I had a great time at Hershey, loved the park! The staff was friendly and professional, and the park was so clean! They had great coasters, and despite my big and tallness, I was able to fit on everything(woo-hoo!). We visited on a Thursday, and the crowds were great! The only really long wait was for Fahrenheit which was having problems with one train. Funny thing is that the first time we rode it, we had to wait while they switched out the bad train for another one which turned into a two hour wait. The second time we decided to ride it, much later in the day, the line wasn't too bad...except for the fact that they had fixed the bad train and after we got in line began putting it back on the track...another hour and a half wait. ...luck of the draw I guess...lol. That being said, it was VERY much worth the wait. Comet was a nice woodie to get the day started, especially since we were able to walk on. Sooperdooperlooper also had no line and was good to add to my list. Wildcat, Lightning Racer, and Stormrunner were all great coasters! I really loved the "flying snake dive" element on Stormrunner...very cool. But I do have to say that Fahrenheit was by far my favorite. I had expected it to be like Maverick, but it was completely different!
One coaster I didn't get to experience was Roller Soaker. Okay, I knew that it was a water type ride, and I had planned to ride it and deal with damp clothes for a little while...then I actually saw it. There's no getting 'damp' on that ride. When they say 'soaker', they mean SOAKER. I would have loved to ride it, but I wasn't ready to get THAT wet, so I had to skip it. Next time I go, I will be prepared because it looks like a blast.
Knoebel's was almost like a dream, heaven on Earth I'd say. I have never fallen in love with a park like I have that one...that's including Cedar Point! It was almost like a step back in time. The rides were great! The food was terrific! The park was nostalgic and it was amazingly clean. Even the midway games were really different and cool. It had two wonderful wooden coasters, Twister and Phoenix. Twister was great, but I especially loved Phoenix. What a wonderfully fun woodie! I can't wait to go back and hopefully ride Flying Turns if they can get the train situation figured out, which I've read that things are looking very positive. But, I must say that the thing that impressed me the most was the people. Not just the people who worked there, who by the way were probably some of the friendliest I've ever seen in an amusement park, but the patrons were so nice. Parent's didn't just let their kids run wild but stayed involved and watchful. It was just such a friendly atmosphere! I loved how you were constantly within earshot of wonderful calliope music(Wurlitzer, band organs...whatever they're called) Another thing that I loved was the grand carousel...riding a carousel that still had rings to grab and toss in the lion's mouth was such a cool experience. Also, what surprised me was that the carousel really moved! Oh, and another thing I loved was the b-b machine-gun shooting gallery!! If reminded me of when I was young and they had one of those at our dearly departed Six Flags Astroworld. The really fun thing is that you didn't just shoot paper targets like at Astroworld, but they had metal targets for you to unload on. Another neat thing was riding the ski lift and when you were coming down the 'mountain' being able to see the park come into view. Simply beautiful! Gosh, I could go on and on...so, to make a short story long, lol, I loved both parks and plan to visit again next year, only I'm going to be dedicated to my health so that I will be in no doubt of being able to fit comfortably on the rides.
Hmmm...Dorney, Kennywood, Hersheypark, Knoebel's...come to think of it, I should just load up a Uhaul and move to Pennsylvania! Anyone know how they pay teachers up there? lol ...oh wait, forgot about winter in Pennsylvania...nevermind
Oh, and for everyone else, Knoebels has free admision and parking, and you pay for the rides. They are all really cheap, so if you just want to spend a few hours there, you don't have to pay $50. The food is cheap and really good, and like John said, everyone there is really nice. I also liked the museum next to the "stand up spinny thing" (which is actually pretty cool for one of those). I'm pretty sure (from my trip 3 years ago) that the museum is about Knoebels history...
