Knoebels is one of the best amusement parks in the world. This is a place like no else. It has a
super unique setting in the woods. And the owners have a deep-seeded love for both amusement parks
and their history. This park is like a living museum. The park is loaded with classic
attractions. The park has relocated several fantastic rides here over the years- including
their award-winning Phoenix wooden roller coaster- and the park takes perfect care of them.
But the park isn’t afraid to evolve, as they also mix in some modern attractions. The park runs all
their rides to their maximum. They run their rides faster and longer than most parks. So in
this video, I will rank the top 20 best rides and attractions at this Pennsylvanian amusement park.
Before starting the list, I want to note that I have never visited their Crystal Pool water
park area, but the water slides do look intriguing tucked amongst the trees.
20) Cosmotron- This indoor Wisdom Rides Himalaya isn’t the most intense.
It’s on the smaller side, only offering minimal laterals. But it features a long cycle, traveling
both forwards and backwards. And it’s indoors with a decent light show and random music.
19) Black Diamond- This is the former Golden Nugget relocated from Wildwood.
This hybrid roller coaster and dark ride was given a mining theme. While I like the premise,
the scenes are on the darker side and you pass them relatively quickly. I wish you had more
time to appreciate them. While this ride has two moderate sized drops, they’re completely trimmed.
18) Satellite- This Eyerly Roll-O-Plane may look like it inverts, the ends of the gondola
rotate you upright at the last second, which is a bit disorienting. And the wildest part
of the ride is when it tilts on its side and the laterals toss you about like a ragdoll.
This is a relatively rare ride and I talk about it more in a separate review.
17) Looper- Working in pairs, you and your partner work together to rhythmically shift your weight.
It’s a bit tricky, but rewarding once you come close to inverting.
At that point, you can use the foot pedal to continuously go upside down.
I just wish the restraints- which are a burlap seatbelt- were more comfortable.
16) Scenic Skyway- This 15 minute sky ride takes a leisurely ride up the wooded mountainside.
The ride up is serene and peaceful. The ride down is dazzling as you look down on Knoebels.
The view is amazing anytime, but it’s particularly great around sunset when the park is illuminated.
15) Pioneer Train- This 1.5 mile miniature train ride travels underneath Twister and travels deep
into the woods. I love all the squirrel feeders. And if you ride this train during Halloween,
you pass all these quaint displays and the ride feels like an all-new experience.
14) Gasoline Alley- This antique car ride offers fantastic visuals. This
is the best way to see Phoenix’s contained layout. Then for Halloween, this is another
ride that gets an overlay. The ride is densely lined with little figures and displays,
so it feels like a dark ride. I honestly wish it stayed like this yearround.
13) Flying Turns- This wooden bobsled took many years to build, but it offers a one-of-a-kind
experience. The giant trough consumes you, so you never know which way you’ll twist next.
The ride is smooth as glass and the final few turns have some wild swinging.
12) Fandango- This Moser frisbee that tends to be closed, but it’s a great flat when it’s open. You
have a super long cycle and most swings give very weak floater airtime, but you have four
max swings that give stronger airtime. 11) Downdraft- This is one of the park’s
most underrated flats. The ride starts by quickly rotating, inducing strong laterals.
Then the arms bounce outwards offering a mix of floater airtime and a moderate freefall
sensation. This ride is another that tends to be closed, but it’s a treat when it’s open.
10) Power Surge- This Zamperla flat ride is one of the few versions of this flat
that still has a rotating base. This results in more flipping than the others stateside. The
gondolas rock and flip non-stop. The ride is super disorienting and also offers hangtime galore.
9) Haunted Mansion- This dark ride is one of the best examples of a classic ghost house.
Knoebels puts so much love into this ride and they’re constantly tweaking it.
The ride is jam-packed with scares. They’re perfectly timed, combining loud sounds with
great visuals. You’re guaranteed to jump once. I always get caught by one towards the end.
8) Giant Flume- This Hopkins flume has a great setting up against the woods. You weave past trees
and the rock tunnel fits in perfectly. You also have two nice drops. The first one is the warm up
and the second one is very good, offering a tiny pinch of airtime. The drops offer the
perfect amount of wetness, but there’s a geyser before the second lift that can drench you.
7) Impulse- Zierer’s take on a Gerstlauer Euro-Fighter has an ultra-compact layout
with solid elements. The vertical drop gives good ejector airtime. The pullouts blast you
with shocking positive Gs. And then you get some hangtime on both the vertical loop and especially
on the inline twist. This coaster got new trains in 2020 and it’s riding better than ever,
and I talk about it more in a separate review. 6) Grand Carousel- This is the world’s best
carousel. It’s stunningly gorgeous with the pristinely maintained,
wood-carved horses, dedicated pavilion, and shimmering lights. Then you also have not one,
not two, but three band organs producing crystal clear sound. But most importantly,
you can reach for the special brass ring. There’s something inherently
fun reaching outwards and successfully piercing those rings with your finger.
5) Skooters- These bumper cars are incredible. These classic Lusse cars are fast and heavy, so
you can cause some bone-jarring collisions. These are the hardest hitting bumper cars out there.
The arena forces you to go one way, but I love t-boning people as they turn
and the arena is the perfect size for mayhem. And Knoebels gives a super long cycle too.
4) Flyer- These Bisch-Rocco flying scooters have the ability to be the best in the world.
You’d be hard pressed to find a set of flying scooters run as fast and long as these ones. And
the resultant range of motion is eye-popping. You can brush the leaves of the nearby
trees and then dive bomb towards the ground. And yes, you are able to snap these ones super easily.
The way your tub unnaturally jerks forwards is a thrill unlike any other. I love that sensation.
A ride where I can go full tilt is worthy of second place on this list; however, I
heard from the park that their official policy is against snapping so I’ve stopped out of respect.
Even without snapping- and trust me, it’s hard to resist and I swear the tubs do it on their own-
the range of motion turns what’s usually a family ride into a bonafide thrill ride.
3) Stratosfear- This ARM/Larson drop tower is one of the best out there. The super slow climb
is very suspenseful and you get amazing views of both Knoebels and the surrounding greenery.
Once you reach the top, you abruptly drop like a rock with no warning. The drop is gut wrenching.
I always lose my stomach. And you also float the whole way down.
2) Twister- The spiritual successor to Elitch Gardens’s Mister Twister,
this wood coaster is all about blistering pacing and an unpredictable layout. The ride is heavy on
the turns and chalk full of laterals. And they’re at their best after the lift hill when you get
extreme laterals and then you get decent sustained laterals on the famous double helix. The ride also
has some sneaky airtime. The large two drops at the start give nice floater airtime in the back
and the entry into the first turnaround launches those up front out of their seat.
Then the final few hills pop you out of your seat too. The ride is running quite smoothly
despite its aggressive layout and I talk about this ride more in a separate review.
1) Phoenix- This wood coaster is incredible. And the restraints are arguably the best part.
You have zero seat belts and just buzz bar restraints,
so every hills me a foot out of my seat and I slam into the lap bar. It’s an amazing feeling.
Phoenix delivers airtime on every single hill and the ride only gets stronger and wilder as it goes.
The final 4 bunny hills in particular are one of the best sequences on any coaster,
as you get launched forcefully into the lap bar. I always come off this ride laughing.
Knoebels takes perfect care of this ride and I talk about it more in a separate review.
So those are the top 20 rides and attractions at Knoebels. What is your favorite ride at Knoebels?
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
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coaster and amusement park videos here at Canobie Coaster. Thanks for watching!