Cordelia Knott opened her chicken dinner restaurant in 1934, next to her and her husband Walter's berry farm. Over the years, Walter added a Ghost Town and other attractions to entertain diners while they awaited tables. That evolved into the Cedar Fair-owned theme park that welcomes more than four million visitors a year.
Knott's invented the after-hours theme park Halloween event with Knott's Scary Farm in 1973, which now runs select evenings in September and October. Knott's also puts on several food and entertainment festivals throughout the year, including the Boysenberry Festival (celebrating the fruit hybrid first cultivated on Knott's farm) in the spring, the Peanuts Celebration in late winter, and Knott's Merry Farm for Christmas.
Our recommendations below come from our annual survey of Theme Park Insider newsletter subscribers. Locations with star ratings ★ ranked especially highly among our readers. Subscribe here to our free weekly email of theme park news to participate in the next ranking survey.
New for 2023... or maybe 2024
MonteZOOMa: The Forbidden Fortress
The park's former Montezooma's Revenge, a 800-foot-long Schwarzkopf shuttle loop with a 55-mph launch and one inversion, is getting a new name and a rebuild. The new ride will feature a randomized launch sequence and its queue will get story upgrades about doomed treasure hunters searching for Montezooma's gold. Originally slated to open in 2023, this ride might be pushed to 2024.
What to Do
Roller Coasters
GhostRider★ ★
A 4,533-foot Custom Coasters International wooden coaster, retracked by Great Coasters International in 2016, with a 108-foot drop and top speed of 56 mph. Height requirement: 48 inches
Silver Bullet
A 3,125-foot Bolliger & Mabillard inverted coaster with a 109-foot drop, top speed of 55 mph and six inversions. Height requirement: 54 inches
HangTime
A 2,198-foot Gerstlauer infinity coaster with a 150-foot beyond-vertical drop, top speed of 57 mph and five inversions. Height requirement: 48 inches
Xcelerator
A 2,202-foot Intamin accelerator coaster with an 82-mph launch onto a 205-foot Top Hat. Height requirement: 52 inches
Pony Express
A 1,250-foot Zamperla Moto coaster, styled to look like you are riding on the back of a horse, with a 38-mph launch up a 44-foot hill. Height requirement: 48 inches
Sierra Sidewinder
A 1,411-foot Mack Rides spinning coaster with a 39-foot drop and top speed of 37 mph. Height requirement: 42 inches
Jaguar
A 2,602-foot Zierer Tivoli with a top speed of 35 mph. Height requirement: 48 inches
And for little kids, Camp Snoopy has Timberline Twister, a Bradley and Kaye kiddie coaster.
Other Recommended Attractions
Timber Mountain Log Ride
Bud Hurlbut's 1968 log flume ride, which Disney Imagineers freely admit "inspired" their design for Splash Mountain. Height requirement: 36 inches
Calico Mine Ride
Hurlbut's iconic 1960 dark ride in the heart of Knott's Ghost Town
Ghost Town Alive!
Play along with the residents of Calico in this interactive production that takes place throughout the day in Ghost Town. Operates during the summer season.
Bird Cage Theatre
Various live shows throughout the year, but always worth watching.
Calico Saloon Show
Musical review - complete with dancing girls - on the bar in the Calico Saloon. Plays seasonally.
Calico River Rapids
A 2019 reimagining of the old Bigfoot Rapids ride, with animatronics from Garner Holt. Height requirement: 46 inches
Other Rides
Ghost Town
Calico Railroad
Butterfield Stagecoach
Boardwalk
Pacific Scrambler
Sky Cabin
Supreme Scream
Surfside Gliders
Wheeler Dealer Bumper Cars
Wipeout
Fiesta Village
Dragon Swing
Hat Dance
La Revolucion
Merry Go Round
Sol Spin
WaveSwinger
Camp Snoopy
The first single-IP immersive children's land opened in 1983 and includes a variety of kiddie rides, shows, and character meets.
Where to Eat
Mrs. Knott's Chicken Dinner Restaurant
The table service fried chicken restaurant that started it all is located outside the park gates, in the adjoining California Marketplace.
Knott's Berry Farm is located in Buena Park, California - about six miles from Disneyland and 30 miles from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). John Wayne Airport (SNA), in Santa Ana, is only 20 miles away, but more destinations around the world have nonstop service to LAX.
Once you get close to the park, watch for signs directing you to whichever parking lot Knott's is filling at the moment.
Strategy
Once you buy your tickets, plan to park and arrive at the entrance gate before it opens, usually at 10am. In addition to the main entrance on Grand Ave., there is a back gate on Western Ave. that Knott's opens if it is using the parking lot there.
Your first priority as soon as the gates open should be to get to GhostRider, which has absolutely terrible waits for most of the day. Compared with GhostRider, nothing at Knott's tends to have too long a wait, so do what you want, when you want to, noting our readers' recommendations above.
We very much do recommend the entertainment throughout the park, including the Ghost Town Alive interactive experiences throughout Ghost Town in the summer, anything playing at the Bird Cage, plus whatever is on at the moment in the Walter Knott Theater. And set aside time (and get your hand stamped as you exit) to visit Mrs. Knott's restaurant for a sit-down lunch or dinner. If you don't have a big appetite, or much time, try the chicken sliders at the bar.
Looking for discount tickets? Get Knott's Berry Farm tickets
