Camelback Alpine Coaster- My first Alpine Coaster and I really didn't know what to expect in the way of forces. It was a four minute lift to the top and a nice fast, if pretty shakey at times. I also won't lie in that I got the brakes a couple times when my brain decided I was going too fast. 7/10
Knoebles
Black Diamond- Technically a coaster, but it lacks any forces of a coaster aside from a few small drops (one of which is trimmed), but holy shit the dark ride aspect was amazing for a park that's not backed by a major corporation. It uses a mix of decades old animatronics, extremely cool black light effects, and even modern projections ala DarKastle. Hands down my favorite ride at the park. 9/10
Phoenix- Fun older woodie. Starts with a long pitch black tunnel which I thought was neat despite not being thematically relevant. Maintains a good speed and has tons of bunny hops. 8/10
Twister- The larger woodie at the park. A fast and fun and unique layout that could be better if the turns were banked more. 7/10
Flying Turns- Unique type of coaster that more or less has the same forces of a bit more reckless because of its wooden nature. 7/10
Haunted Mansion- My first “old” Haunted Mansion ride. The effects that are older stick out to the newer ones, but it's still a fun ride if you're into those things. It was kind of annoying that it was the only ride not included in the day pass. 7/10
Impulse- My first Euro Fighter. A small twisty coaster that's well paced. I don't like vertical lifts though. 7/10
Now this is the time where I talk about the park itself. It is amazing. If you're not familiar, it's a park where you can pay per attraction. I picked the option where you can get a wristband that covers 99% of the rides (like mentioned above). Food is cheap as hell for a theme park. Hot Dogs are $2.50 and my meal with large drink was $8. Snacks also rarely got above $6. Souvenirs were also pretty cheap for a theme park; I got a shirt, two small posters, a pen, and a park branded spinner for $25. That is unheard of in any other park. Parking was also free. I don't normally talk about this sort of thing when talking about a park, but this park is an amazing value.
The park itself was built in a forest and retains its natural beauty and the park leans into it. One ride is essentially a ski lift that takes you up a mountain to enjoy the view while one of the trains takes you around the back of the park into land that hasn't been developed yet.
It's also an extremely rough park. Most of the flat rides are set up like you would see in a traveling fair, trailers and all. Some even run on gas engine. Ride ops regularly do things that would instantly get them fired for safety violations. There are employees just sitting on benches around the park and some were snarky bordering rude. These might sound like bad things, but it's sort of refreshing to not be in a sterile environment.
The park also 100% embraces its history as well as the history of the area. There are three museums on site. The Knoebels history museum has rides and other artifacts from its past. The carousel museum has horses from all over the world and different eras. The mining museum has this.
There are also various signs around the park that tell you about the rides that used to be there. They also have working calliopes around the park providing music which is impressive in its own right.
All in all, I love this park. It doesn’t have the most impressive coaster collection, but what it lacks in coasters it makes up in charm, value, and...well...fun. It’s a really fun park just to walk around and take in the unique atmosphere.
Final park rating: 9/10
Knoebles
Black Diamond- Technically a coaster, but it lacks any forces of a coaster aside from a few small drops (one of which is trimmed), but holy shit the dark ride aspect was amazing for a park that's not backed by a major corporation. It uses a mix of decades old animatronics, extremely cool black light effects, and even modern projections ala DarKastle. Hands down my favorite ride at the park. 9/10
Phoenix- Fun older woodie. Starts with a long pitch black tunnel which I thought was neat despite not being thematically relevant. Maintains a good speed and has tons of bunny hops. 8/10
Twister- The larger woodie at the park. A fast and fun and unique layout that could be better if the turns were banked more. 7/10
Flying Turns- Unique type of coaster that more or less has the same forces of a bit more reckless because of its wooden nature. 7/10
Haunted Mansion- My first “old” Haunted Mansion ride. The effects that are older stick out to the newer ones, but it's still a fun ride if you're into those things. It was kind of annoying that it was the only ride not included in the day pass. 7/10
Impulse- My first Euro Fighter. A small twisty coaster that's well paced. I don't like vertical lifts though. 7/10
Now this is the time where I talk about the park itself. It is amazing. If you're not familiar, it's a park where you can pay per attraction. I picked the option where you can get a wristband that covers 99% of the rides (like mentioned above). Food is cheap as hell for a theme park. Hot Dogs are $2.50 and my meal with large drink was $8. Snacks also rarely got above $6. Souvenirs were also pretty cheap for a theme park; I got a shirt, two small posters, a pen, and a park branded spinner for $25. That is unheard of in any other park. Parking was also free. I don't normally talk about this sort of thing when talking about a park, but this park is an amazing value.
The park itself was built in a forest and retains its natural beauty and the park leans into it. One ride is essentially a ski lift that takes you up a mountain to enjoy the view while one of the trains takes you around the back of the park into land that hasn't been developed yet.
It's also an extremely rough park. Most of the flat rides are set up like you would see in a traveling fair, trailers and all. Some even run on gas engine. Ride ops regularly do things that would instantly get them fired for safety violations. There are employees just sitting on benches around the park and some were snarky bordering rude. These might sound like bad things, but it's sort of refreshing to not be in a sterile environment.
The park also 100% embraces its history as well as the history of the area. There are three museums on site. The Knoebels history museum has rides and other artifacts from its past. The carousel museum has horses from all over the world and different eras. The mining museum has this.
There are also various signs around the park that tell you about the rides that used to be there. They also have working calliopes around the park providing music which is impressive in its own right.
All in all, I love this park. It doesn’t have the most impressive coaster collection, but what it lacks in coasters it makes up in charm, value, and...well...fun. It’s a really fun park just to walk around and take in the unique atmosphere.
Final park rating: 9/10
