Devins3 Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 Just got back from my amazing 3 day camping trip to Knoebels. This is the first time I have spent multiple days there and I would have to say without a doubt it is my favorite park that I have been to. There is something about the atmosphere that just makes me feel happy that I am alive and able to experience it. There is nothing quite like camping there, only having to walk 5 minutes to get to the park was an amazing experience. Some highlights of the trip were riding Phoenix at night in the pouring rain, the crazy bumper cars, and all the delicious food I got to eat. The best part of the trip was getting on the last ride of the night on Phoenix Tuesday and Wednesday both nights they turned the lights off, it was great riding in the complete dark. Then as we came back into the station they just didn't stop the train and sent us through again! It was great going through without stopping two nights in a row. Is this something they do every night? I had a great time and plan on trying to do it again before the summer is done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philrad71 Posted July 26, 2013 Share Posted July 26, 2013 ^Yeah, but I bet that your campground didn't have all the cool amenities like the one we stayed at that was ten miles from the park where you also had to go through a mile of one lane road in order to get to the park. These were our neighbors. They partied till 5:00 in the morning and I believe there was also a sign (that I didn't get a picture of) that said "I eat children." You get to pick your campsite - go for the sites that boast the "awesome river-side views" or you can opt for the "clean-it-out-yerself" sites. We were going to choose this one... And settled on this one. Ahhh...life is good! Now on to the amenities... Gymnastics class here at 9:00 AM. They call this themed area 'Decathlon' 3 point challenge This happened once... Coming soon in 2014 - Family outhouses featuring a baby diaper changing station inside! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larrygator Posted July 26, 2013 Share Posted July 26, 2013 ^With your camping experiences I'm amazed you haven't given up on camping. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arby Posted July 26, 2013 Share Posted July 26, 2013 ^^Let me know the name of that campground so we don't go there. We've come across a few campgrounds like that during our travels. Â The Knoebels campground looked nice. Glad you enjoyed it. My only piece of advice about it is to call ahead and not go there if you have a big rig and none of the front sites are open. We made the mistake of stopping by the campground without reservations and all the front sites were full. In our adventure to get turned around in the tightly packed campground, we nearly took off an air conditioner from a low hanging branch. Fortunately they allow you to park by the woods in the main Knoebels parking lot so we set up there and ran the generator all day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devins3 Posted July 26, 2013 Share Posted July 26, 2013 Yes the campground was really nice, I use a tent so my options for camp sites is more than if I had an RV. I wish you could make a reservation with only staying one night but they require you to stay two nights in order to reserve a site. I only called a week and a half ahead of time this trip and there were plenty of sites available. Â A question I have about the park is about Stratosfear, I rode it multiple times and thought it was amazing. Ive ridden many S&S drop towers and thought they were all pretty lame, what makes the Stratosfear so much better than the S&S models? I realize the restraint doesn't come down as much but the forces, both negative and positive, are so much greater on this ride compared to other drop towers it had me curious as to why this is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arby Posted July 26, 2013 Share Posted July 26, 2013 Yes the campground was really nice, I use a tent so my options for camp sites is more than if I had an RV. I wish you could make a reservation with only staying one night but they require you to stay two nights in order to reserve a site. I only called a week and a half ahead of time this trip and there were plenty of sites available. Â Thanks for the reminder. Now I recall why I didn't make reservations; because they require 2 nights. We only wanted one night so decided to show up and get a site that way. Due to our length, the sites they have at that particular campground are limited, anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJLehto Posted July 26, 2013 Share Posted July 26, 2013 Time for my obligatory check in: Â Guessing there's no actual update on FT? Â Also I'm ready to go for the first time in like 12 years, even if it needs to be solo! It's close enough and small enough I won't feel awful being forever alone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RideofSteel Posted July 26, 2013 Share Posted July 26, 2013 I had an AMAZING time at Knoebels yesterday. Phoenix (rode 4x) was fantastic. The airtime in the front row was unbelievable. Phoenix was also my 50th coaster. Twister was also a great ride... We rode it three times. It was much better in the back. Black Diamond was weird. A fun ride, but not much of a coaster. Â Onto the flats, Stratosfear was amazing. Each time we rode it seemed to get better and better. Fandango was also really, really fun. The other standout was the scenic skyride. It was a blast. I have never been so scared on a ride, expecially when it stopped us at the very top. Â The log flume was also quite good, although I came off soaked. Â I also loved the parks atmosphere. It was so calm compared to other parks. All of the employees (and guests too) were incredibly kind. There was no line jumping or rowdiness at all. Even though the park was very busy, lines were under 20 minutes all day, even with Phoenix's line spilling out of the entrance. Â In a way the park really reminded me of Lagoon... Lightning fast dispatches on the coasters with a great flat selection. Lagoon even has a campground too! Â A looping coaster... Maybe even a clone of Wicked would be great for the park. After all, Wicked is a great family ride and they even have booster seats lowering the height restriction even more. Â I can't wait to go back again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RideofSteel Posted July 27, 2013 Share Posted July 27, 2013 Sorry about the double post... But here's two cars of Flying Turn's trains. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TPDave Posted July 27, 2013 Share Posted July 27, 2013 I love we're technically looking at YEARS of R&D that went into to a train design that works properly and its just made of pipe and sheet  No backseat engineers please, we all know the story - just struck me as kind of funny! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickenbowl Posted July 27, 2013 Share Posted July 27, 2013 ^^Those look amazing! I can't wait to see this ride open! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJLehto Posted July 28, 2013 Share Posted July 28, 2013 Yeah that train is pretty sweet. Please open this year! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim S. Posted July 28, 2013 Share Posted July 28, 2013 I'm still unclear, having not seen the finished train close-up yet, whether they've gone from two-person to one-person cars, or from five-car to less trains. Anybody care to enlighten me? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheStig Posted July 28, 2013 Share Posted July 28, 2013 I love we're technically looking at YEARS of R&D that went into to a train design that works properly and its just made of pipe and sheet  No backseat engineers please, we all know the story - just struck me as kind of funny!  You should see it up close, it's VERY Rube Goldberg!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TyRush Posted July 28, 2013 Share Posted July 28, 2013 Lots of wheels! Hopefully this opens, maybe i will make a trip up to the park Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJLehto Posted July 28, 2013 Share Posted July 28, 2013 I think given the epic wait for this one if it did actually open this year we need a TPR mini trip. Also it's been waaaay too long since riding Phoenix, I don't even remember it really. Just I was really small and thought I was gunna die on it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoopScreweD Posted July 29, 2013 Share Posted July 29, 2013 Some great old pictures of 3 Flying turns located at Euclid Beach Rocky Point and River view parks. These were all in old RCT 2 recreations of these rides. Gives a good comparison of then and now especially the trains and ride layouts being very wild looking back then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A.J. Posted July 29, 2013 Share Posted July 29, 2013 This may be a stupid question, but I wonder if you'll be able to stuff three small people inline in Knoebels' Flying Turns' cars? I think that I remember seeing five people stuffed into the boats on the Giant Flume on several occasions, but I'm not entirely sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoopScreweD Posted July 29, 2013 Share Posted July 29, 2013 I doubt it given the troubles they've had with the trains all these years not running correct 100% of the time they wouldn't want to risk the limits or balance or what have you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arby Posted July 31, 2013 Share Posted July 31, 2013 newsitem.com/news/turn-for-the-better-knoebels-close-on-flying-turns-after-7-years-1.1529000  ELYSBURG - Cross your fingers, thrill-seekers and coaster enthusiasts. Knoebels Amusement Park officials are optimistic that Flying Turns - seven years in the making - could open later this year or early next season. Joe Muscato, director of public relations, said tests have been done continuously this summer and there is confidence that a vehicle that will work has been developed. In fact, Tuesday, crews were testing two vehicles and everything appeared to be running smoothly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfc Posted July 31, 2013 Share Posted July 31, 2013 ^ Â I'm sure Nostradamus made some sort of prophecy about this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJLehto Posted July 31, 2013 Share Posted July 31, 2013 ^  I'm sure Nostradamus made some sort of prophecy about this.   Amazing  But seriously, please please open this year! Would be such an easy day trip for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfc Posted July 31, 2013 Share Posted July 31, 2013 I'd love to see Flying Turns open, too. We shall see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deguy123 Posted July 31, 2013 Share Posted July 31, 2013 I'd love to see it open this year and I'd be up there as soon as it opened! Would be a good coaster to be my 200th credit! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wingwright Posted July 31, 2013 Share Posted July 31, 2013 ^ Â I'm sure Nostradamus made some sort of prophecy about this. Â Someone needs to photoshop the Flying Turns trains in this picture. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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