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This is the absolute best Knott’s Berry Farm has looked, perhaps ever.
As someone who has been visiting since I was a little kid, who remembers the days of the original Soap Box Racers, Haunted Shack, Corkscrew, and Knott’s Berry Tales, I have never seen this park so clean and so full of life and energy. Everywhere I looked, things appeared refreshed, upgraded, sparkling, and radiating with color.
There was a spirit of happiness and positivity amongst the visitors and it made for just a fantastic day.
Knott’s may always seem like the little engine that could compared to the massive juggernaut that is Disneyland, but having originated as a family operation dating as far back as 1920, and evolving and maintaining its integrity ever since, it deserves its place as one of the best and most historic theme parks in the country.
But enough with the words. Best to let the photos do the talking.
Let’s take a stroll through Knott’s Berry Farm!
Cars travel underneath the massive Ghost Rider to get to various parking areas, instantly setting the tone before even setting foot inside the park.
We’ll ride this beast later on.
But first, we had lunch at the completely renovated Mrs. Knott’s Chicken Dinner Restaurant.
I tried snapping photos of the rebuilt interior, but guests kept looking up at me while they were eating thinking I was being creepy so I refrained.
But the Boysenberry Mojitos, a new speciality of the restaurant, were just obscenely good, and a refreshing way to start off the day.
I couldn’t believe just how improved the interior dining experience is now. It has much more of a modern “farmhouse” feel, with larger open spaces, wood tables, and distressed chairs that add to the theming. There’s a large bar area now as well as a section of outdoor seating.
The food quality was about the same, with hot biscuits fresh out of the oven adding that familiar scent even after the remodeling.
The main entrance with Knott’s Scary Farm signage already up. Let’s head inside already!
Silver Bullet greets us at the park entrance. It’s one of the best suspended looping coasters you’ll ever go on, easily topping Batman: The Ride at Six Flags Magic Mountain.
Heading into Ghost Town, we are instantly transported back into the Old West.
New for this summer, the park is introducing what it calls, “Ghost Town Alive!” where guests interact with cast members in character and can wander into themed sets. It’s really well done, adds a layer of life and kinetic energy, and reinforces the classic theme.
Love seeing these intentionally distressed buildings.
Really cute refreshed sets to wander through and some fun nooks and crannies to discover along the way.
If this is the Knott’s Berry Farm version of a “Hidden Mickey,” I found one!
True blacksmithing is rare to find these days. Seeing this brings a smile to my face. These are the unique experiences found at Knott’s that I haven’t seen at any other park. There isn’t any product placement or marketing gimmicks here. Simply 100% genuine authenticity.
Moving beyond Ghost Town, we’re greeted by the Rio Grande. She looks great!
Gratuitous caboose shot.
So Knott’s is relocating and completely rebuilding from scratch their performance stage.
It’s not too far a move but it makes a world of difference for the Calico Square central hub area of the park. The stage is most utilized during Knott’s Scary Farm for their traditional “The Hanging” show, featuring live performances, guest appearances by iconic horror film killers, chaos, hilarity, special effects, and plenty of monster decapitations.
At a glance, the stage appears larger than the original, and moving to this spot completely opens up the square, which should not only make for an expanded viewing experience, but should also allow better traffic flow to and from Ghost Town.
Still work to be done. Let’s hope this gets finished in time for Scary Farm. I have a feeling it will.
New and refreshed facades keep the outside world from intruding on guest sightlines.
These really are well done.
Here’s a good reverse shot of Calico Square showing how much more open this area is now.
This is a great tree. I mean, they could have put just about any kind of tree here, but instead, they thought to plant one that reinforces the old west theme of the area. Just a great touch by Knott’s.
It was the Timber Mountain Log Ride and the Calico Mine Ride that transformed Knott’s into a bona fide theme park. Here, all sorts of cactus and pine trees adorn the mountain.
The classic splashdown at the end of the ride.
The drop isn’t as long or as steep as Splash Mountain, but the ride itself is faster and more intense than Disneyland’s flume ride.
Great landscaping and theming.
Having done away with the classic Roaring 20’s theme, this is the only section of the park that lacks a strong identity. There’s a Johnny Rockets, a bumper cars ride, an arcade, and the park’s newest ride…
…Voyage to the Iron Reef. This location was always home to the Knott’s attempt at a Disney omnimover-style dark ride. First it was Knott’s Berry Tales, then Kingdom of the Dinosaurs, and now this.
Voyage to the Iron Reef doesn’t work for me. It’s a clone that has made its way to other Cedar Fair amusement parks as well. The ride itself is essentially a lesser version of Toy Story Mania, with guns you fire at the screen arcade-style to rack up points and see who wins. The storyline is on the thin side, the sets aren’t nearly immersive enough and the computer generated effects aren’t all too intriguing.
It’s a better use of the space than having it sit empty, but this is one of those attractions you can just tell isn’t going to have much longevity. I’d give it five years, maybe ten, before it transforms into something else.
The Roaring 20’s theme is, of course, outdated, but Voyage to the Iron Reef does introduce a steampunk vibe, and this would be an interesting concept for Knott’s Berry Farm. The other sections of the park transport us to the past. This could be an interesting location for a futuristic land. The steampunk idea retains a classic era sensibility that fits in nicely with Knott’s as a whole, and a futuristic take opens up a world of possibilities for new rides.
Conversely, the Boardwalk is one of the freshest areas of the park, bursting with energy and color.
Boomerang replaced Corkscrew a long time ago, but it still packs a good punch for such a tight coaster.
The forward-backwards experience makes for slightly longer wait times, but a unique ride sensation.
Surfside Gliders and Coast Rider increase the compliment of family-friendly attractions in a tasteful and refreshing setting.
So much more improved from what this used to be.
Coast Rider is a classic Wild Mouse coaster. You won’t catch me on one of these at a State Fair, but the versions at Knott’s and Disney California Adventure are more permanently built and feel a lot more stable.
One last shot of Coast Rider as we move down the Boardwalk.
The area over by Mystery Lodge and Bigfoot Rapids has quickly become one of my favorites. There is so much greenery here.
Person-made, but seemingly natural. Really well-done.
Is there anything better than cascading waterfalls at a theme park?
I mean, seriously, this is Knott’s Berry Farm? When did this happen?
And there’s even koi in the pond.
Really have to commend Knott’s here. The landscaping throughout the park is on par with Disneyland.
And check this out! They brought back Pan for Gold!
Classic Knott’s Berry Farm right here. So great.
Time to ride Ghost Rider. My favorite ride in the park.
This is a juggernaut of a coaster.
Check out how makeshift and rickety those wooden support beams are intended to look.
I mean, this looks, and feels, like a dangerous ride to go in.
It’s massive, so big that it takes riders outside the berm of the park then back inside.
Great landscaping inside the outdoor queue area for Ghost Rider.
And there it is looming in the distance.
I do hope someday they do something with the indoor portion of the queue.
The downstairs area is full of switchbacks in a contained area with little air flow, and we spend easily 30 minutes here before heading upstairs for a reprieve. It’s worth the wait for the thrills ahead, but could be something worth looking into someday.
Here’s the beginning of the ride before heading up the massive lift hill.
A massive skeleton of support beams. It’s so intimidating! So awesome!
A glimmer of sunlight radiates down on us before Ghost Rider takes hold of us.
They recently rebuilt the entire track and replaced the trains with brand new ones and it makes a humongous difference. Prior to this refurbishment, Ghost Rider was starting to become a painfully unpleasant experience. Now, riders still get the unpredictable rickety thrill and sense of danger of a classic wooden coaster without getting thrashed around.
Ghost Rider is the single greatest wooden coaster on the planet and is a must-ride for anyone visiting Knott’s who meets the height requirement.
Xcelerator at dusk is a fitting end to our day at Knott’s Berry Farm.
I’m so happy for this park. It is alive and well, and thriving in a way I have never seen before.
An A+++ theme park experience.
Hooray!!!