Mini Mini East Coast Trip

Alright, so I have a very short trip booked to the east coast (flying into & out of Philly) this July and have 3 days to work with. I've never been to any of the parks in the region and would like to get in as many great coasters as possible in the limited window.

Here is a rough outline of what I was thinking so far:

7/19 - SFNE

7/20 - Lake Compounce & Dorney OR just Hersheypark OR just Knoebels

7/21 - SFGAdv

Those of you who live in & visit the parks in the region, whats the best logistical option to get the most of the trip?

My flight is out of PHL in the afternoon on 7/22, so I was thinking of going up north first and then working my way back down over the 3 days.

Any tips, strategy, advice, or recommendations for choosing between and navigating these parks and the route would be hugely appreciated!

I'd do SFNE and Lake Compounce in the same day, and head to Hershey on the 20th.

SFNE and Compounce in one day is a lot, but if you're able to arrive at SFNE at opening I think it actually makes a ton of sense. You probably wouldn't need a full day at SFNE anyway, and if you left there by 5 you could be at Compounce by 6:00 and pay the after 5 price ($23). I'm a hardcore "Boulder Dash at night" advocate (if you go through my posts probably 1/3 of them are on this topic haha), so for me going to LC on a Sunday night when you should have at least 45 minutes of darkness is much preferable to paying more to go the next morning, even if it means only having two or three hours in the park.

In terms of Knoebels or Hershey, I'd probably recommend Knoebels because I think it would work a lot better with your schedule to "break up" the other two days of big chain-style parks, and because it's just a really really awesome park. And given that it's a nearly a five hour drive from New England to either one I think Knoebels is a much easier park to arrive at in the middle of the day and not have to scramble to get everything in. With that said, Hershey does have a really really good coaster lineup and if you're looking to get the most coasters out of the trip it definitely beats Knoebels in that category. You can't really go wrong either way, both are great parks.

Two other pieces of advice:

1. I wouldn't plan around it or anything but if it works out that you'll be driving past Quassy at a time when they're open, I would recommend you stop and ride Wooden Warrior. It's a really fun little ride and the entire stop will cost you like $10 and less than an hour.

2. When you're in the Philly/Jersey area, if you need food or anything look out for a Wawa! If you haven't been, imagine a 7/11 with fantastic food and coffee. In my experience grabbing a hoagie from a Wawa and then eating it at mealtime is pretty much the best way to eat when doing amusement parks.

I agree with everything King of Ka said.

Also, you can really do Dorney and Knoebels on the same day stress free but spend most of the day at Knoebels as it's much better in every possible way. Lake Compounce and Dorney are only 3 hours apart, drive until you're tired once you leave Lake Compounce and finish driving to Dorney in the morning if you have to. Then on a Monday morning you can ride every coaster and ride that matters at Dorney in 2-3 hours (again, the only other rides that matter are Demon Drop and Thunder Creek Mountain as Knoebels has a better version of basically everything else in the park including Dominator). You can then get to Knoebels by early afternoon and spend the rest of the day there.

Gonna move this to the main forum. With us being in Japan right now, not much time to respond at the moment, sorry.

Do Dorney Park and Knoebels on the 20th. If you get to Dorney Park at around 10 AM or 11 AM, that will give you plenty of time to ride the stuff you want (Hydra, Steel Force, Talon and Possessed should probably be priority) in a few hours, and you can have lunch there too.

Then, you can make the hour and forty minute drive to Knoebels to be there around 4 PM, where you can take advantage of the sundown plan for $28, which goes from 4 PM to 10 PM - enough time to probably get you on Flying Turns with little hassle, and grab dinner as well. Last time I showed up at the park on a weekday I was able to ride the three wooden coasters and Impulse in under an hour and a half, and that was with me being in a hurry.

Thank you so much for the input so far, everyone!

It looks like Knoebels is becoming a clear frontrunner and Phoenix is obviously near the top of my list for a "must ride."

That leaves my revised schedule looking something like this:

7/19 - SFNE & Lake Compounce

7/20 - Dorney & Knoebels

7/21 - SFGADv

Since I won't be doing the full day at SFNE I'll be getting a Platinum Flash Pass there, but what do you think about SFGADv? With it being a Tuesday I imagine the crowds wouldn't be too horrendous, but I also have no idea what to expect from this park.

Going up to SFNE is to and from Philly is a solid 4 hours and out of the way from the PA/NJ parks. That's a reasonable amount of driving for just spending 1 day up there in my opinion. My suggestion for your trip would be:

7/19 - Hershey

7/20 - Knoebels / Dorney

7/21 - Great Adventure

Great Adventure is a large park and a good amount of coasters. Assuming you plan to spend full day there on a Tuesday you should be alright though (would assess when you get in and do Zumanjaro and Kingda Ka first thing to save time - they're right next to each other).

That leaves my revised schedule looking something like this:

 

7/19 - SFNE & Lake Compounce

7/20 - Dorney & Knoebels

7/21 - SFGADv

 

Since I won't be doing the full day at SFNE I'll be getting a Platinum Flash Pass there, but what do you think about SFGADv? With it being a Tuesday I imagine the crowds wouldn't be too horrendous, but I also have no idea what to expect from this park.

I like the new itinerary and agree you sou should plan on the Flash Pass at SFNE. Lake Compounce is a cute little park but there is not too much in the way of uniqueness. Try to enjoy the Sky Ride before it closes for the day and devote the last hour of your night to Boulder Dash.

As far as food, there are unique and affordable food options in Connecticut that are far superior to stopping at Wawa. I would seriously investigate if any steamed hamburger joints are along your route in Connecticut, I wish I had tried them sooner in life.

Regarding the Flash Pass at SFGAdv, I would wait and see what the crowds are like first, some weekdays it is not necessary.

If it's on your way in Connecticut and you have time, might want to stop in a Stew Leonard's. It's a grocery store rather than a restaurant, but have heard great things about their theming and stores in general.

That leaves my revised schedule looking something like this:

 

7/19 - SFNE & Lake Compounce

7/20 - Dorney & Knoebels

7/21 - SFGADv

Perfect plan... as for Great Adventure, do you NEED the Flash Pass to ride everything? No. But you might want one so you can re-ride things as the rides will probably have sizable lines. Ride Kingda Ka first as Zumanjaro kills the capacity and make sure you wait for the front. It's worth the extra wait.

Also, the Safari is fun but if you do it be ready to dedicate about 2 hours to it between the line and the ride, if not more. Since you're there for one day I'd skip that.

^ I'll probably skip the Safari in favor of getting more rides in on El Toro

Sounds like a fun couple of days. Enjoy yourself man. Make sure you ride even the small rides at Knoebels, everything will surprise you. My favorite flat is the Roto Jet Red Rockets.

It will do this to you

I would seriously investigate if any steamed hamburger joints are along your route in Connecticut, I wish I had tried them sooner in life.

I will definitely be trying one of these next time I do the Philly-Boston drive! Googling around the main place I'm seeing is Ted's, is this where you went Larry?

I would seriously investigate if any steamed hamburger joints are along your route in Connecticut, I wish I had tried them sooner in life.

 

I will definitely be trying one of these next time I do the Philly-Boston drive! Googling around the main place I'm seeing is Ted's, is this where you went Larry?

Yes, I go to Ted's frequently because there is one very close to Wild Bill's Nostalgia Store. Ted's has a homemade hot sauce that is not listed on the menu, both hot and flavorful.

Here are some other places http://www.roadfood.com/EatingTours/34/central-connecticuts-steamed-cheeseburger

I would choose Hersheypark and Knoebel's over SFNE and Lake Compounce. It also saves a lot of time driving.

But you're very different from me, you'd probably like Bizarro and Boulder Dash more than I did.

Alright, so based on the recommendations I've been getting it looks like this will be my final schedule:

7/19: SFNE & Lake Compounce

7/20: Knoebels & Hersheypark

7/21: SFGAdv (& maybe back to Hershey in the morning if I can't get enough done on 7/20).

Let me know if you have any final recommendations for how to best navigate these parks. I'm not set on getting every credit at these parks, just the majors and the "hidden gems" with other rides if time permits, but let me know if you think there's anything I cannot and should not miss.

Going up to SFNE is to and from Philly is a solid 4 hours and out of the way from the PA/NJ parks. That's a reasonable amount of driving for just spending 1 day up there in my opinion. My suggestion for your trip would be:

 

7/19 - Hershey

7/20 - Knoebels / Dorney

7/21 - Great Adventure

 

I did these same parks in the same order on a Mon/Tues/Wed in August 2013; starting and ending in DC though. An evening flight on day 4 allowed for an additional 5 hours at SFA (which was more than enough).

Personally, that trip would be too much for me. It definitely gives you the max number of credits, but at major parks like SFNE/Hershey, I much prefer whole days to get the full experience. Also, that is a ton of driving in a short span, which would wear me out. If it was me, I'd cut out at least 1 of LC or Knoebels. Knoebels is the better park, but the time you need to really experience Hershey is more than you need at SFNE, so I'd probably knock Knoebels off the itinerary instead.

^ I agree with that. For me Hershey is a full day experience. Beyond the coasters it's a park with so many cool little nooks and crannies worth stopping and checking out.

I agree. Hershey is such a cool park, it'd be a shame to try and squeeze it in such a short time. Plus, your new driving schedule is adding on unnecessary hours / miles.

Stick with your original plan:

7/19 - SFNE & Lake Compounce

7/20 - Dorney & Knoebels

7/21 - SFGADv

This is your best bet. Dorney will be dead on a Monday, so if you go there first, you'd have done everything by 1-2pm. Spend the rest of the day at Knoebels, then drive down during the night to SFGAdv.

EDIT: I overlooked that you're flying in and out of Philly. Do you have an arrival date / time yet? That would help determine if it's actually worthwhile to make the hike up to CT and MA for SFNE and Lake Compounce. I'd almost say that you should skip that trek and spend the full day of 7/19 at Hersheypark instead, like rubysparkles. Depends on how dead set you are visiting those two parks.

I'll add an idea to that (which I agree is the best) schedule... If you finish Dorney, and are going to drive to Knobles, I would swing by Old Sandwich Co. At 4686 Broadway, Allentown, PA 18104. By far some of the best sandwiches I have ever had, it'll give you neigh fuel to drive to Knoebles and get some rides in prior to hitting the food... Plus the timing worked out to get the evening band from Knoelbles!

EDIT: I overlooked that you're flying in and out of Philly. Do you have an arrival date / time yet? That would help determine if it's actually worthwhile to make the hike up to CT and MA for SFNE and Lake Compounce. .

I arrive in Philly at 6:30am on 7/19 and was going to head north from there.

EDIT: I overlooked that you're flying in and out of Philly. Do you have an arrival date / time yet? That would help determine if it's actually worthwhile to make the hike up to CT and MA for SFNE and Lake Compounce. .

 

I arrive in Philly at 6:30am on 7/19 and was going to head north from there.

PHI to SFNE is four hours without traffic or stopping. There's no way you're getting to SFNE before noon. You've then got an hour drive back to Lake Compounce, which closes at 9PM that day, giving you AT MOST total eight hours between two parks. You've then got a 3.5 hour drive over to Dorney Park.

I would HIGHLY recommend cutting SFNE and LC from your plan and spend the full day at Hersheypark. It's two hours from the airport, allowing you to take your time getting there. Once the park closes, it's only 1.25 hours (up I-78) to Dorney. You'll be better rested for Dorney / Knoebels, plus you get to experience a great park with first-class rides without feeling rushed the whole time.

Heck, you should have time to pop into Chocolate World and make your own candy bar!