The Friendliest Place in the West Lives up to its Motto
Written: Apr 27 '01 (Updated Apr 27 '01)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Fun and excitement in a non-Di$ney atmosphere
Cons: None
The Bottom Line: Best deal in town for your entertainment Dollar!
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| OpalMan's Full Review: Knott's Berry Farm |
Knott’s Berry Farm
Knott’s Berry Farm holds a special place in my heart. It was always my favorite as a child growing up, with many special memories for me. It is a place of childhood dreams and historic links to the past. I will detail the three aspects of Knott’s Berry Farm that I know of in this review. I have a unique perspective, having been a guest, an employee, and a groom at the park. Did you know that it was America’s first themed amusement park?
The Guest Experience
The guest experience has not changed much over the years. The rides of choice have gotten bigger and faster but the thrills remain the same. The guest experience starts with a trip down old Highway 39, Beach Blvd. Knott’s has its own little street that veers off to the right of Beach Blvd. Traveling down Grand you get a sneak preview of the thrills to come, then start going gently back in time. The shops are still the original mortar brick buildings with a few renovations. You pass a covered Wagon on your way to the parking lots.
After parking in one of several parking lots, you stroll to the park. Landscaping of course starts out here so you have a pleasant walk to the entrance. One catch, you have to walk by the Mrs. Knott’s Chicken Dinner Restaurant. The smells from there will make you very hungry. Personally, I love to arrive a little early and have their biscuits and gravy for breakfast. Next it is on to the gate.
Once you have paid your entrance fee (currently $39.00 for an Adult, but always check for discounts, there is usually a special running of some sort,) and are ready to go. You enter through the giant iron gates and you are immediately greeted with options (and usually Snoopy, Charlie Brown, Lucy and other members of the Peanuts gang).
You can veer left and go into the Calico Ghost Town (Yes, Walter Knott also owned the Calico Ghost Town and donated it to the state of California as an historic site). This will take you back into the old west of yesteryear where you can wander through the Old General Store or see a Wild West Stunt Show, maybe even stop in the Saloon for a cool drink on a hot day. There is even Calico Square, where they have free Dance lessons and occasional concerts. You can venture into the depths of an old mine on the Calico Mine Ride, or experience the rustic lumber industry of yore on the Timber Mountain Log Ride, even take a ride on a genuine Stage Coach. Best of all is the newest feature in the area, Ghost Rider. Ghost Rider is a good old-fashioned wooden roller coaster that has a few new technological advances in it. It does things that no previous wooden coaster could! No matter what your pleasure you are sure to find it in Ghost Town.
Going slightly to the right, you can experience another historical portion of the park, Indian Village. You can see canoes being carved and Native American dances and the like. It is a small but peaceful section of the park, but is definitely worth a few minutes to stroll through. Bordering the Indian Village is Reflection Lake and the Church of Reflections (more on these later).
By going to your extreme right you venture into the children’s area, Camp Snoopy! A fun place with plenty of rides for the little tykes and beautiful scenery for mom and dad. The kids are not left out of the thrill rides. There is a small coaster in this area and even a miniature version of the Supreme Scream for the kids. It is actually a very pleasant area for kids. That is not overly done in wild colors like some other places for kids.
Near Camp Snoopy is the Fiesta Village, a step back into old Mexico. You will find the Mexican Hat Dance (a version of everyone’s favorite the Tea Cups,) Montezuma’s Revenge (another coaster for the thrill seekers among you!) They have a small stage in the area that hosts authentic entertainers from the area. Of course there are themed restaurants and one of the only places to get a drink in the entire park!
Further into the park is the Wild Wilderness Area. You can visit a ranger station to learn about some of the flora and fauna that used to be in this lovely area. You can visit Mystery Lodge, a fantastic visit with the spirit of an old Indian. (This is a must see, it will leave your mind boggled.) You also can take on the Bigfoot Rapids, a wild ride on a roaring river.
Last, but certainly not least is the Boardwalk, formerly The Roaring Twenties. This is where the park has added some of its best, most thrilling attractions. There is the Boomerang, a steel coaster that takes you upside down six times in about 30 seconds. You also can experience Hammerhead, a slow moving platform that spins both in an arc and rotates 360 degrees. Then there is the tallest structure in Orange County, the 312’ high Supreme Scream. You are taken 30 stories into the air in a nice slow rise so you can enjoy the view, then you get to relax for a few seconds. Then…you are thrust downward! What a rush! The newest attraction in the area is the Perilous Plunge. A large boat takes you up and you come down a 75-degree decline to crash into the water, creating a gigantic wave.
There are many other attractions in all of the areas but I have tried to highlight some of the best. There are a wide variety of restaurants in the park so finding a good meal is not a problem. Knott’s is by far the best amusement park in Southern California. Now on to the next portion of my review….
The Farm as a Job
I have to admit I truly loved working at Knott’s. I was there for a little over eleven years in some capacity or another. For a young person, you can not beat an amusement park as a place to work. You get a nice, highly flexible schedule to fit around school. The pay has always been just slightly above minimum wage for those just starting. Best of all, you are in a family environment.
The Farm is one of the best places for education in the area. They will work around the employee/student’s school schedule so that they can keep a job and maintain their schooling. In addition to the scheduling, there are numerous training opportunities at the park. After working there for a while, you can become a tour guide, either for the new employees or for the Education Tours that they offer. This definitely helps in the Public Speaking department but you also get the chance to learn a little history along the way. On top of all that, if management deems fit to promote you, they have excellent training in that area as well. In addition to all of that they offer additional, optional training from time to time for fire safety and CPR.
In addition to the wonderful world of Education available to employees, they have a very good benefits package. They have benefits available for everyone, such as quarterly ticket distribution, the employee cafeterias, and of course, the company store, (discounted KBF jams and jellies!) After you become a permanent employee and have qualified by working a specified number of hours you will qualify for additional benefits such as a great 401k plan, the company will match 50 cents on the dollar for the first 7 percent put in. Other benefits include your choice of several medical and dental insurance plans paid for by the company and the employee. There is even a stock purchase plan too.
The best part of working there is that it is hardly working. You are working at an amusement park, how can that not be fun! You get to meet loads of interesting people from around the globe. Learn new skills you never knew you might need. Depending on your job you may even get to work outdoors. I have talked with quite a few employees who left and gotten “real” jobs. The general consensus was that they never realized that what they did was so easy and fun, until they had a real job with real bosses. The family atmosphere can not be beat.
The Wedding Experience
When my fiancée and I were looking around for a place that could accommodate both the wedding and the reception, we saw quite a variety of facilities. After doing extensive research and not being very happy with most of the packages we saw, we turned to Knott’s. They were very nice, meeting with us and providing details about the chapel, banquet facility and the wide array of options for the reception.
The Chapel, the aforementioned Church of Reflections resides alongside Reflection Lake. It is a relatively serene setting amidst the hectic atmosphere of the park. It is a beautiful facility that holds approximately 200 people. Everything, including the officiant, was included for the chapel.
The banquet room, we ended up in the Irvine room was spacious and tastefully done. The reception was at the Radisson at Knott’s Berry Farm, formerly the Buena Park hotel. We were given a wide selection of dinners to choose from and opted for a buffet as we had several guests with special dietary needs. Even with the buffet, there are numerous choices. We ended up with chicken and a carving station for some of the best Roast Beef I have ever had! The wedding coordinator at Knott’s was fantastic. She handled just about everything for us. A cake was included with the reception and we had one picked out that we already liked. They were able to do the one we wanted too! (The Knott’s bakery did an awesome job with the cake. It was absolutely delicious.) One advantage of going with the whole package, there was no cake cutting fee. If you have never looked into this, it is a charge the banquet facility charges to provide plates and cut the cake. Almost everyone else charged for this, anywhere from $2.00 to $5.25 per person. Everything went unbelievably well. The food and cake were excellent. We went with a DJ and florist recommended by the park and were definitely very happy with them. If you are looking for a great DJ, look up Fred the DJ. The florist was Secret Garden florist. Both did an outstanding job.
All in all, it was a fantastic experience. I had never thought in all my years I had worked there that I would get married at the park. It truly made a very special day even more special to me, being in a place that meant so much to me for so long.
Are we finally finished?
Yes, the time has come, and some would probably say gone by a long time ago, to wrap up this review. Knott’s is definitely a great place to visit, work and even get married. There is so much more I could have put into this review but the space just would not allow it. It is just a review after all not a novel! If you are ever in the Southern California area, make sure to check out the park that claims to be (and is ) the friendliest place in the West!
Recommended:
Yes
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