Knott's Berry Farm

I hope everyone had a safe and fun 4th of July weekend. Gotta love those three day weekends!!! Today I'm sharing our day at Knott's Berry Farm. 

As you can see my parents went with us. It was a really good day. First, the weather was perfect, a little overcast in the morning and then the sun started to come out during the afternoon. And anyone that's been to a theme park knows that a hot day at the park can be brutal. We also had the luxury of going in early May on a Tuesday. We took full advantage of Rory's track break when choosing our date. (And by the way it was my birthday!!!). We I originally wanted to go to Disneyland, because well lets face it...I love Disneyland!!! But the idea of taking an almost three-year-old Rian there gave me a little anxiety. She's my wild child and the thought of her running crazy in a crowded park was unsettling. And we all know that Disneyland is sooooooo expensive, especially with two Disney-obsessed kids. With all these factors to consider, I thought Knott's would be better. The kids love The Peanuts Movie and it would be a great fit for them. (But before I go on I will point out that Disneyland has a far more superior level of customer service that no other will come close to. Although I would say that Knott's had great customer service and the park was clean, Disneyland standards surpass Knott's.) So with that being said, here is a rundown of our trip along with some tips I found helpful.

Rory was obsessed with the park map. Thank God I had the Knott's app on my phone to access a map! Download the app before you hit the park. It's free and very handy, especially when your 2 year old has a blowout in her diaper and you need a bathroom like yesterday! 

The rides. No joke, Knott's has a great kids area called Camp Snoopy. And the rides are fun even for us adults. Some of the rides had a little bit of a kick to them. We had a blast riding with the kids!

And just in case your wondering, the ride attendant would not let Rian ride the ferris wheel. Sorry Chica, maybe next time.

This is the bus ride. This was Rian's favorite ride. Because we went on a weekday, during the school year, the park was dead and we were able to rides several times without having to get off (throughout the entire park). I rode this ride with her seven times before I called it quits.

My mom's signature wave.

The log ride. This is still a great ride that we all enjoyed...as you can see. Rory rode in the front!

Rory won both his and Rian's snakes at the Boardwalk

The only ride that we had a wait for was the Stagecoach. Because there is only one, you have to wait for it to go around the park. Rory got to ride on top with my parents and the drivers.

Rian was too scared so she rode with Randy and I inside.

Randy and Rory loved riding the Sierra Sidewinder rollercoaster. It worked out perfectly because even though the ride was technically in the Fiesta Village area of the park, the entrance to the ride was next to Camp Snoopy. We stayed in Camp Snoopy while the two of them rode it over and over. Both of them said it was their favorite ride!!! By the way, Rory loves rollercoasters! He gets upset if he's not tall enough to ride one.

(Photo courtesy of Knott's Berry Farm's website)


The food. Both my mom and myself have food restrictions. I'm gluten free and my mom is a vegetarian. I did a little research before going and found that the park is very accommodating to food restrictions and allergens. Knott's gets an A+ for this.

Besides how cute is this little fruit stand truck in Camp Snoopy?!? I want one. And Rian being my produce-eating monster (she loves produce!), we couldn't pass up grabbing a morning snack of strawberries. Which all 6 of us shared.

We had lunch at the Grizzly Creek Lodge, inside Camp Snoopy as well. It was good and had options for both my mom and myself.
I just love this picture because Rian looks so sad as if I did't get her a souvenir straw too. Poor Rian!

One of the biggest tips I found was to bring both small and large ziplock bags with you to the park. There are several times when they come in handy like throwing your phone and camera in one when riding a water ride like the Log Ride or Bigfoot Rapids, or putting wet clothes in them after these rides. However, the best use for the bags was to take our half-eaten lunch with us. We had a ton of fries left after lunch that I was able filled up a large bag. And I also saved half my hamburger in a small bag. This worked out great for us because we all know that kids get hungry often throughout the day, especially while waiting for rides. And who wants to get out of line to purchase more food.

My Nana is wishing me a happy birthday on the phone!!! I have my own version of my mom's wave. Haha!!! Rian's upset because the boys were getting churro ice cream sundaes and she thought she wasn't going to get any. Rian lives such a hard life. :0)

So if you are interested in going to Knott's here are a few things to consider:

1. The park is smaller, which was a plus for us because we were only going for one day and had the time to see everything it had to offer.

2. Admission is less expensive than Disneyland, another plus. We were able to go during a time when they offer a deep discount on tickets, as well as Randy was able to get tickets through work.

3. The park has seasonal hours. The park closed at 6:00pm while we were there. I found this a plus, Randy did not. Six o'clock is about the time meltdowns begin, people are tired and are getting hungry, so I was ok with leaving a little early.

Overall I highly recommend Knott's Berry Farm, especially if you have a younger family like us. It was the perfect fit for our family and we had a great time. My only suggestion is that if you are planning a trip to the park and your kids have not seen The Peanuts Movie, check it out before you go. Charlie Brown and the Peanuts are not as widely known as the Disney characters and Camp Snoopy might be lost on them. The kids' love of the movie is what sparked my idea to go here.

Thanks for stopping by!


xoxo
-aMie