Knott’s Berry Farm

The Iowa school house an original school built by Iowa farmers in Kansas city. Purchased in a auction, this was brought to Knott’s berry farm.

Walter Knott moved to Buena park along with his family back then in the 1920s. He was all into farming and growing berries. It was this very land that started as a community family farm that turned into a Ghost town that turned into the theme park we see today. At the park, you will hear a lot about Boysen Berry. Well, what is Boysen Berry? It’s a combo of raspberry, loganberry and a blackberry. This berry was initially made and propagated by Rudolph Boysen. But this berry was unnamed and forgotten. When Walter knew of this, he marketed this berry and sold it nationwide. He named this Boysen Berry, honoring the man who actually initially made the berry. Cordelia Knott had a small restaurant and one day she put Chicken dinner in her menu. And guess what, it was an instant hit! This restaurant serves chicken dinner till date and is one of the most liked recipes.

In 1940s Walter Knott converted the main street to a Ghost Town. This area mimicked the Old Wild West. The park today is a preservation of old American history with today’s fun. “Old Betsy” was an abandoned mine train that was brought from Death Valley and the park still has this! The park also has a real black smith shop that dates to the late 1800s . This is an original piece of Knott’s history and was purchased from a neighboring farm back then.

What is today, the Ghost Rider’s entrance (a roller coater ride) in the park was once the original 1947 entrance of Pan for Gold attraction. Generations of people would enter the gully and take home some panned gold dust. This still exists in the farm and is one of the most popular attractions. You see real steam engines in the park which were brought into the park in the early 1950s. These trains were going to be scrapped from the Colorado Rockies and Walter Knott brought this to the farm as well. Today, there is an entire ride dedicated to the Calico Mines. This was opened in 1960 and is a 360 degree attraction built on a huge man made million dollar mountain. Inside the mountain you see an entire mine , stalactites and stalagmites and a few men working on the mine.

Today, the park is not just a culmination of all these amazing historical entities but is a fun zone for family and kids. Events like the PEANUTS celebration, a unique family event dedicated to celebrating the beloved PEANUTS characters are drawing crowds, specially the ones with kids. ‘Snoopy’s Legendary Rooftop Concert’ was part of the PEANUTS celebration making the evening even more exciting. Not just that, there are a lot many high thrill coasters through the park and lots of food options. The fully loaded funnel cake with a topping of Boysen berry ice cream is just worth it ! Also, the all day dining pass is useful and provides you with free food options every 90 minutes.

I would totally recommend this one if you are looking for something ancient in today’s times. The experience felt surreal and the Knott’s team does a great job in preserving the American History. Visiting the park took me to the 1800s and made me imagine the lives back then. This aspect is unique to the Knott’s Berry Farm and makes it stand out amongst all other theme parks.

Lands End Lookout

Palm Springs