Knotts Questions

[Dustysage]

I haven't been to Knott's in a couple of years, so I don't know how their two newest coasters are, or how they impact the overall theme of the Park. Is Knotts worth taking a look at again?

[Doodle Duck]

no.

Hard to elaborate and that's purely a personal choice not to go back...even when we could go free...

Specifics are new rides have VERY small seating for smaller people (which I ain't one) also my favorite coaster went south...Ghost Rider will shake your teeth out and remove your liver.

Attitudes were down and it just didn't feel right the last couple of times we went.

You can only see the Indian magic show so many times...though I've loved Mystery Lodge all along it's just not a must see anymore...the raft is ...well a raft...


But for you...you look like you could fit the new coasters...so have at it!!!

You can always eat Chicken!


Doug

[Jack's Return]

I haven't been to Knott's forever.

[Disguy]

We went about two years ago. I can't see spending the money unless you get in for VERY cheap. We got to the park around 10am and left before noon. Halloween Haunt however, was a blast.

[JMike]

The last time I went to Knott's was a few years ago, not sure exactly when but I know it was before California Adventure opened.
The reason that fact sticks out in my mind is because I remember enjoying the river rapids ride immensely, so much that I went on it several times (there was no line so they were nice enough to let us go right through a couple of times)
But now we have California Adventure, with the Grizzly River Rapid Run, which sort of removes that one advantage.
I do remember being impressed my the effects in the indian lounge, but that does rather seem like it wouldn't be much of a repeat attraction.
Did I have fun at Knotts? Yes. Would I set aside a day and spend the money required to spend a day there? Probably not.

[MAGIC KINGDOM]

knotts is great...

Knotts is so nice its not usually that crowded they have some nice food try the fajitas at the Ghost Town Grill..yum.. and they new rides ae nice.rumor is Cedar Fair will get rid of the Ghost Town lil by lil..in favor of more money makin atractions. A fridays is goin in in the freeshopping area.and a season pass for kids is liek 60 bucks no blockouts..liek 110 adult..i liek to go ride the old rides and remember when it was free to get in and i had hair but thats me...lolsits liek Dca with more rides and cheaper food.tons of shops for the women and lots of cowboy stuff for the guys,,2 thumbs up.

[MAGIC KINGDOM]

ooh ya

If you are from calif i think they have a ticket for like 22 bucks and liek 16 for kids much cheaper ..than disney.

[iluvdisneyland]

"much cheaper ..than disney."


And there's a reason for that.

[Mousey Girl]

This is one of the places we may be taking The Boy, now that are APs are history. The last time I was there was doe Knott's Scary Farm 12 years ago. Before that I can't quite remember.

[MickeyMania]

I've been looking back at Knott's to see if it was worth checking out again after all these years (the water rafting ride was brand new when we last went!) Seems like the answer is no. Although I never there was as much to "do", it had a quieter atmosphere from DL that seems to be almost entirely gone now. My favorite quiet place, that woodsy lake around Montezooma and Camp Snoopy, has been wrecked with a bunch of coasters over the water.

Oh well, I still have my home videos.

[LuckyJack]

I went to Knott's last March and I had a blast. Ghostrider was the first ride my friends and I went on and it was the most intense ride I've ever gone on (I haven't been on many roller coasters; the only ride that I can compare it to is American Eagle at Six Flags Great America, which was smoother and more gentle). The park was fairly empty and was a good break between two days of packed DL. Xcelerator was closed that day sadly. Some of the rides were a disappointment from how I remembered them last time I was at the park sometime in the early 90's, like Kingdom of the Dinosaurs (one of the employees was riding with us with a flashlight and taking note of which animatronics were malfunctioning). Scream Machine was terrific, the only ride I think beats it's DL counterpart. The park was empty enough at closing that we got to ride Montezooma's Revenge back to back without getting out of our seats, which was fun but painful. Afterwards we went to the chicken restaurant and stuffed ourselves. I wish Silver Bullet was open then, the video on Knott's webpage looks awesome. For $20 a ticket I really think it was worth the money. Never turn down the opportunity to go to a theme park!

[MAGIC KINGDOM]

soo true

yes id see knotts now before its gone...at some point they will change the name to some lame thing and it will be six flags south..im not a coaster freak ..ilike the old knotts but i stilllove it there,,take a picture..it will last longer...

[dsnylndmom]

I miss Knott's Beary Tales. I loved loved loved that ride. But, that was wayy back when Knott's was still a good Knott's.

[Ishmael]

Bonus points for spelling Knott's Bear-y Tales correctly! The only thing you missed was the hyphen....

I miss it too - know that they have shuttered Kingdom Of The Dinosaurs, it looks like we will get some off the shelf carny dark ride, instead of a return to what that space was designed for....

Here's a link to some articles on the old Bear-y Tales ride...

Bear-y Tales & others...

[Barbossa]

Some history about Mystery Lodge...

...It originally appeared at Expo 86 in Vancouver, BC. It was part of the GM pavilion and was known as Spirit Lodge. After Expo there were rumours that the show would be setup in Vancouver somewhere but that didn't materialize. Somehow Knott's got a hold of it and moved the show to California.

As for Knott's, my sister went there this past summer, her first time since 1994, and she wasn't too pleased about it either. She liked it better before.

They took out two of my favourite rides - Soap Box Racers and the Parachute Drop!

[pjdonnell]

I kinda think that ever since Cedar Fair bought into it, Knott's has slowly but steadily been losing its charm and become more and more commercial. I guess it's a little hard to explain, but for me, Knott's was what Disneyland lacked. Now, don't misineterpret me, I love Disneyland. But Knott's seemed to move a tad slower, be a little more private, and everything seemed less rushed. It was family owned and operated. Half the park was free to walk around in. The place seemed to be more about the environment and less about the rides. Then came Ghost Rider, and the free area was essentially gone. Then Cedar Fair started branding their names onto the trash cans and my favorite attractions disappeared: Soapbox racers, the haunted shack, panning for gold. In came all these thrill rides which looked out of place for the rest of the park. It kinda seems like Knott's has lost its soul.

[Darkbeer]

I am confused, the park was free until the 60's, when the hippies decided to hang out there, and the Knott's added a $1 GA ticket.

The only additional area that was blocked off (Park Admission required) when Ghostrider was built was the small stretch near the Ghostrider track (and Ghostrider was part of the Knott's family decision to build, NOT Cedar Fair.) The Panning for gold area, which used to be the Ghostrider entrance, was moved close to the Ghost Town cemetary, but it was never removed... The current Auntie Pasta restaurant used to be the Ghost Town grill, and was outside the park gates, and that was the biggest area closed down. Soapbox racers, removed prior to Cedar Fair, Windjammer was a Knott's family decision!

And there is still plenty of free area to visit at Knott's...

The California Marketplace...

Independence Hall ( a true reproduction, in fact Philadelphia requested the Knott's blueprints when they went thru their major refurb!), a true reproduction of the Liberty Bell... still free!

The lack area, with the free roaming chickens and ducks... still there, still free!

Church of the Reflections, moved, but still there, and still free!

[Scribby]

From a rides only standpoint, the stuff that they have added lately is surprisingly good. Ghostrider is an excellent wooden coaster and Supreme Scream is a great fix for those of us who like drops. I haven't been on Xcelerator, but friends tell me that the ride is great and the takeoff is insane. All reports on Silver Bullet have been very positive as well. Granted, this is coming from a coaster enthusiast. I agree that Knott's has lost some of it's individuality and charm, but this is a process that has been ongoing for years now; Camp Snoopy, Kingdom of the Dinosaurs, the revamping of the Roaring 20's, etc. All in all, I still think that Knott's is a worthwhile visit every now and then. There's still some nostalgia and good entertainment to be had. Yeah it's not what it used to be, but then again, it still beats out Disney's California Adventure.

[MickeyMania]

Here's what you get in place of the serenity of The Chapel Of The Transfiguration & The Chapel Of The Reflections:

SilverBullet

This is a roller coaster fan site - but check out his videos at the bottom of the page for a scarily accurate 3-D creation of what it looks like...

Is that water it goes over the lake I was thinking of? That had the drawbridge and the mini train that goes around the perimiter and the boats? That's too bad, that was a really nice area.

And the church thing actually existed? I only saw reference to it on a web page once and didn't think it was real. I coudln't imagine someone running a theme park attraction in modern day that would preach to it's audience.

It looked like they also ripped out their Autopia clone, which is kind of disappointing because those things could really MOVE compared to Disneyland's cars.

[Alchimedes]

Not onlyis Ghostrider Great for people who like drops, but also for getting your fillings checked at the dentist after you ride.