At Knott's Berry Farm, the ride lineup spans far more than pulse-pounding thrills. The beloved Buena Park theme park offers an impressively wide spectrum of attractions designed for every age and comfort level. Adrenaline seekers can chase the rush of high-speed coasters and other heart-pounding experiences, while those looking to cool off will find refreshing water rides.
Are there members of your crew that are not looking for an adrenaline rush? There are plenty of mellower, family-friendly attractions here. And for the park’s youngest visitors, the colorful world of Peanuts brings a collection of gentle, whimsical rides sized just right for small adventurers taking their first spins at a theme park.
Knott's Calico Mine Ride
The Old West–themed Calico Mine Ride—it was called the Calico Mine Train back then—was the first big ride to open at Knott’s Berry Farm, back in 1960. At that time, it was a groundbreaking “dark ride” roller coaster with animatronic gold miners inside. Today, the Buena Park theme park has a wide array of rides, from G-force-pushing thrillers to kid-friendly fun in the Camp Snoopy area.
Knott's If-You-Dare Thrill Rides
On the fast-paced end of rides, check out HangTime, a “dive coaster” in the park’s Boardwalk area that has a steep vertical drop and mid-air suspensions, or Xcelerator the Ride, which goes from 0 to 82 mph in a little more than two seconds. If you like spinning rides, try the Sol Spin, which features six rotating arms that go up to six stories high, or La Revolucion, where the
inward-facing inverted seating and the combination of the swinging arm and rotating gondola creates a sense of weighlessness. And keeping with the Old West theme of the Calico Mine Train, the GhostRider is the fastest wooden roller coaster on the West Coast.
Knott's Camp Snoopy Rides
Families with little kids, meanwhile, will love the Camp Snoopy area, devoted to low-key rides and the Peanuts gang. Glide through the air on a security blanket on the Linus Launcher, sit in a classic swing ride on Charlie Brown’s Kite Flyer, or ride a gentle ATV on Pig Pen’s Mud Buggies.
Knott's Water Rides
For crowd-pleasing thrills, don’t miss the classic Timber Mountain Log Ride, which, like the Calico Mine Train, features animatronic miners and animals, but ends in a splashy 42-foot flume. Or get a good dousing on the river-raft ride Calico River Rapids—formerly known as Bigfoot Rapids—that takes adventurous passengers on a journey in search of new lands to settle in the western frontier. Along the way are plenty of surprises, like unexpected white water, musket-toting homesteaders, and such “wildlife” as rattling rattlesnakes, howling wolves, and bear cubs.
For those who prefer their splashes while swooshing down a slippery chute, the multi-lane slides and playful water features at Beach House Slides invite riders to race, twist, and cool off in a colorful boardwalk-inspired setting. And… wait for it… evey five minutes there’s a water bucket that dumps 500 gallons of water on unsuspecting revelers below.