Knott’s Berry / Scary Farm

Knott’s Berry Farm describes itself as America’s first theme park. Over the years, the park has been home to numerous attractions that have left their mark on American theme parks – including the world’s first rollover rollercoaster, the Corkscrew.

Camp Snoopy

As in every Cedar Fair amusement park, Knott’s Berry Farm also has a Snoopy Kinderland. However, it is relatively small here and currently only has a handful of attractions, as the Timberline Twister children’s rollercoaster has had to make way for Snoopy’s Tenderpaw Twister Coaster, which is due to open next year.

Sierra Sidewinder

The biggest attraction in this area is the Sierra Sidewinder spinning coaster from Mack Rides. As the second ride of its kind, it is interestingly different from its predecessor at Europa Park. The track here consists of many bends and helices, which cause the cars to whirl around wonderfully. You won’t find any major descents on the track, but this works in its favour, as it leads steadily downhill via smaller descents and beautiful bends and finishes by racing across the ground in quite intense helices. A great ride!

The Chilling Chambers

While Camp Snoopy is a busy themed area during the day, it is deserted in the evening. Although the area is used as a large scare zone, when the rides are not in operation, it’s hard to know what to do in this part of the park.

The Best Of Maze The Chilling Chambers is located at the entrance to the area and gives an insight into the history of Knott’s Scary Farm. In principle, it’s quite cool, but the many themes from the last 50 years make it seem a bit jumbled together. It is also difficult to act in, which means that the scary element is somewhat neglected.

Fiesta Village

In front of the Jaguar rollercoaster is a large square that is strongly reminiscent of the Spanish colonial era. Here you will find the two swings La Revolución and Dragon Swing as well as the round rides Carousel de California, Hat Dance, Los Voladores and Sol Spin.

Montezuma’s Revenge

The Fiesta Village is also home to the Shuttle Loop roller coaster Montezuma’s Revenge. Similar to Psyké Underground in Walibi Belgium, this Schwarzkopf roller coaster is also being extensively renovated to make it fit for the future.

Jaguar!

The Jaguar! children’s rollercoaster has quite an interesting layout. The ride covers a large part of the Fiesta Village themed area and consists mainly of large helices and flat descents and ascents. Nevertheless, the ride is great fun.

Boardwalk

The Boardwalk theme area transports us to a 1950s seaside resort, with parts of the area reminiscent of the Roaring 20s. The park’s most striking attractions are located here, as well as the theme park’s large theatre.

Xcelerator

Passing the S&S Combo Tower Supreme Scream, we continue to the Xcelerator rollercoaster, which has unfortunately not been in operation since an incident on the Cedar Point’s Top Thrill Dragster. Rumours of an imminent reopening were not to come true until a month after my visit. In any case, the Intamin Accelerator Coaster with its top hat and subsequent curves is very appealing, which is why I will definitely be back to ride it again.

Mesmer: Sideshow Of The Mind

The queue for Mesmer: Sideshow Of The Mind went once around the Xcelerator, so you had a pretty cool view of the coaster. The maze itself was also very strong. At first it was reminiscent of a funfair sideshow, then story-wise it dived deeper and deeper into the human soul and became more and more psychedelic. A drug trip come true, so to speak.

Cinema Slasher

The slasher maze Horror Slasher was the weakest maze of the event. Although the material offered a lot of potential, it ultimately failed in its realisation, making Maze look like a heavily edited version of an R-rated film, as all genre-typical depictions of violence were cut out.

Coast Rider

You can’t really go wrong with a Wild Mouse. The ride with its tight hairpin bends and steep descents is actually always fun. At least that’s what I thought. But Knott’s Berry Farm has turned the fun into a real ordeal. Thanks to the retrofitted shin bars, the ride only hurts. Passengers’ freedom of movement does not have to be so restricted that adults 1.78 metres tall can no longer ride without pain. In any case, the installed solution seems to be more of a quick fix for an unlikely problem than a well thought-out solution. In any case, I won’t be boarding this rollercoaster again voluntarily.

HangTime

The Infinity Coaster HangTime stands on the site of the infamous Shoot the Chute Perilous Plunge, which plunged almost vertically into the water basin. So it’s no wonder that Hangtime is even steeper.

After the vertical lift, we are initially stuck in the holding brake for a little while before we take the plunge into the abyss. With plenty of pressure, we then head through the first valley and straight back up the steep ascent. Once at the top, we head straight into the negative G stall loop, which we exit to the side. We immediately continue into an oversized corkscrew. This is immediately followed by a cutback-like curve. Immediately afterwards, we are lifted out of our seats in a double down before entering a cobra roll. Interestingly, this is the last element of the ride. A short ascent later, we are already in the final brake of the rollercoaster.

HangTime is a good Infinity Coaster with a very unusual layout. The fast sequence of elements and the very compact layout speak for themselves, but the ride comfort is not the best.

Surfside Gliders und Pacific Scrambler

Opposite the HangTime rollercoaster is a small pier on which the two classic American flat rides Surfside Gliders and Pacific Scrambler are located.

Knott’s Bear-y Tales 4D

The interactive dark ride Knott’s Beary Tales: Return to the Fair takes us on a fun adventure to try and recapture as many cakes as possible from the notorious cake thief Crafty Coyote. The cute ride is based on the original Knott’s Bear-y Tales dark ride that operated in the park from 1975 to 1986 and replaces the rather short-lived attraction Journey to the Iron Reef.

Room 13

The entrance to Maze Room 13 is located right next to the Wheeler Dealer Bumper Cars, but first we head to the Blind Tiger Bar before moving through the Argive Hotel to uncover the secret of the Devil’s Elixir. The theme of the maze is set in the Prohibition era, which has been brilliantly realised here. Overall, Room 13 is a very coherent and well-staged maze.

Ghost Town

Pony Express

The Pony Express is a small roller coaster that is characterised by its flywheel launch. In addition to the surprising start, the ride has some tight curves and hills. Unfortunately, the waiting time here is always very long, so that multiple rides are hardly possible.

Origins – The Curse of Calico

Origins: The Curse of Calico tells the story of the fog that hangs over the streets of the ghost town every year during Knott’s Scary Farm. It all began with the execution of Sarah Marshall from Calico, who was found guilty of witchcraft. But those who had convicted Sarah were also guilty and incurred the witch’s wrath. The witch cursed the inhabitants of Calico, who now roam the ghost town as the undead. The maze is still very atmospheric at the beginning, but becomes less and less so towards the end.

Calico River Rapids

The Calico River Rapids is one of the most beautiful rapids rides that Intamin has to offer. The fast-paced ride through the rapids is accompanied by numerous animatronics, and the degree of wetness is very moderate by American standards.

The Grimoire

In The Grimoire, we experience what can go wrong when you read aloud from a cursed book. As visitors to a holiday camp, we are led through numerous loosely connected scenes that illustrate the horror of the book. By mixing different styles, the Maze is unfortunately one of the weaker ones of the event.

Calico Mine Ride

The old Calico Mine Train is a must-see, even if you have to queue for a long time. The ride through the mine offers some great scenes and surprises.

Timber Mountain Log Ride

The Timber Mountain Log Ride is one of the most beautiful log flumes in the world. The ride through the artificial mountain has a few surprises in store. While modern log flumes can only boast gimmicks, the attraction, which opened in 1969, is particularly impressive with its variety (especially in the current), detailed scenes and numerous animatronics. For me, it’s the best log flume in the world.

Wax Works

The Maze Wax Works tells the story of an abandoned wax museum from which strange noises emanate. Dr August Scratch, a former plastic surgeon, has broken into the abandoned museum to present his new, eerie figures made of burning wax and bloody flesh. As you walk through the museum, you hear screams. Then you are confronted by red-hot cauldrons into which victims are immersed and transformed into Dr Scratch’s latest wax figures. Now all that remains is to escape through this very well-made maze.

The Depths

In The Depths, we follow in the footsteps of a mining crew condemned to death, who are left to their own devices in the catacombs of a gloomy coastal town. The deeper we go, the greater the horror becomes and by the time we explore a sunken ship, the horror takes over. All in all, The Depth is a beautifully staged maze.

Bloodline: 1842

In Bloodline: 1842, we head to the battlefields of the war-torn streets of Valdonia. There we set off in search of the other Daybreakers with whom we want to overthrow the king of the Valhymphri vampires. All in all, Bloodline: 1842 is one of the most atmospheric mazes of the event and therefore highly recommended.

Dark Entities

In Dark Entities, we beam down to a destroyed space station. Sinister forces have taken over the station and turned the crew into multidimensional mutants. We have to escape quickly, because the dark entities are planning to wipe out all life on board the station forever. All in all, a rather mediocre maze.

Ghost Rider

Ghost Rider is the big wooden roller coaster in the park. The ride runs through the back of the ghost town of Calico and through an area on the other side of Grand Avenue.

The ride on the Ghost Rider begins with a sloping left-hand bend out of the station. After a wide right-hand bend, you reach the ride’s lift hill. Once at the top, it’s straight into the first drop. With plenty of shake, rattle and roll, you ride through a left-hand bend close to the bottom and immediately afterwards into a large camelback. With plenty of lateral forces, you go straight through the first turn of the layout. After a short right-hand bend, it’s downhill again. From now on, we make our way through the wooden construction of the roller coaster, following the L-shaped layout of the roller coaster. After another uphill section, we turn left a little before entering another turning curve. After a short straight section, we descend back into the wooden structure. Numerous small hills and many bends follow, in which we are pressed firmly into the side wall of the train. Still travelling at quite a high speed, we then enter a long helix. After a short hill, we reach the rollercoaster’s braking section.

Ghost Rider is a really solid wooden roller coaster, but by CCI standards it is rather unimpressive. Although the ride offers a very interesting and above all long layout, as well as the lateral forces that are so characteristic of the manufacturer’s style, it does not offer the very abrupt and pronounced airtime that can be found on Megafobia at Oakwood Theme Park, for example.

Silver Bullet

The last roller coaster in this report is also the roller coaster that dominates the entrance area with its large Cobra Roll. We are of course talking about Silver Bullet, the theme park’s large inverted coaster.

After a short right-hand bend, the ride on Silver Bullet begins directly with the roller coaster’s lift hill. Once at the top, the ride takes a right-hand bend that gets steeper and steeper. In the valley, you are immediately pulled into the rollercoaster’s large loop. This is followed by a hill that bends slightly to the left and leads into the big Cobra Roll. You then enter the large Zero-G Roll, which merges into a left-turning helix. This is followed by the first corkscrew to the left and, after a short bend, the second corkscrew to the right. With a lot of pressure, you then enter a tight helix, after which you find yourself in the braking section of the ride.

Silver Bullet is a breathtaking inverted coaster with a really beautiful layout. I particularly like the dynamic part with the two corkscrews. The rest of the ride is also very thrilling for an inverted coaster of this size, which is why I always enjoy getting back on.

Pictures Knott’s Berry Farm

Conclusion Knott’s Berry Farm

Knott’s Berry Farm is a great theme park with a really nice line-up and lots of very special attractions, my favourite of which was the Timber Mountain Log Ride. A visit in conjunction with the Knott’s Scary Farm evening event is particularly recommended.

Conclusion Knott’s Scary Farm

Knott’s Scary Farm is considered the Halloween event on the west coast. As I visited the event on a Sunday evening, the waiting times at the mazes were very limited, so I had no problems doing all the mazes, many of them without waiting. Particularly noteworthy were the Bloodline: 1842, Mesmer: Sideshow Of The Mind and Wax Works mazes.

I found it a bit of a shame that you’re always travelling in a large group in the Mazes, which means that the Mazes themselves aren’t as scary. Even if you’re lucky enough to be alone for a while, you’ll soon bump into the group in front of you again. In this respect, I have to praise the Halloween Horror Event at Movie Park Germany, as not only do they offer mazes of a similar standard to those here at Knott’s Scary Farm, but you usually only walk through the maze with very few people for a few minutes.

All in all, I had a lot of fun at Knott’s Scary Farm. Not only was I able to visit all the mazes, but I was also able to ride many of the rollercoasters at night without having to queue for a long time. A great event!

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Avonturenpark Hellendoorn

Originally I had planned to visit the Avonturenpark Hellendoorn during my first proper theme park tour in 2009, but the park was not open at Easter. Even on later trips to the Netherlands, the amusement park was only characterised by much shorter opening hours and constant days off. So it was definitely time to visit the park on a weekend in the middle of the season.

Wild Waterval

A little underdressed compared to the weather, after all, various weather reports predicted sunshine and pleasant temperatures instead of very fresh climatic conditions with permanent drizzle and other kinds of rain, I went straight into the park after the obligatory ticket purchase. Past the monorail, the path leads straight to the first highlight of the Avonturenpark Hellendoorn: The Mack log flume Wild Waterval.

As one of the first log flumes of the manufacturer, this ride still has a functional double loading station. Placed in a dugout, the ride leads purposefully in a long curve and past the station towards the first lift hill. On the now higher level, you can bob along wonderfully before you rush through the channel in a surprisingly wild way. In a shallower current you approach the second lift, which takes you up to the maximum ride height of 12m, whereupon the only shot of the ride follows. Well moistened, one completes the remaining meters of the ride, which can be described as a really good log flume.

Tornado

Already in sight of the log flume is the Tornado, a roller coaster of the same name from Vekoma, of which three rides were built. This is a modification of the whirlwind model, which was very popular in the early 80’s. Apart from minor changes, mainly the first corkscrew was replaced by a loop.

After you have boarded the quite spacious train, the first generation of the manufacturer, in the curved station, after a short curve you can complete the quite steep ascent in the lift. At the top you can enjoy the view only for a short time before you go down in a long right turn. This is followed by a wonderful powerful looping just before the second inversion figure is reached in a comparatively hardly inclined curve. With a proper transverse inclination it goes overhead in the corkscrew a second time, after which another curve along the first gradient is completed. On a diagonal through the ride, the braking process takes place before the ride enters the station at a leisurely pace. Unfortunately, a second round was spared despite a minimal number of visitors.

I had previously heard and read many negative things about the ride, but I am very surprised how well the ride is maintained by Avonturenpark Hellendoorn. Not only was the appearance more than alright, but the prophesied ride characteristics turned out to be simply wrong, there was absolutely no sign of a nasty blow during the barely inclined turn above the station and the rest of the track was also running perfectly, so that in the end I was even slightly disappointed to have to get off after only one lap, despite the aforementioned lack of demand.

Sungai Kalimantan

Funnily enough, half of the amusement park has already been explored by now. Thus, we went straight to the second corner of Avonturenpark Hellendoorn. Along the way there is a large part of the Sungai Kalimantan, a rafting ride from Bear Rides with some special features. At the beginning the queue goes through a beautiful designed area before it goes along the unsightly elevated concrete gutter towards the ugly double loading station.

The ride starts along the queue with a few bends before we immediately enter the big wave pool. Here the waves are relatively tame, but it’s a nice feature that can be seen from outside. The next is a hairpin bend, a thoroughly strange and for a rafting course thoroughly untypical track element, which is also not very interesting from a technical point of view. Passing waterfalls and lush vegetation the route leads into a completely foggy and illuminated tunnel. Afterwards you can admire the unaesthetic supports from below. A subsequent lift ride takes you back to the station.

Donderstenen

After the descent from the station of Sungai Kalimantan, you will find yourself directly in front of the Donderstenen, a Force Two roller coaster by the manufacturer Zierer, which you can find in Potts Park or the Tier- und Freizeitpark Thüle. Basically it is a very solid roller coaster, but unfortunately the ride is not very exhilarating. The visual design here at Avonturenpark Hellendoorn is quite original, but unfortunately the aesthetics are easily ruined by the surrounding attractions.

Discovery Club

At the bottom of a dead end street, the Discovery Club is an interactive dark ride in the cellar of an old mansion, which in former times could probably be entered through the main entrance. For several years now, however, the pre-show of the ride is skipped and you enter the house through a side entrance with a turnstile. The cellar can then be reached by stairs or a lift. In the station the round carriages are waiting for you, which are also used by Capitán Balas in the Spanish amusement park Isla Magica. The ride leads past countless movable interiors and is very nicely designed. Unfortunately, the interactivity with the other players like in Capitán Balas is not possible, because water-spouting effects cannot be triggered.

Rioolrat

Apparently below the Bellas Snackbar is a very special roller coaster by Vekoma, at least as far as its design is concerned. The outer appearance and a large part of the queue of the Rioolrat reminds of the roller coaster Raptor Attack of the English amusement park Lightwater Valley, only in small and not so impressive. After the descent the way leads quickly towards the station, where the channel rat is already waiting for you.

After a small bend to the right, you will immediately enter the lift of the ride. At the top there is only a very shallow gradient before you go up and down towards the ground in a wide right helix in the manner of a Bayernkurve. After a short left-hand bend and a straight line, the track leads out into daylight in another right-hand bend before entering the building again and immediately hitting the brakes. As with the Donderstenen, a second lap follows.

The Rioolrat is a thoroughly nice ride, whose layout is very reminiscent of a Zierer Flitzer. Compared to similar rides, the repetition factor of the ride is surprisingly low, which is due to the comparatively long waiting time.

Pictures Avonturenpark Hellendoorn

Conclusion Avonturenpark Hellendoorn

Avonturenpark Hellendoorn is a nice little park, but the entrance fee is a little too high. The design is partly quite nice, but mostly the complete opposite, although the condition of the rides is generally very good. However, I can do without another visit in the next years.

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