4 |
| HangTime |  | 2018 | Gerstlauer | AsteelInfinity Coaster. The ride's layout is on the former site ofBoomerang and Riptide. The ride is America's first and only coaster of this type. The ride features a 96-degree drop and 5 inversions. | 5 |
| Knott's Bear-y Tales: Return to the Fair |  | 2021 | Triotech | A4Dinteractive dark ride that blends 3D projections and special effects, such as simulated wind and aromas, with physical sets. Debuted for the park's 100th anniversary and replacingVoyage to the Iron Reef, its theme pays homage to the retiredKnott's Bear-y Tales. | 2 |
| Pacific Scrambler |  | 2013 | Eli Bridge Company | Originally "Whirlpool" from 1989 to 1996, Pacific Scrambler is a classicscrambler amusement ride. When the area opened in 1996, this was a ride called Whirlpool, it was housed inside a building that featured 'undersea' murals on the walls, musical soundtrack effects, and concert-style lighting effects. In 2000, it was replaced with aShoot the Chutes ride calledPerilous Plunge. The ride eventually closed down in 2012 and was replaced with three new rides, including Pacific Scrambler | 3 |
| Sky Cabin |  | 1976 | Intamin | Ascend over 180 feet in the slow-moving Sky Cabin for a 360-degree panoramic view ofOrange County and theLos Angeles Basin. | 2 |
| Supreme Scream |  | 1998 | S&S Worldwide | Supreme Scream features the highest drop in the park. A vertical ascending and descending drop ride. It features 3Turbo Drop towers. | 5 |
| Surfside Gliders |  | 2013 | Larson International | AFlying Scooters ride with a height of 28 feet. Riders can pilot and move the gliders as it offers them a good view of the Boardwalk area. | 3 |
| Wheeler Dealer Bumper Cars |  | 1975 | Majestic Manufacturing | A classic familybumper cars attraction. | 4 |
| Wipeout |  | 1999 | Chance Rides | ATrabant circular ride located between Hangtime and Sky Cabin. | 4 |
| Xcelerator |  | 2002 | Intamin | Alaunched roller coaster in which riders accelerate from 0 to 82 mph (132 km/h) in 2.3 seconds and climb 20 stories into the air. Xcelerator is currently the tallestroller coaster atKnotts Berry Farm. Xcelerator features the park's second-highest drop. | 5 |
Camp Snoopy is home to the park's family and children's rides, with many of the rides and attractions being built specifically for children and guests who cannot ride the park's more aggressive attractions. Its theme isCharles M. Schulz' "Peanuts"comic strip characters.Snoopy has been the mascot of Knott's Berry Farm since 1983, and the characters can now be seen at some of Six Flags' parks. For guests who cannot ride the park's more aggressive and thrilling rides, Camp Snoopy contains a good number of rides for guests of all ages including infants, children, and seniors. Except for Sierra Sidewinder, the rides are relatively tame.
Knott's Berry Farm also built theMall of America's indoor theme park, which itself was originally called Camp Snoopy. (In fact, Charles M. Schulz hailed fromSt. Paul.) However, today the park is no longer affiliated with Knott's or Cedar Fair and is now calledNickelodeon Universe.
On November 22, 2013, Knott's Berry Farm announced major improvements in the area of Camp Snoopy. Camp Snoopy received a makeover for its 30th anniversary. In summer 2014, Knott's Berry Farm opened up new rides in Camp Snoopy.[45]
The2 ft (610 mm) narrow-gauge[86]Beagle Express[87] takes guest on a four-minute train ride through the reflection lake. The ride was made shorter with the construction of Silver Bullet. As part of the 30th Anniversary makeover, the train ride received a series of Peanuts vignettes (made byGarner Holt Productions) along the track and narration by the character Linus.
Knott's has portrait artists, as well as face painters and caricature artists in two different locations in Camp Snoopy operated by Kaman's Art Shoppes. Portrait artists have a long history at Knott's, dating back to 1951.Claude Bell, who created the concrete characters on the benches at Knott's, operated the portrait concession from 1951 to 1986. Bell also sculpted the minuteman statue on display at Independence Hall.[citation needed]
| Ride | Picture | Year opened | Manufacturer | Description | Thrill level[80] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Balloon Race |  | 1983 | Bradley and Kaye | Replaced w/ new redesigned unit 1992 | 2 |
| Charlie Brown's Kite Flyer | 2014 | Zamperla | 2 | ||
| Beagle Express Railroad |  | 1983 | Crown Metal Products | Underwent a 2013 Renovation byGarner Holt Productions. Originally powered by aCrown Metal locomotive, a new train was introduced in 2024. | 1 |
| Linus Launcher |  | 2014 | Zamperla | A kite flyer ride. | 3 |
| Pig Pen's Mud Buggies | 2014 | Zamperla | 2 | ||
| Rapid River Run | 2004 | Zamperla | 2 | ||
| Rocky Road Trucking Company |  | 1983 | Zamperla | A kiddie convoy ride. | 1 |
| Sierra Sidewinder |  | 2007 | Mack Rides | 4 | |
| Camp Snoopy's Trail Trackers | 2024 | Zamperla | 1 | ||
| Sallys Swing-Along | 2024 | Zamperla | 2 | ||
| Snoopy's Tenderpaw Twister Coaster | 2024 | Zamperla | 4 |
Located next to theBottle House in Ghost Town, Indian Trails is a small area sandwiched between Camp Snoopy, Ghost Town, and Fiesta Village, showcasingNative American art, crafts and dance.
Many of the original attractions are outside the gates of the current-day theme park along Grand Ave. at the California Marketplace, mostly things that would no longer be considered interesting to today's audience, or things that were merely decorative. Near the restrooms behind Berry Place are thewaterfall overshooting thewater wheel and historicgristmillgrindstone, a replica ofGeorge Washington'sMount Vernon estate fireplace hearth, and what remains of the visible beehive. Some attractions still exist, but have been incorporated into backstage areas, such as the Rock Garden, now an employee smoking area. Other attractions have been removed, such as the historic volcano, and the cross-section ofgiant sequoia with age rings denoting historic events such asChristopher Columbus visiting America.
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The east side of the property, divided by Beach Blvd., features the main parking lot,Knott's Soak City a seasonal water park that requires separate admission, the picnic grounds rental areas, complimentary admission toIndependence Hall and gift shop, and the Church of Reflections which was moved outside the theme park in 2004 and held non-denominational Sunday services until 2010. A tunnel and pedestrian underpass beneath Beach Blvd. connects the main parking lot to the shops, restaurants and theme park.
For Halloween Haunt in 2016, Knott's Berry Farm introducedFearVR: 5150, avirtual reality attraction that was met with controversy from themental health community regarding its perceived negative portrayal ofmental illness.[90] The ten-minute-long attraction immersed guests inside of a chaotic hospital haunted by a supernatural central character named Katie and zombie-like patients.[91] The initial controversy came from the attraction's name, with5150 referring to Welfare and Institutions Code section 5150, the California law that allows alaw enforcement officer or clinician toinvoluntarily commit a person suspected of having a mental illness and determined "a danger to themselves or others". It also referenced the fact that guests experiencing the attraction had their arms strapped to a chair as part of the experience. The backlash was focused on Cedar Fair's use of painful experiences suffered by those dealing with mental illness and to have it "transmogrified into spooky entertainment".[90] In response, Cedar Fair removed "5150" from the name, and after continued opposition, permanently closed the attraction on September 28, 2016, six days after its debut.[92][93] Apetition was signed by more than 2,000 people hoping Cedar Fair would bring it back, with the petition's organizer stating that Cedar Fair should not be "forced to shut down an attraction based on the words of people who had not even experienced the attraction".[94]
Knott's Soak City is a water park. It opened on June 17, 2000, as Soak City U.S. It requires separate admission from Knott's Berry Farm. In addition to the water park across the street from the main theme park, Cedar Fair also formerly owned two other Knott's Soak City Parks, inPalm Springs andChula Vista.[95]
For much of the park's early history, Knott's Berry Farm had a unique arrangement with theOrange County Sheriff's Department where the park's security officers were sworn special deputies vested with full police powers.[96] The Security Department, however, did not answer to the county sheriff, but rather to the park's Chief of Security (who for many years was Steve Knott, the grandson of Walter Knott). Knott's Berry Farm maintained a completely private police force, vested with full police powers, and overseen by park management.
Before the City of Buena Park was incorporated, Knott's Berry Farm's Security Department even provided police services to the nearby unincorporated area that would eventually become known as Buena Park, including writing traffic tickets.[96] Then, in the early days of the incorporated City of Buena Park, Knott's Berry Farm Security provided vital mutual aid assistance to the Buena Park Police Department (formerly Buena Park Public Safety) during emergencies since Knott's Berry Farm's 34 sworn Special Deputies outnumbered, and were better equipped than the city's four-man Department of Public Safety.[96]
The Orange County Sheriff Department discontinued this arrangement in the late 1980s but Knott's still maintains its own private (albeit unsworn) security force, and its "Station-K" public safety radio designation.
Fast Lane is a limited-accessline queue system offered for an additional charge at Six Flags amusement parks. Visitors can purchase a wristband that allows them to bypass standard lines in favor of shorter ones at many of the parks' most popular attractions.
The J.M. Smucker Company continued to sell the jam and preserves made famous by the Knott family for several years; however, other products, such as the syrups, were phased out due to low demand.[97]
In November 2013, Knott's Berry Farm began selling its "Berry Market" brand of preserves at the park. The Berry Market brand is all-natural. They are unable to use "Knott's" on the label since Smucker's owns the rights to the name.
In January 2024, Smucker's discontinued the rest of the Knott's Berry Farm brand after low sales.[98]
Knott's Berry Farm can easily be accessed by various public transportation services. Service is available by theLos Angeles Metro and theOrange County Transportation Authority.[99] Bus routes serving the park includeMetro Express Line 460 which provides direct express service betweenDowntown Los Angeles andDisneyland and OCTA bus routes 29, 38 and 529.[100]
| 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3,565,000[101] | 3,333,000[102] | 3,600,000[103] | 3,654,000[103] | 3,508,000[104] | 3,683,000[104] | 3,683,000[105] | 3,867,000[106] | 4,014,000[107] | 4,034,000[108] | 4,115,000[109] | 4,238,000[110] | 811,000[111] | 3,681,000[112] | 3,899,000[113] | 4,228,000[114] | 4,503,000[115] |
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