Knoebels Discussion Thread

[A.J.]

2. I know all about the coasters, the Haunted Mansion, Black Diamond, the two Flume rides, and Stratosfear. I'm not super into flats, but I've heard too many great things about them here, so are there any must ride flats? The type I wouldn't find at a typical Cedar Fair or Six Flags park...

They've got a Flying Skooters (Flyers) that is probably the best of its kind, and a squirrel cages ride (Looper) that's likely the ONLY one if its kind not traveling in some sketchy carnival. They also have some classics like a Roll-O-Plane (Satellite) and some rarer modern rides (Downdraft).

[coasterbill]

They also have the world's best Bumper Cars, a classic Whip and a very good Paratrooper. I highly suggest riding the Chairlift too. It's a very cool ride.

 

I second the Downdraft suggestion too. Downdraft is awesome. I could ride it all day.

[p-sychiatrist]

They've got a Flying Skooters (Flyers) that is probably the best of its kind, and a squirrel cages ride (Looper) that's likely the ONLY one if its kind not traveling in some sketchy carnival. They also have some classics like a Roll-O-Plane (Satellite) and some rarer modern rides (Downdraft).

 

Thanks for the suggestions! Downdraft looks really cool so now i gotta check it out! And Looper looks absolutely bonkers haha

 

They also have the world's best Bumper Cars, a classic Whip and a very good Paratrooper. I highly suggest riding the Chairlift too. It's a very cool ride.

 

Does the chair lift offer a nice view of the park or just the mountain side? I go snowboarding so seeing the chairlift as an attraction kind of baffled me, but it seems like it could be a nice relaxing cool down ride. Also, I've heard the bumper cars are great, but how are the bumper boats?

Edited March 24, 2015 by p-sychiatrist

[coasterbill]

Does the chair lift offer a nice view of the park or just the mountain side?

 

It offers a nice view of the park. Lake Compounce has a much cooler chairlift ride but it's worth a ride to get a nice view of the park and to get off your feet for 15 minutes or so.

 

Also, how are the bumper boats?

 

They were crap, and now they're gone. Boat tag and Bumper Boats were removed for Impulse.

[p-sychiatrist]

They were crap, and now they're gone. Boat tag and Bumper Boats were removed for Impulse.

 

Hahaha well I guess that's out of the question then. Knoebels should update their website in that case! I've added the chairlift, bumper cars, Flyers, Paratrooper, Whipper, Looper, and Downdraft to my to-do list! Thanks for all the info!

[coasterbill]

Awesome! Missing the bumper cars especially would have been a real shame. They have signs all over it claiming that they're the world's best bumper cars and I don't know a single person that's ridden them that would ever disagree.

 

Not only are Lusse Auto Skooter's the best but they're so much better than every other bumper car ride that it kind of ruins the rest of them. I never bother riding any other bumper cars anymore.

[rcdude]

I've added the chairlift, bumper cars, Flyers, Paratrooper, Whipper, Looper, and Downdraft to my to-do list! Thanks for all the info!

 

The Grand Carousel is also a must ride attraction, as it is one of the few that still has a working ring dispenser. I'd also recommend the Pioneer Train, which should ideally be ridden twice (once during the day and once at night). There are a few other uncommon/unique attractions at Knoebels, but the rest aren't really must ride attractions.

 

What are crowds like on weekdays (specifically Tuesdays) in early July? Is it easy to get multiple rides in on Phoenix, Flying Turns, and Twister?

 

July may be different, but on my visit last year (a Friday in early August) I don't think anything was more than a 15 minute wait except for Flying Turns (which was about an hour). Ride Flying Turns first thing in the morning, and if you want to ride more than twice (once for each day) expect to wait a while. Knoebels has outstanding operations, so if Phoenix and Twister are running both trains the lines will move very fast (a full queue with both trains on Phoenix is only about 20 minutes). Impulse will probably have a long line since it is new and capacity won't be very good, but that is an unknown right now.

 

Speaking of Impulse, it looks like a fun ride from the video. I doubt it's something anyone would rush out to Knoebels for (if they're outside of the area, that is), but it definitely seems like a must ride if you're at the park and it adds a bit more variety to the park's coaster line-up.

Edited March 24, 2015 by rcdude

[coasterbill]

Oh crap, I forgot about the Carousel. Yes, that's also a must ride and make sure you get an outside horse and grab the rings.

 

Edit: lol at the word filter.

[PhantomNick]

Put me in the camp of folks that think Impulse looks like a really fun ride! Seems like the perfect coaster for Knoebels, and a nice "big" steel coaster for them. Can't wait to check it out when I make my way back out there!

[p-sychiatrist]

July may be different, but on my visit last year (a Friday in early August) I don't think anything was more than a 15 minute wait except for Flying Turns (which was about an hour). Ride Flying Turns first thing in the morning, and if you want to ride more than twice (once for each day) expect to wait a while. Knoebels has outstanding operations, so if Phoenix and Twister are running both trains the lines will move very fast (a full queue with both trains on Phoenix is only about 20 minutes). Impulse will probably have a long line since it is new and capacity won't be very good

 

That sounds awesome, and I've added the Carousel to my list, how could I forget that?! Hopefully Flying Turns gets a slightly shorter wait now that Impulse is the newest coaster in the park, but 15-20 minutes for everything else sounds great. Impulse looks fantastic and I think the helix will pack a punch, but I'm more interested in getting a bunch of rides on Phoenix! I'm so excited now!

[Bull]

My family and I have been going to Knoeble's at least once a year for the last 15 years.

 

We camp at the campground, so we are there first thing in the morning, and last ones to be leaving the park in the evening.

 

I am not sure if I was just lucky, or if it is the norm, but we found that around 7:00 most of the groups and locals seem to start leaving. I have been able to get at least 10 rides on the Phoenix and Twister in as little at a 1/2 hour, in the late evening.

 

What we usually do, since we are right there in the campground it go in and spend a few hours in the morning/early afternoon, before the crowds start getting large, take a break to eat and swim, and look around at the shops and such, then hit the rides again in the evening once the crowds start to ease.

 

Last year when we were there, the only thing I remember seeing more than a one or two cycle wait for, an hour or two before closing, was the Flying Turns and Black Diamond. We were there for three days during the week.

 

Also, don't do what I did and pass on the Rocket Slide thinking it was a kids ride! My daughter "Made" me ride it one day, now I have to convince her to ride it with me!!! Totally fun ride, and more than what it looks like! Word of advice, keep your arms in the slide, I literally have scares on my elbows from it!

 

The Pioneer train is also neat, if for nothing else than a few minutes to relax, it is also a heaven for squirrels, you will see what I mean when you ride. It is a nice long ride out of the park into the woods.

 

To answer your question about Beer, not sold or aloud in the park. I have seen people with beer in the picnic areas that they brought themselves, but I believe it is frowned upon. If you are staying in a cabin in the campground, you can have it there, but they will say something if you get out of had, which I think is a good thing.

 

You will have fun! Don't expect anything flashy, it is just a fun park from the old days, that managed to stick around. They have the best of the old, mixed with the best of the new. They are probably the best example of a old time park that stayed relevant in the modern days.

[bert425]

The Pioneer train is also neat, if for nothing else than a few minutes to relax, it is also a heaven for squirrels, you will see what I mean when you ride. It is a nice long ride out of the park into the woods.

 

and if you ride in the afternoon, they load the deer feeders, and you'll likely see a lot of them on the train ride!

[bert425]

They also have the world's best Bumper Cars, a classic Whip and a very good Paratrooper. I highly suggest riding the Chairlift too. It's a very cool ride.

 

I second the Downdraft suggestion too. Downdraft is awesome. I could ride it all day.

 

agreed. . Whipper here is fantastic.

 

and we LOVED the chairlift.

[bert425]

They were crap, and now they're gone. Boat tag and Bumper Boats were removed for Impulse.

 

Hahaha well I guess that's out of the question then. Knoebels should update their website in that case! I've added the chairlift, bumper cars, Flyers, Paratrooper, Whipper, Looper, and Downdraft to my to-do list! Thanks for all the info!

 

don't miss the museums too.

 

there's a very cool Mining Museum next to Black Diamond (and in the back of that is a small, but interesting, museum on the history of Knoebels).

 

also near Black Diamond (behind it, actually) is the Eagle sanctuary, and if you time it correctly, they do shows that teach you about them.

 

the other great museum is near Flying Turns, and that's the Carousel Museum. . i love old carousel horses/animals, and this one has some great rare ones to look at.

 

they offer a nice break from the park, if it's crowded.

 

Knoebel's is odd. . it seems like a travelling carnival once you enter it, but once you cross the bridges and you see Flying Turns/Phoenix/Twister/Flume. . it really gets magical.

 

don't miss the Cheese on a stick in kiddie-land (amazing). . and we loved the Ice Cream sundae's from the Old Mill too.

[larrygator]

The Whipper is classic, but not very good.

 

Don't skip the Cosmotron or the kiddie coaster.

 

Knoebels does not serve alcohol, you'll have to settle for birch beer

Edited March 24, 2015 by larrygator

[p-sychiatrist]

We camp at the campground, so we are there first thing in the morning, and last ones to be leaving the park in the evening.

 

I am not sure if I was just lucky, or if it is the norm, but we found that around 7:00 most of the groups and locals seem to start leaving. I have been able to get at least 10 rides on the Phoenix and Twister in as little at a 1/2 hour, in the late evening.

 

I'll be camping overnight too! I actually was wondering how close the campsite is to the park, and also how quickly sites sell out? I want to reserve a spot in advance but it says there's a two-night minimum (and I can only stay one night). Also, night rides on Phoenix and Twister are what I'm looking forward to the most!

 

Also, don't do what I did and pass on the Rocket Slide thinking it was a kids ride! My daughter "Made" me ride it one day, now I have to convince her to ride it with me!!! Totally fun ride, and more than what it looks like! Word of advice, keep your arms in the slide, I literally have scares on my elbows from it!

 

Added to the list! Thanks for the suggestion, I would have walked right past it thinking it was a kiddie ride!

 

The Pioneer train is also neat, if for nothing else than a few minutes to relax, it is also a heaven for squirrels, you will see what I mean when you ride. It is a nice long ride out of the park into the woods.

 

To answer your question about Beer, not sold or aloud in the park. I have seen people with beer in the picnic areas that they brought themselves, but I believe it is frowned upon. If you are staying in a cabin in the campground, you can have it there, but they will say something if you get out of had, which I think is a good thing.

 

You will have fun! Don't expect anything flashy, it is just a fun park from the old days, that managed to stick around.

 

The train sounds like a nice break from all the other more intense rides, kinda like the Chair Lift, so I'll check that out too. And yeah I was a bit confused about the beer policy considering that it is a family park. I just read about the "white birch beer" and thought it'd be a cool first drink since i'm turning 21. Didn't realize it was non alcoholic haha and that's definitely a good thing that they don't let crazy drunk people ruin the fun for all the other campers! And I'm not expecting a flashy park, that's exactly why it appeals to me so much. It just looks like a park straight out of the 1920's with a lot of love and care put into it.

 

don't miss the museums too.

 

Knoebel's is odd. . it seems like a travelling carnival once you enter it, but once you cross the bridges and you see Flying Turns/Phoenix/Twister/Flume. . it really gets magical.

 

don't miss the Cheese on a stick in kiddie-land (amazing). . and we loved the Ice Cream sundae's from the Old Mill too.

 

Yeah all the museums and Eagle sanctuary look really interesting so I'd like to check them out if I have time. Knoebels does seem magical... I can't wait to finally experience it. As for the food suggestions, unfortunately I'm on a dairy free diet (I'm lactose intolerant), but I may have to make an exception and try some if it's that good!

 

The Whipper is classic, but not very good.

 

Don't skip the Cosmotron or the kiddie coaster.

 

Knoebels does not serve alcohol, you'll have to settle for birch beer

 

I like Whips a lot so I'll probably still check it out, if only for the historical aspect and most of my friends have never ridden one. The Cosmotron looks like a classic Musik Express and I haven't ridden one in years so I might have to add that to my list! And of course I'm going on Kozmo's Kurves. I'm not a credit whore and usually skip kiddie coasters, but that ride actually looks fun and possibly has some airtime in the front row!

As for the birch beer, I read about it and thought it was a hard drink

sounds delicious either way at least!

[A.J.]

And now with actual cars! Hopefully they'll speed up the lift by opening.

 

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[coasterbill]

Yeah all the museums and Eagle sanctuary look really interesting so I'd like to check them out if I have time.

 

I forgot about those but both museums are really cool, the one by Black Diamond is great, if you have to rush it go all the way to the back room and spend all of your time there as they have a lot of historical items, ride vehicles and pictures. The museums are 100% free... because Knoebels.

 

Knoebels is tough because on paper, and with the pay-per ride system it's tempting if you've never been there before to rush your time there and assume you can hit everything in a few hours. The problem is that this isn't the ideal way to do it because the park just has a ton of awesome things. Everything from awesome food (like Ceasari's Pizza or the Pierogies from the Oasis), the cool games like Fascination, the great flats, the great dark rides and obviously the awesome coasters guarantees that no matter what you'll feel like you needed more time there.

 

I'm a little biased I guess, I actually think this is the best park in America. I love Cedar Point, I love Disney, I love Universal and those parks have theming and experiences that Knoebels will never be able to pull off but Knoebels has things those big parks could never pull off too, like running every flat ride with the best possible programs... great historical touches and plenty of things that are flat out refreshing to see in an era where people are so lawsuit happy (like the high fiving on the way up the Phoenix lift, the high dives in the pool, the Bumper cars that are 100% steel with no rubber bumpers that have on multiple occasions led to bleeding knees (tall people will understand), bumps and bruises for people in our group but honestly that's what makes them so damn awesome). Parks can spend millions of dollars on rides, build awesome themed areas like Diagon Alley and those things are awesome and we love them but we have more fun at Knoebels than anywhere else and since that's the whole point of an amusement park, it makes it my favorite park in America.

 

Oh... and I swear I'm not on the Knoebels payroll but I do sip the Knoebels Kool Aid.

[SigilX]

Knoebels certainly has some unique rides there.

 

I'd recommend the Flume, Haunted Mansion, Whipper, Cosmotron (an indoor Himalaya with lights and music), all roller coasters, the trains, and the XD theater.

 

Food wise everything is great, but I always go to Ceaseri's in the center of the park. It does get busy in the evening though.

 

All the museums are cool too and are nice to check out. There are also some interesting shops near the kids area like The Lost Logger and the Blacksmith shop.

[Mr.Peabody]

Don't miss the cheese-on-a-stick, the waffle ice cream sandwiches (literally Neapolitan ice cream between two square toasted waffles) and the blue birch beer. If you have room after all that, definitely eat at the Alamo restaurant. You will enjoy it.

[Rai Fox]

I'm a little biased I guess, I actually think this is the best park in America. I love Cedar Point, I love Disney, I love Universal and those parks have theming and experiences that Knoebels will never be able to pull off but Knoebels has things those big parks could never pull off too, like running every flat ride with the best possible programs... great historical touches and plenty of things that are flat out refreshing to see in an era where people are so lawsuit happy (like the high fiving on the way up the Phoenix lift, the high dives in the pool, the Bumper cars that are 100% steel with no rubber bumpers that have on multiple occasions led to bleeding knees (tall people will understand), bumps and bruises for people in our group but honestly that's what makes them so damn awesome). Parks can spend millions of dollars on rides, build awesome themed areas like Diagon Alley and those things are awesome and we love them but we have more fun at Knoebels than anywhere else and since that's the whole point of an amusement park, it makes it my favorite park in America.

 

Agreed 100% All the big budgets and Disney Magic in the world can't quite match the simple old fashioned joy that Knoebels is built out of.

[p-sychiatrist]

Knoebels is tough because on paper, and with the pay-per ride system it's tempting if you've never been there before to rush your time there and assume you can hit everything in a few hours. The problem is that this isn't the ideal way to do it because the park just has a ton of awesome things. Everything from awesome food (like Ceasari's Pizza or the Pierogies from the Oasis), the cool games like Fascination, the great flats, the great dark rides and obviously the awesome coasters guarantees that no matter what you'll feel like you needed more time there.

 

I'm a little biased I guess, I actually think this is the best park in America. I love Cedar Point, I love Disney, I love Universal and those parks have theming and experiences that Knoebels will never be able to pull off but Knoebels has things those big parks could never pull off too

 

I'm not trying to rush through just to hit every ride. I'm doing a two day trip so I can relax and take it all in and appreciate it more. No I probably won't go on every flat or do everything there is to see. And I'm sure I'll wish I had more time there when I have to leave. But depending on how much I like it I might try to go again later in the summer, and if not then definitely next year! One of my friends can't make it on this trip so I told him we can do another smaller trip later if it's worth it (which it seems it will be).

 

I was thinking of doing the Ride All-Day pass instead of paying per ride since I'll be staying there all day and camping at night, so even if I don't spend $46 in ride tickets, it's such a great value that I wouldn't feel like I wasted any money. Plus I don't want to worry about limiting my ride count to fit a budget. And wow, I love all those parks you listed too. And I'm a total sucker for the elaborate multi-million dollar theming of Disney and Universal, and the giant coasters of Cedar Point. But I also love the magic of a classic, old-fashioned amusement park. And the love and personality put into a park always outweighs the millions of corporate dollars from investors poured into it. Which is why even parks with billion dollar budgets like Disney can still feel like a second home. The people there love what they do and it shows, that's what makes Disney, Cedar Point, and Universal triumph in areas where lesser parks fail.

 

I'd recommend the Flume, Haunted Mansion, Whipper, Cosmotron (an indoor Himalaya with lights and music), all roller coasters, the trains, and the XD theater

 

There's no way I'm missing the Flume or Haunted Mansion, but I've always liked those 4-D movie rides so I was thinking of checking the XD theater depending on what they're showing.

 

Don't miss the cheese-on-a-stick, the waffle ice cream sandwiches (literally Neapolitan ice cream between two square toasted waffles) and the blue birch beer. If you have room after all that, definitely eat at the Alamo restaurant. You will enjoy it.

 

That all sounds delicious I've heard the Alamo is the best sit down restaurant there. Is it more expensive than the rest of the park food? I don't really mind considering how affordable everything else seems to be, I'm just curious to know for budgeting purposes.

 

Agreed 100% All the big budgets and Disney Magic in the world can't quite match the simple old fashioned joy that Knoebels is built out of.

 

That old fashioned joy and friendly environment is exactly what I'm excited for. Possibly even more so than riding the Phoenix itself!

[bert425]

don't discount the serious addictiveness of "Fascination" too.

 

we did a day & 1/2 there last June, and at least 3 hours disappeared into a Fascination hole!

 

(and yes, I did bring home the prizes we won, and one of them -- a geode nightlight -- is on display in the living room)

 

 

as to Cosmotron, despite the signs saying it's a 1 ticket to observe, we were invited to stand inside and watch. . .it's LOUD and bright in there

[p-sychiatrist]

I've never played Fascination so I don't know much about it besides the fact that you roll a ball into holes that light up. Is it really that addictive? I don't want to waste too much time or money playing a game! It looks fun though and maybe I'll play a round just to experience it.

[coasterfreak101]

^You'd be surprised! I finally got to play at Indiana Beach, and it was honestly a highlight of that park. Such a good time playing, and such a good vibe with the people around us. And like, that was the Monticello crowd - I have high hopes for playing at Knoebels!