I had the opportunity to sneak away with my husband for a kid-free trip to Los Angeles to celebrate the big 4-0. What better way to celebrate getting old than something that makes you feel young? We were thrilled to visit Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park, California, located little more than a 10 minute drive from Disneyland in Anaheim. What started as a small berry farm in 1920 soon grew into a world-renowned family theme park destination, bursting with attractions and entertainment for all ages. The park features first-class roller coasters, stage shows, interactive experiences, unique food creations and family-friendly fun featuring Snoopy and the Peanuts Gang.
We visited the park mid-week in spring and were struck by how easy we were able to park and walk quickly to the front entrance. We were delighted to visit on a day with light crowds. Many of the rides had low queues which meant we rode front row on nearly everything! I downloaded the Knott's Berry Farm Mobile App which helped us navigate the park and check in on ride descriptions and wait times. The layout of the park is about half the size of Disneyland but absolutely packed with over 40 attractions and experiences. Many of the coasters were right next to each other, and in some cases seemingly weaving through each other. We found the park compact and easy to navigate.
One of our favorite rides was without a doubt HangTime, the first and only dive coaster in California which opened in 2018. For the faint of heart, it's best to just enter the queue and not spend too much time looking up at what awaits. This coaster climbs 15 stories straight up a vertical life hill and you feel every single moment, anticipating the top as you climb to the sky. The coaster comes to a stop just on the other side of the top, leaving you dangling over the edge of the hill before you drop 96 degrees through 2189 feet of steel track and five thrilling inversions.
Another coaster that brought on screams like I've never quite screamed was Xcelerator The Ride®. This coaster shoots 0-82 mph in 2.3 seconds a whopping 205 feet into the air before immediately hurtling 90 degrees straight down. Montezooma's Revenge was another fun launch coaster that blasts you from 0 to 55 in just 3 seconds, traveling through a giant, seven-story loop -- once forward, then again backwards. A nice surprise for us was Voyage to the Iron Reef, an interactive, immersive 4-D ride where you are challenged to blast creatures in an aquatic army. My husband loved the dizzying turns on Sol Spin and the La Revolucion pendulum ride, but these two definitely made me a bit woozy!
We traveled without our little Peanuts on this trip, but walking through Camp Snoopy showed us just how much Knott's Berry Farm has to offer the whole family. This section features over a dozen kids' attractions (perfect for the smallest of thrill seekers), an interactive show starring Snoopy and a Peanuts character meet and greet. After a full day we exited the park at closing by walking through Ghost Town. If we could have pulled our kids off of the rides they would have enjoyed this celebration of the Old West, full of immersion experiences where you can pan for gold, learn from a blacksmith and visit the Old Schoolhouse, Western Trails Museum, California Missions models and Livery Stable. All employees in this section were also in period dress!
We could have easily spent another day at Knott's Berry Farm, especially with kids! The park is just gorgeous to walk around - lush, beautiful flowers spilled from every direction. We found the park employees extremely pleasant and helpful. With online tickets as low as $53, Knott's Berry Farm offers tremendous value and thrills for those seeking adventure in Southern California.
Knott's Berry Farm is located at 8039 Beach Boulevard, Buena Park CA 90620. Visit their website for more details.
I was provided two complimentary tickets to Knott's Berry Farm for this review. View our full FTC Disclosure Statement here.
