Is Knott's Berry Farm worth it?

[Disneyland1084]

I'm in the planning phase for a summer 2026 trip. By then my DS will be almost 7. Instead of our usual 3 days at DL, I was thinking 2 at DL, and one day at Knott's. I figure by then my DS will be tall enough to go on all the rides. I'm 45, and haven't been to Knott's since I was 9. I remember loving it. But a lot can change. It's not just about me anymore. Are there any Dis adults that love Knott's, or do you only go for your children? FYI, I'm not talking about Knott's Scary Farm. I won't be going THERE anytime in the near future. So, who likes Knott's Berry Farm? Likes and dislikes please.

 

[Brian Noble]

I am probably not representative, but I think Knott's is great. They have a solid lineup of coasters, a fair amount of nostalgic charm, and when Disneyland kicked Billy Hill and the Hillbillies to the curb, they moved down the street to here.

https://www.knotts.com/entertainment/krazy-kirk-and-the-hillbillies

Also, Mrs. Knott's Chicken Dinner is not to be missed.
https://www.mashed.com/490593/the-untold-truth-of-mrs-knotts-chicken-dinner-restaurant/

That said, I am a roller coaster fan, and not just a theme park fan. The more hardcore DISers would probably tell you that three days is too short to spend one of them at KBF--and I might agree with them!

 

[NVDISFamily]

I do worry that you might be trying to fit a lot into those days but TLDR - Knotts is great.

Is it Disney level quality, no. Food is hit or miss and they very very much cater to the locals with the pass/food plan so they kind of on purpose make the service meh and the lines long. If you want that "free" meal you have paid for, you are going to wait an hour of your day.

Rides are good to great. Not as well themed as Disney, but some greater thrills and even some very fun flat rides. My daughter loves the swings at Knotts vs DCA and she was so happy a year or two ago when she was finally tall enough to ride them. She and my son also loves the Dragon Swing, Jaguar, and more.

I found this thread I wrote up about a trip where we stayed a few days at the Knotts hotel. Speaking of which, if you know how to hunt, I've seen rooms at the Knotts hotel for a great price.....

https://www.disboards.com/threads/our-california-welcome-home-trip-plus-a-detour-to-knotts.3917243/

 

[NVDISFamily]

Also, Mrs. Knott's Chicken Dinner is not to be missed.
https://www.mashed.com/490593/the-untold-truth-of-mrs-knotts-chicken-dinner-restaurant/

I 2nd this recommendation. The quality and amount of food is amazing. Also, the bakery next door is a great spot to grab some treats or if you are on the run the chicken to go is great

The gourmet stuffed churros in Ghost Town are awesome.

It's also just fun to know that Walt and Walter were friends and shared some of the designs and inspirations on things.

 

[irlandaise]

I think Knott's would be a charming place to take a 7-year-old. There's the whole Peanuts area (Camp Snoopy), a bunch of rides that will be fine for a kid, fun shows (indoors and out), and even some educational experiences in the Old West section. And yes, fried chicken at Mrs. Knott's restaurant!

I went there for one day during a DL trip several years ago and really enjoyed it even though I'm not a roller coaster person. I even got my photo taken with Snoopy.

As others have mentioned, I do suggest that you try to plan for a four-day trip so you can still have three days at Disneyland.

 

[LAS2AMS]

We love Knott’s and have had AP for many years. Beyond Camp Snoopy (which was overhauled this year), there are very few non-thrill rides, so the park generally attracts fewer smaller children than DLR.

The entertainment program is top notch — most people don’t know this, but DLR outsources most of its audition, selection and rehearsing to a third party, and that third party is also utilized by Knott’s. The end result is that if you heard a recording, you wouldn’t know if the carolers were at Knott’s or DLR. Be aware that they’ve heavily reduced the entertainment program in recent years, so that it’s offered only when the park is busy (in other words, weekends, summer and holidays/ holiday periods).

During its themed events, Knott’s is more elaborately themed than DLR, if you can believe that. Not too surprising - they did it first. IMO, Merry Farms is worth the price of the AP alone.

That said… in the summer, we generally go to the adjacent water park only. Lines are ridiculously long - 3+ hours for top coasters. In September or colder months, you can walk right into these rides with no wait.

 

[LAS2AMS]

Is it Disney level quality, no. Food is hit or miss and they very very much cater to the locals with the pass/food plan so they kind of on purpose make the service meh and the lines long. If you want that "free" meal you have paid for, you are going to wait an hour of your day.

They don’t cater to locals. The meal plan is offered at all Cedar Fair and now Six Flag parks. Because there’s a huge population nearby Knott’s, and the meal plan is such a great deal, there has been a tremendous amount of “abuse” — e.g. mom entering the park to get dinner for the family. Knott’s now requires that you must be scanned into the park to redeem your meal, although some cashiers don’t always follow that.

I agree food is hit-or-miss, but mostly hits. Comparable food is better at KBF than DLR. Portions also tend to be much larger than DLR - the salads are use premium fresh produce and can comfortably feed four.

 

[PiratesOfTheSea]

One thing to keep in mind is that the Knott's Berry Fair under Cedar Fair is very different than the Knott's you went to during your childhood. The park is now a mish-mash of the old Knotts with a lot of thrill rides that were installed after the park was acquired by Cedar Fair. Ghost Rider is probably my favorite ride there but you could easily wait 2-3 hours for it on a busy summer day. If your family loves thrill rides, it's definitely worth a visit, otherwise I wouldn't prioritize it.

Another recommendation for Mrs. Knott's chicken here. I haven't been back in a few years but I have heard they have stepped up their food game somewhat in recent years.

Crowd-wise Knott's did develop a reputation as a daycare for riff raff that would get caught "accidentally" engaging in gang activities, bad enough that they had to put in a chaperone policy at night to curb that. No idea how effective it's been. They have also had issues with break-ins at the parking lots so if you plan to drive and park there keep in mind the parking lots are unattended and open unlike Disney lots.

 

[LKing]

Have you looked at the threads in California & the West? That forum is for USH, Knotts, and other attractions outside of the Disneyland Resort. https://www.disboards.com/forums/california-the-west.131/

 

[hardcorestitch]

Knotts is more coaster intensive than DL so if you’re not a coaster junkie like me… you may wanna look elsewhere.

 

[irlandaise]

Knotts is more coaster intensive than DL so if you’re not a coaster junkie like me… you may wanna look elsewhere.

It does have more coasters, but it also has lots of other things to do. I definitely think it's worth a day there.

 

[neverlandsky]

It is and a perfect age too. As a kid my favorite ride were the Soap Box Racers (forever in my heart), Calico Mine Ride, Log Ride, Panning for gold, Camp Snoopy, the Cowboys, & the Knotts Jams .

 

[DizMe]

Right after Covid, my friends and I got Knott's annual passes because they were so cheap. We planned a visit, stayed at the Knott's hotel, and had a fun afternoon tea. I hadn't been there since I was pretty young so I didn't have many expectations. I really liked the Old West part of the park. Not to make fun, but the "mine train" ride was so Mickey Mouse, if you'll pardon the expression, that I laughed. The lines took forever (there's a way to do some kind of fast-pass thing but we didn't do that) and the rides were either carnival thrill rides or rather rinky when you're used to DLR.

I know they have good entertainment, but I'm not interested in going back. I come down from Northern California and I'd rather have another day at DL, visit the beach, etc than go to Knott's. I think it's a nice local's park but the vibe is very different from DLR and not as senior-friendly as DL. It's a great place if you're interested in thrill rides and more of a carnival vibe.

 

[Lumpy1106]

I like it better than my kids. They say it's too ghetto. There's a good chance that they see more of that since they are the age of the kids causing trouble. Knotts recently enacted restrictions though (must be accompanied by an adult) so may be better now. I will say, recent experience, Magic Mountain has less issues than Knotts, and that used to be the other way around.

 

[Aspencreek]

I know they have good entertainment, but I'm not interested in going back. I come down from Northern California and I'd rather have another day at DL, visit the beach, etc than go to Knott's.

That was kind of my experience with Universal Hollywood. Have gone once as an adult (in 2016) and liked it fine, but have never wanted to give up a Disneyland day to go back to Universal. Haven't been to Knotts since I was a kid and sometimes think we should pop over there, but sounds like it probably would just be a disappointment.

 

[JerrodDragon89]

If you don't mind spending extra money then sure

But Knotts just has bad ops like Six Flags...so lines get long because unlike Disney and even Universal they just can't seem to keep rides running at full capacity

If your going to go on a few rides and mainly watch shows then enjoy but once again the lines for many rides get insane in the summer and winter break

 

[LAS2AMS]

Right after Covid, my friends and I got Knott's annual passes because they were so cheap. We planned a visit, stayed at the Knott's hotel, and had a fun afternoon tea. I hadn't been there since I was pretty young so I didn't have many expectations. I really liked the Old West part of the park. Not to make fun, but the "mine train" ride was so Mickey Mouse, if you'll pardon the expression, that I laughed. The lines took forever (there's a way to do some kind of fast-pass thing but we didn't do that) and the rides were either carnival thrill rides or rather rinky when you're used to DLR.

I know they have good entertainment, but I'm not interested in going back. I come down from Northern California and I'd rather have another day at DL, visit the beach, etc than go to Knott's. I think it's a nice local's park but the vibe is very different from DLR and not as senior-friendly as DL. It's a great place if you're interested in thrill rides and more of a carnival vibe.

Every Disney fan should visit KBF at least once. There is a Disney+ show where Imagineers and Disney historians discuss the heavy influence KBF had on Walt Disney and thus Disneyland and later Disney parks. In fact, they probably would not exist today had it not been for KBF. KBF was a successful theme park, but built in pieces as the idea evolved & to minimize risk. Walt Disney was a frequent visitor, especially during the creation of Disneyland, and would not have taken the financial risk of the park had KBF not convinced him it would be successful.

Walt rode the Clieco Mine Train quite frequently, and elements were brought into future DL attractions - especially the themed queues. Describe the ride as “Mickey Mouse” is so perfect . The lead imagineers for Splash Mountain acknowledge that they rode Timberland Mountain Log Ride repeatedly during Splash Mountain’s design, and that Splash Mountain was basically a Disney version of the ride.

Most of the rides are thrill, since that’s what brings in crowds these days (there are several of them unique/ rare), but there are plenty of non-thrill rides including one of the oldest carrousels in the country, one of the oldest trains in operation and KBF’s version of the tea cups. Two of these rides were completely restored last year when Fiesta Village was overhauled. And Camp Snoopy completed its overhaul this year. Most small children will have more fun here than in DL. Plenty of fun for the family.

While locals dominate DL and KBF, I’d hardly describe either as locals parks. Nearby Adventure City, yes, KFB, no. If you choose to spend an off-day at DLR rather than Merry Farms (even if you skip the rides), you’re missing out!

Of course, there’s plenty of things to see and do in Los Angeles I’d recommend over DLR and KBF any day, but this is fourm where people make their first trip across the county to entirely stay within DLR .

 

[crystal1313]

I adored the older part when we went in 2022. FYI, at that point it was card only, no cash. Not sure if it’s the same now. The food was fantastic. The bakery was so much better than the stuff at Disneyland. I also had a killer club sandwich in the older section at a sit down place. I wasn’t really a fan of the area with the bigger coasters. And the employees at the rides were not the nicest. But that was 2.5 years ago. It was the beginning of June and the entire park was taken over by middle school kids in a school trip. It was crazy. And not in a good way. Lol. Just a heads up if you’re going at that time. I would go back and give it another chance. I adored knotts as a kid. Shout out to the soap box racers!! Miss those. And you gotta say hello to sad eyed Joe.

 

[piratestomorrow]

I would do a third day at DL tbh.
I would rec a day at Knotts or another activity (depending on interest). If your son likes movies then Universal is fun for the studio tour or WB for their studio tour. Or if he likes animals the San Diego Zoo Safari Park is amazing.

 

[mlayton14]

I would do a third day at DL tbh.
I would rec a day at Knotts or another activity (depending on interest). If your son likes movies then Universal is fun for the studio tour or WB for their studio tour. Or if he likes animals the San Diego Zoo Safari Park is amazing.

Sorry hijacking, but why safari park instead of the zoo in San Diego?