Introduction | Suggested Itinerary | General Park History | California Marketplace | Independence Hall | Ghost Town | Calico Square | Other Entertainments | Gone But Not Forgotten | 1955 Map | An Inspiration to Many
Other Entertainment Attractions
Indian Trails | Mystery Lodge | Kingdom of the Dinosaurs | John Wayne Theater | Boardwalk | Fiesta Village | Camp Snoopy | Ghostrider
Indian Trails
Indian Trails seems like a original attraction next to Ghost Town, but actually debuted as late as 1992. It is a two-acre Native American interpretive center. Although back in the 1950s, a
little foot bridge reached across the lake to an Indian Village on a wooded island.
Mystery Lodge
Knott’s debuted the Mystery Lodge in 1994. It is a magical journey into the Native North American West and the Park’s
most technically advanced project ever. It was originally designed for the General Motors Pavilion at the 1986-7 World’s Fair in Vancouver, Canada as
“Spirit Lodge.” It uses similar technology as the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland based on “Pepper’s Ghost,” a late 1800s magic trick using mirrors developed by
Professor Henry Pepper.
The Pepper’s Ghost tie-in is significant because there is a very early version of this magic trick/effect on display near the Bird Cage
Theater in Ghost Town.
Kingdom of the Dinosaurs
Don’t miss this Knott’s Disneyland-like “Dark Ride.” This space used to be a great ride called Knott’s Bear-y Tales,
a fantasy dark ride featuring the Bear-y Family – complete with boysenberry smell! Some say you can still smell the boysenberries…
Knott’s replaced Knott’s Bear-y Tales with Kingdom of the Dinosaurs in 1987. It is a trek into prehistory, complete with 21 fully
animated creatures and special effects. The expertly timed new attraction helped make 1987 the best on record.
Charles M. Schulz Theatre
The nearby 2,100-seat John Wayne Theatre (now the Charles M. Shultz Theatre) opened on June 19th, 1971. Then California Governor Ronald Reagan and John Wayne presided over the
celebrity-filled opening ceremonies, which The Knotty Post employee newsletter describes as “the biggest event ever held on the Farm.” Check the daily
entertainment listings to see what’s playing ñ usually a Broadway-style production, SNOOPY ice show or one of the other special presentations. It’s
worth it to go to see the impressive “rain curtain.” Also it’s a nice place to sit and rest for a while in air conditioning.
Boardwalk Area
The third themed area opened in 1975. It was called the Roaring 20s camp. The Corkscrew, the world’s first
360-degree roller coaster, opened in 1975 as the centerpiece of this area. The 20-story Sky Jump and Sky Cabin which opened In 1976 were patterned
after an attraction at New York’s Coney Island. The new attraction helps make July 4, 1976 the biggest attendance day in Knott’s history to that point.
The Corkscrew was replaced by the Boomerang, a European-designed roller coaster, in 1990. Knott’s re-themed Roaring 20s into The Boardwalk in 1996, a colorful tribute to
Southern California’s celebrated beach scene.
There’s some decent neon in the Boardwalk area, so it’s nice to walk around the Boardwalk in the evening. Don’t forget to check out
Coasters, a 50’s diner decorated with great pictures of other Cedar Fair roller coasters.
Fiesta Village
Fiesta Village was the second theme area in the park and debuted in 1969 and was constructed under the supervision
of daughter Marion Knott as a tribute to California’s early Spanish heritage.
Don’t miss the one of the world’s oldest working Dentzel Carousels which is 50 feet in diameter. Its history began at Hershey Park in
Pennsylvania 1936 before coming to Knott’s in 1955. This 100-year-old treasure still revolves to the strains of its antique Band Organ with 48 hand-carved
animals including lions, tigers, ostriches, camels, zebras, giraffes, pigs, cats and, of course, horses. It was placed in its present location in 1987. This is
one of only two dozen remaining carousels produced by the Dentzel company between 1867 and 1928.
Camp Snoopy – Wild Wilderness
On July 1 1983, Knott’s debuted a first in the amusement park industry with its six-acre Camp Snoopy, the world’s first theme park “land” designed specifically for kids under 12. Camp Snoopy is the official home of the Peanuts gang. Across the park, Wild Water Wilderness, a four-acre outdoor river wilderness area features the whitewater rafting ride Bigfoot Rapids, added in 1988.
Other attractions in the Fiesta Village and Camp Snoopy include the High Sierra Ferris Wheel Grand and Sierra Scenic Railroad. Knott’s opened its second roller coaster, Montezooma’s Revenge, in Fiesta Village in 1978. The ride takes riders from 0 to 55 m.p.h. in five seconds! Unfortunately, it looks like the Walter K. Steamboat on Reflection Lake is no longer operating.
GhostRider
This is the ride that was responsible for the closure and movement of the original pan for gold attraction.
GhostRider, the 118 foot tall, longest wooden coaster in the West, opened in 1998. It is 4,533 feet long and includes a dramatic, 108-foot initial banked drop, 13 additional drops, sudden dips, banked turns and maximum G-forces of 3.14! It’s very rough and not for the faint of heart.
