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| Status: |
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Operating |
| Also Known As: |
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Knoebel's Groves |
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717-672-2572 |
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717-672-3293 |
| Toll Free: |
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800-ITS-4FUN |
| Web: |
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Knoebel's Amusement Resort's site |
| Address: |
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Route 487
Elysburg, PA 17824
USA
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| Visits: |
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222 |
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| Reviews |
BryanWood
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 4009
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Knoebel's is easily one of the most unique and fun amusement parks. It has an amazing collection of flat rides, including some you won't find anywhere else. The food is as good as advertised, not to mention cheaper than most parks. Phoenix (airtime) and Twister (laterals) are an a amazing 1-2 punch when it comes to wooden coasters.
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| 1-20-04 14:37:58 |
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Sir Willow
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 3553
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October 6, 2001
Knoebels was the third leg of our long weekend, and one part that I was really looking forward to. This was my first enthusiast event, and it turned out to be a lot of fun. So here's the background:
Date and time: Saturday, October 6, arriving just before 5pm
Weather: getting cold, but the skies were clear
Background: PPP (Phoenix Phall Phunphest) is a big coaster enthusiast event and, for many, signals the end of the coaster season. Costume contests, games, and all sorts of other happenings are part of the experience.
When we arrived, we drove around the campground for a bit, trying to find Camp RRC (rec.roller-coaster's campsite), since that was where we planned on staying the night. Once we had a general idea, we hopped out and, realizing that others were already in their outfits, quickly donned ours: black and white stripes for the Coaster Cons. I had fun telling people that the six of us were part of the "chain-lift gang". Admittedly a bad pun, but someone else gave it to us! Then we headed off to registration.
Knoebels is a unique park, at least in my experience. It's in the middle of Nowhere, PA (though they call it Elysburg), surrounded and in the midst of the woods. Trees were everywhere with their leaves various shades of green, yellow, orange, brown, and red, making it an absolutely gorgeous area. Admission, parking, and entertainment are all free! Rides are on a per-ticket basis normally, though you can also buy an all day pass. There are no paved paths - it's all dirt - but very hard packed, so dust is not a problem. The rides are scattered throughout the woods, making great use of the terrain and surroundings, and giving you a wonderful, homey feel while you're riding everything.
Arriving at registration, we paid our $12 each, which covered unlimited rides on the ones that were open (not all were, since this was an enthusiast event), two huge slices of pizza and a small drink, and a free game at one of the game booths. After registration, we went straight to the Haunted Mansion, a classic, two-story dark ride. While I'm generally not into haunted houses and the like for a variety of reasons, this one was great. The effects were incredible, and you're guaranteed to get scared out of your seat at least once on the ride (the snake in the clock got me, and the truck lights and horn nailed Josh good!). We were also able to meet up with Adam Sandy in line and saw Chris K. around. I would have loved to be able to spend more time with these guys, but it just didn't work out. Hopefully next time.
After the haunted house, it was off to the Flyers on the other end of the courtyard. I had heard that they tamed these down with a new motor since last year, but being my first time on them, I didn't know the difference. I was fairly quickly able to get the hang of them, getting a small snap fairly quickly, and then managing to get a couple of pretty good ones before the ride ended. Not bad for a rookie, and they were a kick and a half. Again, would have loved to ride them some more, but time just didn't allow.
At this point, it was off to the coasters. Again, I may have these slightly out of order, but as I recall, we started out with:
Whirlwind - Vekoma steel split corkscrew, moved from Rye Playland in 1993
An interesting coaster, with two corkscrews that, instead of being one after the other, are split with a turn in the middle so that they go opposite directions. It's not a big coaster, but nestled in the trees the way it is, it's white track makes for a rather scenic view. However, as you might guess, being in essence: lift hill, turn, drop, corkscrew, turn, corkscrew, turn, station, there isn't much to it. At least for us this night it was pretty smooth, and we didn't really bang around. Knoebel's obviously tries their best to take care of this coaster, and they did a pretty good job of it. But it's not a great coaster to begin with - at least not by today?s standards.
From there we headed off to one of Knoebel's famed woodies: the Twister!
The Twister was built in-house as a tribute to the Mr. Twister that used to sit at the original Elitch Gardens. Its trains again have the seat dividers that I'm starting to get used to on all woodies in this part of the country. They make for a tight fit, and I don't know how anyone of larger size could possibly fit into these, but in the case of this coaster I was grateful for them. Due to compact space with the trees, they split the lift hill, with nice little twists and turns before the first hill, and another short series between it and the second hill. After that it's another quick turn before the first major drop, with an incredible pullover and mad rush of airtime up the second hill, which gives you an even greater pop of airtime. Then it's off to what gives this coaster it's name - a rapid series of twists and turns, including a fantastic helix that travels around and under the station and it's exit ramp, which passes right next to the track, and an underground tunnel. In short, it is one incredible ride. Some of the guys were riding with only one click on their lap bars, but I didn't quite have the courage to do that. I tried three, but ended up pulling it down more part way through.
The only problem I had with Twister is that due to it being a fast, intense coaster with lots of lats, which is good, it starts to beat you up and wear you out after a while, so I could only take so many rides on it. I think throughout the night I got in five or six rides on it, but that was about all I could take. And while Twister also moved up into my top 10, or at least near it (haven't finalized the list yet), I still had yet to ride the best coaster of the trip....
The High Speed Thrill Coaster!!
No, just kidding. This isn't when we rode it, but I'll throw it in here anyways. The High Speed Thrill Coaster is an Overland kiddie coaster that they crank up to it's top speed and send you around the track eight times, giving some decent lats and airtime throughout. The operator was having a great time, the hand slapping with him, and people in line made this a fun ride and a great kick for laughs. But it is still a kiddie coaster, though a fun one the way they ran it.
We actually rode that after we rode what has now become my new #1 coaster, and the one that the whole event is named after: The Phoenix.
The Phoenix is a wood double out and back that originally stood in San Antonio. It was relocated here in 1985 after the park it was in closed and it was in danger of being destroyed and lost forever. And it was running like a bird with its tail on fire that night!! We hopped into seat 1.3 (the Schmeck seat!), down a tunnel and turn around and headed up the lift hill. Then the world broke loose around me into madness! We tore off down the hill, and as the ride progressed we only gained more and more speed, and increasingly bigger pops of airtime! Up the second hill, around the bend, and back down, and she started trying to throw us out. Past some camelbacks, being thrown each time, around a corner, and to something that I'd never experienced before: a double up followed immediately by a double down. She was definitely throwing us out now with massive ejector air. I had never flown so high or hard on a coaster. But she wasn't done yet - she was still gaining speed! One more turn around and more camels. And then, as we hit a hill suddenly, there was no sound of wheels on the track! Our train was airborne! Thank God for upstops, cause they kept our train on board, and a second later you could hear the train slam back down on the track. But we were still up on the lap bars, clinging on for dear life as we finally came into a long series of skid brakes which slowed us down to a stop. One incredible ride.
Needless to say, this is where I wanted to spend most of the rest of my evening. And while I mixed in a few more rides on Twister, a ride on the train and the "haunted antique cars", along with dinner, Phoenix was definitely my highlight.
Sadly, we didn't win a prize for our costumes, but there were a lot of great ones. The coaster chicks of New England looked like a barnyard of chickens, complete with a couple of farmers. And lots of other coaster-related costumes. I'm sure the others can fill you in on some of those, but I'm just blanking out right now. After awarding prizes for the costumes, almost everyone then headed off to the bonfire, with free hot dogs, marshmallows, and lots of fun. At this point I was totally exhausted, however, so while the others headed off to meet others and have a great time, I went to bed.
Knoebels also became one of my favorite parks. There were a lot of rides hidden among the trees, including a new power surge, a paradrop, tilt-a-whirl, whip, downdraft, and lots more. It is a park that I really hope that I can somehow come back to someday with the whole family and spend some time, as it's a wonderful place that I can't speak highly enough of.
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| 1-21-04 12:27:08 |
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RamblinWreck
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 563
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Awesome park with two great woodies and a bunch of great flats, like their Lusse's and Flyers... The Haunted Mansion rocks too, and the rest of the flats, though generally common, are usually run great too. The food is ok (they do have that great Birch beer though) and the park's cleanliness is ok at times, but still its just a magical kick back to a classical amusement park. 5/5
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| 4-11-05 17:47:55 |
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slnewbus
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 1670
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Awesome park. It really makes you feel as if you are in an amusement park of a day gone by, and you are. Twister and phoenix are awesome. I didn't care for whirlwind, and I am glad it is gone. It looks like a nice woodie will replace it someday. I can't wait. :)
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| 4-26-05 15:53:50 |
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James
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 10670
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Knoebels has been a park I wanted to go to for some time.. But I never knew it was as close to me as it is.. So I drove down to it... slept in a tent... went to the park.. and drove home...
The park itself is really cool. You just walk all around and over the rivers and such to get to all the rides. and the price is good to.
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| 7-15-05 17:43:40 |
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Dave
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 130
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This place is so much fun. It is the way parks are supposed to be. I never had so much fun at a park as i do when i go to knoebels. It is not so corporate and the rides are top notch, along with the food which is the best park food by far and some of the best food I have ever had. The games are fun and nothing is a rip off at the park. The park is nestled in the mountains and woods.
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| 8-30-07 13:52:56 |
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Yellowbird88
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 163
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This place is great, free parking, free to get in, and cheap (and tasty food)...the perogies are 3 for 2 bucks...icecream (homemade) is 2 dollars for a cone.
Along with the food, the place is like walking into a timewarp....even the wheelchairs havent been updated since the place opens.
The rides are great and different (check out the looper).
Denfinatly worth the trip.
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| 10-12-07 15:20:34 |
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Canobie Coaster
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 400
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Rating: 5 out of 5
Best Ride: Phoenix
Knoebels is truely one gem of a park. Despite being in the middle of nowhere (literally), the park has an undeniable charm and while a quaint family park, Knoebels is extremely popular among locals and enthusiasts. I for one absolutely love Knoebels and wish that I lived right next to it.
Coasters- It's rare that a park can deliver two great woodies, but Knoebels can. My favorite of the two and my second favorite overall wooden coaster is the Phoenix (10 out of 10). The air time provided by the ride is incredible and just has to be experienced. Twister (8 out of 10) is the worse of the two, but still is a very good ride in it's own right. I love how fast-paced the ride is and that tunnel is executed perfectly. I'm not as high on the kiddie coaster as most people, but it was smooth. Flying Turns should only bolster an already incredible coaster lineup.
Flat Rides- Another area where Knoebels excels. From classics (Grand Carousel, Looper, Satellite, Skooters, Flyer, ect.) to modern day thrillers (Fandango, Super Round-Up, Power Surge, Downdraft, ect.), Knoebels pretty much has any type of flat one could like and all of them are in top-notch condition and run with excellent cycles.
Water Rides- I absolutely love their flume and it is my favorite non-Disney one. The drop is excellent and the ride just has a great woodsy setting. Sklooosh is just a standard Hopkins shoot the chute, but there is a tree branch that gave me a great head-chopper on the drop. They also had a unique attraction called Boat Tag, but I skipped it since I had heard it was pretty bad. They also have bumper boats and a motor boat ride.
Dark Rides- They have an indoor himalaya and one other dark ride known as the Haunted Mansion. And boy is it haunted. The ride certainly is deserving of all the accolades and praise it receives since it has many stunts that caught me by my unawares.
Food- Very good. While not outstanding like others have said, I found their food to be very good and it was very cheap and worth it. The pizza was pretty good and they also had many interesting food choices too.
Atmosphere- Very relaxing and very well shaded. The park has that laid back feel to it and just is a blast for everyone.
Also of note, Knoebels has a pool and slide complex that I skipped, but the slides looked interesting. Also, they have a great sky ride and cool little train rides.
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| 7-11-08 9:43:09 |
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