Knott’s Berry Farm is one of the best Cedar Fair parks. Located in Buena Park, California, this
theme park is southern California’s best blend of theming and thrills. You have the wonderful
atmosphere of Ghost Town and some classic attractions paired with 10 different roller
coasters. In this video, I countdown the top 15 rides and attractions at Knott’s Berry Farm.
Before starting, I wanted to highlight 3 mazes at Knott’s Scary Farm. I didn’t think it was
appropriate to include them since they’re seasonal attractions that are cycled through,
but Paranormal was an amazing house. Skip ahead a few seconds if you don’t want spoilers…but
the initial scene with the ghost on the overhead zipline
caught me by surprise. Then the rest of the maze had plenty of scares and a great atmosphere.
Depths had great set design, particularly the foggy sea section, and Mesmer was a mindwarp
mixing some large scares with creepy visuals. I also want to highlight the fried chicken
restaurant. It’s not an attraction per say, but I’d take a meal here over most rides in the park.
There’s a reason this restaurant has been around as long as it has.
15) Pony Express- This Zamperla motorbike coaster may be short, but the park didn’t have much land
to work with. The initial launch has some solid force considering this ride’s small stature. None
of the other elements standout, but the motorbike position is always fun. I have a separate review
on this one, but I just don’t ride it often since Knott’s has 2 other superior launch coasters.
14) Jaguar- This Zierer coaster feels like a high speed monorail as it travels above and around
Fiesta Village. The visuals are undoubtedly this ride’s strength. You only get very weak laterals
on a few of the turns through the temple and maybe a minor pop of airtime on one hill after
the second lift. The ride does have a bit of a vibration, but it’s otherwise comfortable.
13) La Revolucion- This Chance frisbee is deficient on positive Gs and speed,
but it does give several nice pops of airtime on the many max swings.
12) Calico Mine Ride- This classic dark ride has a unique ride system
on a locomotive. You then go for a narrated tour through the mine. You pass this large,
involved mining scene a few different times and then you travel through some dark caverns. The
ride is longer than you may expect and different than anything else you’ll find out there.
11) Supreme Scream- This S&S drop tower stands 252 feet or 77 meters tall, so it offers some
great views of Knott’s and the surrounding neighborhood. On a clear day, you can even
see Disneyland. The drop offers a quick pop of airtime at the start. You quickly mellow
out and have a controlled descent after, but the view and sudden drop start make it worthwhile.
10) Sol Spin- The park’s best flat ride is this Mondial top scan. While it has a fairly tame
program for this type of ride, the dynamic motion top scans are capable of still
produces a thrilling ride experience. You are lucky to get more than 1-2 flips,
but you will get plenty of hangtime from the near-flips
and strong laterals as you’re whipped around. The ride does have a painfully short cycle though.
9) Montezooma’s Revenge- This Schwarzkopf shuttle loop is the last one remaining in America,
which is a shame because it’s a short but solid ride. The initial launch has decent force.
The vertical loop is forceful and it’s nice you can experience it in both directions.
Then both spikes offer some weightlessness to contrast with the strong positive Gs.
8) Knott’s Beary Tales- This Triotech shooting dark ride
is a refresh of the old Voyage to the Iron Reef. The ride has a fun theme and cartoonish visuals.
I love the shooting mechanic that uses pull triggers similar to Toy
Story Mania since it makes the shots more rewarding. The timing is weird on this one
since the projectiles move slowly, but once you get the hang of it, the ride is pretty fun.
7) Calico River Rapids- The rethemed Bigfoot Rapids has the same layout.
You have a decent collection of rapids, including 1 or 2 that can get you very wet. Then there are
some large geysers and weak sprayers to get you even wetter. But what makes this rapids
ride unique is the level of theming. The scenic course takes you past lots of animatronics.
You don’t usually get those on rapids rides. 6) Sierra Sidewinder- This Mack spinning coaster
is a deceptively thrilling ride. The ride may be short and feature a compact layout,
but it has a wild side. The initial drops have some good pull in the back and then the ride
goes nuts in the second half. You have a very forceful and disorienting low turn
followed by some rapid turns and transitions into the brake run. And they’re extra sweet if you have
an unbalanced car that’s spinning like a top. 5) HangTime- This Gerstlauer infinity coaster is
a well-rounded coaster. It starts with an exciting beyond vertical drop with great ejector airtime.
The one-of-a-kind negative G stall loop starts with some laterals before giving the ride’s only
hangtime. Then you have an unfortunately rattly corkscrew and an ok turnaround. But the dip that
follows gives some good ejector airtime and the cobra roll has nice positives into and
out of the element. HangTime isn’t perfect, but that airtime is very nice with just the lap bars
and most of the inversions are good too. 4) Silver Bullet- This B&M invert is
probably one of the weaker ones, but it still delivers a good ride. The first drop is a joke,
but the inversions are fine. The loop has a little force to it, the zero-G roll is floaty,
and the final two corkscrews have some nice snap to them. But the best part is super forceful
helix over the water. It comes out of nowhere and will send the blood rushing to your feet.
And then the ride is glass smooth and I talk about it more in a separate review.
3) Timber Mountain Log Ride- This Arrow creation is one of the world’s best log flumes. The ride
takes place in and around a mountain, so you have all sorts of visuals. There are animatronics both
indoors and outdoors, but the indoor scenes in particular are the highlight. There’s a surprise
drop that is the ride’s best thrill element and then you have just an ok final plunge.
2) Xcelerator- This Intamin launch coaster is powerful. That hydraulic launch is one of the
best in the world. It pins you against your seat and leaves you stomach in the station.
And if you’re up front, you get punched in the face by the wind in the best way possible. That’s
followed by an amazing top hat that delivers an incredible mix of ejector airtime and laterals.
The rest of the ride maintains the speed through two overbanks and they were more effective for me
on my 2021 rides. The first was quite forceful while the second had an amazing headchopper.
I go into more detail in a separate review, but this ride is an adrenaline rush.
1) GhostRider- I’m so thankful Knott’s had GCI renovate this coaster in 2016
since it’s still running like a dream. The coaster is amazingly smooth despite
the aggressive CCI layout. The first half has the larger drops giving good airtime,
particularly on the fifth drop if you’re in back. The ejector airtime on that drop is excellent.
The second half is a blitz of airtime pops and laterals
as you wind through the structure. The final helix has some of the best sustained laterals of any
coaster. GhostRider’s sense of speed, pacing, and varied elements make it a standout wood coaster
and I go into more detail in a separate review. So those are the top 15 rides and attractions
at Knott’s Berry Farm. What is your favorite ride at this Cedar Fair park.
Let me know your thoughts on any of the rides I mentioned or any you think I missed down in the
comments. If you enjoyed this countdown, I’d appreciate it if you gave this video a like
and you considered subscribing since there will be a lot more roller coaster
and amusement park videos here at Canobie Coaster. Thanks for watching!