Register or Login to Hide This Ad for Free!

Zachary

Administrator
Sep 23, 2009
17,222
54,655
280
Virginia
It looks like I'll probably be going up to Knoebels for the first time this weekend. What should I know? Wristband or pay-per-ride? Best place to eat? A snack that I just have to try? Must-see attractions, games, etc? Anything else I should do while I'm up there?
 
I've been to Knoebels, and I can tell you that you will probably have a great time. It's appearance is a lot different then most of the big theme parks, but it makes up with everything else. A few tips:

-Make sure you know where you're going. Knoebels is pretty deep in the Pennsylvania mountains. You don't want to get lost out there.

-Free parking and admission! You can't go wrong with that!

-Is the (w/ coasters) wristband worth it? Yes, but only if you plan to do a lot of riding. Make sure you ride enough to make it worth it.

-Certain attractions in the park such as The Haunted Mansion and their pool (IF you plan to do any swimming) are charged separately from the all-day wristband. It's $1.50 for one ride on the Haunted Mansion.

-I'm not really a food expert, but Knoebels has lots of food choices. The International Food Court has a big selection, and you have The Alamo, if you prefer a full-service restaurant.

-Flying Turns won't be open. Sorry, but it's true, 5 years isn't enough time. Also, Black Diamond won't be open.

-Ride the Flyer! This ride is probably my favorite flat ride of all time, if you know what you're doing. There is a technique to flying scooters called "snapping" and The Flyer is the best ride in the world for it. Basically, a combination of diving down and up will make any ride on The Flyer, INSANE!

-Ride the Phoenix! Airtime galore! My favorite coaster of all time. And you'll find out why as soon as you sit down. ;)

-Ride Skooters! Best bumper cars ever! These cars are fast! And the one-way oval track style of the ride makes for great opportunities for some no-holds-barred hits on others. Careful, you may come off with a bruise or two, but it'll be worth it.

-Don't be intimidated by the rickety carnival-like appearance of the rides off-put you, they're still great!

-There really isn't much else to do, outside of Knoebels since it is kinda in the middle of the Pennsylvania wilderness. But I could be wrong, since I really didn't do any research.

-And finally, check out this article to get you even more pumped: http://www.timesunion.com/default/article/Knoebels-Amusement-Resort-big-on-family-easy-on-578797.php

I hope you have a great time!

Oh! One more thing! Say the name right! The "k" is not silent. It's pronounced "ka-nobles" not "nobles." Say it wrong, and the locals and employees will probably laugh at you.
 
Pretty much what he said.

When I went, it was for a half day on my way to somewhere else. I bought a wristband and probably would have done better to do individual tickets. It's pretty easy to do the math and figure up how many rides you think you'll want vs. how much the wristband is.

Phoenix is definitely amazing, but I think Twister is really great, too, and often gets kind of overshadowed.

All in all, it's pretty small, so you don't really need a plan of attack. Just meander and have a good time discovering all the unique little things about it.
 
Thanks for the tips guys. About how long would you recommend staying? I'm thinking that going with the sundown wristband (rides & coasters from 5pm to 10pm for $23) would be best if that's long enough. Also, how are the lines?
 
Everything you want to do can probably be knocked out in that amount time (5pm - 10pm), but you probably wouldn't get the chance to much re-riding. From my experiences, I've never seen long lines at Knoebels. And when I went, it was just a few days after 4th of July. I don't think I've ever waited more than 10mins for something. The Skooters will probably have the longest line, but even that won't be too bad.

I think it's just another benefit of being a smaller, off the beaten path, park.
 
Bumping this thread a year later...

I will be stopping by Knoebels (also my first time at the park) during our Coaster Tour next week. Any new tips?

Swift, anything you might want to add?
 
What was said above helped a ton but I'd add three more:

1. Try to throw everything you think a park should be out the window. Knoebels is completely different. My best description is a campground with crazy thrill rides dropped on the ground in random places.

2. The carousel. Whatever you do, don't miss it. I ended up with a few bruises but a carousel with a ring machine is not only rare, but a ton of fun. Seriously.

3. The looper. It looks crazy, but you have to try it. If you can't take it, just don't spin it.
 
All I know is this...Phoenix is simply worth the trip to PA alone.

I mean...wow. What an unbelievable roller coaster.

I also really enjoyed the carousel, cosmotron, Black Diamond, and the Haunted House.

And the food of course!

The Flyers were closed. :(
 
Went on Tuesday. couldn't get the Flyers to snap but someone else did it when I was waiting in the line, it looked absolutely insane just how much the tubs bobbled.

Twister is definitely underrated, it's a shame that Phoenix takes all the glory (but for good reason!). It may not have loads of air time but it makes up for it with a plethora of Lateral G's throughout the ride. I have bruises on my shoulder from the skooters, maybe I should've tried to be a little less crazy with T-Boning people. Their whip was also really good (my fourth one so far (dorney, hershey, rye the others). Their chairlift was incredibly steep going down but I managed to snap this shot:

182128_320205634733187_248405202_n.jpg
 
Wish we could have done the chairlift...it was raining pretty much the entire 5 hours we were at Knoebels.

I enjoyed Twister...but like you said Phoenix get's all of the rightfully deserved glory.

I honestly can't believe people don't fly out of that thing...
 
Here I am, almost a decade later, seeing if any of these tips have changed or if new ones have formed. It’s looking like I’ll be going for the first time in a couple weeks and we’ll only be able to spend 4 hours there. I would love to know about any not to be missed experienced and opportunities.
 
Here I am, almost a decade later, seeing if any of these tips have changed or if new ones have formed. It’s looking like I’ll be going for the first time in a couple weeks and we’ll only be able to spend 4 hours there. I would love to know about any not to be missed experienced and opportunities.

Prepare to wait for Flying Turns because it usually has the longest wait in the park.

Must do's -
  • Phoenix
  • Twister
  • Stratosfear
  • Black Diamond
  • Impulse
  • Flying Skooters
  • Bumper Cars
  • Cosmotron
  • Pioneer Train
  • Power Surge
  • Scenic Skyway
If you're looking to eat anywhere, eat anywhere. Tons of food selections and they even have a sit down restaurant called the Alamo. My personal favorite is the Tiger Tail which is available near Phoenix.
 
The standard answer would be that the park deserves more time than that, but if you're truly in the area... the place is fairly large and be tricky to navigate. I only had ~6 hours and did most of what I wanted, but relax wasn't in it.

Of @b.mac's list, I'd skip the Skyway because it's long, unless park is crowded or someone insists. I didn't do the dizzy rides or the train(s). Also enjoyed the haunted house, flume and Splooosh, and somehow missed the carousel, or maybe I just have a blind spot for them. Flying Skooters were good but the cycle was both too long for me onride, esp. with the gas engine, and and my longest wait. Impulse queue can also burn time. Do really wish I'd done the ~30 min. wait for Flying Turns. Got a good number of rides on the big 2 though.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Furyous Baco 325
If you're only there 4 hours, definitely get tickets. It will be cheaper and you won't have to wait in a long line to get a wristband. In fact, in my experience, I've always concluded that I probably would have saved money if I'd gone with tickets, even if I was there all day. BUT wristband is convenient... once you get out of the wristband line.

But ... only 4 hours. That's too bad. There's a lot to do at the park. Even the non-ride stuff is good. Like I always do the shooting gallery with the pellet guns and metal ducks.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Furyous Baco 325
Consider Donating to Hide This Ad