Knoebels is a humble amusement park and resort
located in Elysburg, Pennsylvania, USA. Not only is the resort family-owned and operated,
but is advertised as America’s largest free-admission park. Guests can enter the Knoebels grounds, and
utilise a whole host of services, free of charge. Because of this factor, as well as the old
age of the park, Knoebel's is well established in the memories of many American families. The exact history of the park starts many
decades ago. Knoebels officially opened to the public as
an amusement park on the 4th of July 1926. However, the area the park is situated in,
a valley previously known as “Peggy’s Farm", had been regularly visited as a tourist
attraction for years before. The scenic location in which Knoebels lies
was a popular picnic destination for many in the early 1900s. As the number of visitors to the area increased,
the Knoebels’ family began offering refreshments and services to the guests. After several years, the area became known
as “Knoebels Grove”. It was shortly after this when the family
invested in a restaurant, steam-powered carousel, and several games, leading to the beginning
of the amusement park known today. On the exact recorded date of opening, the
park debuted their large swimming pool, aptly named “The Crystal Pool”. Since then, Knoebels has expanded around the
pool, gaining new rides and services. This eventually led to the name being changed
to Knoebels Amusement Resort, which represents the amusement park, golf course, swimming
pool and camping grounds. As of now, the park is home to over 60 different
attractions, ranging from thrilling roller coasters, to family orientated flat rides. Because the resort is free to enter, each
ride has a specific pay per ride cost depending on its size and scale. Unlimited-access wristbands are also available
to those wanting to ride most of the park’s attractions, including its roller coasters. Knoebels’ gained its first roller coaster
in 1955, with the name, High Speed Thrill Coaster. This unique small scale ride can no longer
be found at the resort, but paved the way for future larger additions. The parks second roller coaster came in the
form of Jet Star, a Schwarzkopf Jet Star roller coaster, which can also no longer be found
at the resort. However, less than a decade after the construction
of Jet Star, Knoebels debuted their first wooden coaster, which still operates today. The ride, Phoenix, is a relocated PTC roller
coaster featuring a classic out and back layout. Despite its modest height, the ride offers
large amounts of airtime, causing it to be highly ranked among american roller coaster
enthusiasts. Similar to many other theme parks during the
late 1900s, Knoebels installed a Vekoma sit down roller coaster, consisting of the iconic
double corkscrew layout. Named Whirlwind, the ride was also relocated
from another park, and can not longer be found at the resort today. Besides roller coasters, Knoebels Amusement
Resort is home to a whole list of classic and historic flat rides. Some favourites include Whipper, a nostalgic
whip ride which pins guests to their seats as they navigate a sharp turn; Flyer, widely
considered the best larson Flying Scooter in the world, and the Grand Carousel, one
of only a few Brass Ring Carousels left in operation. Many of the flat rides at Knoebels give off
a carnival feel, due to their retro nature and non-permanent looks. The park as a whole still very much retains
its old school and classic nature to this day. To continue the development of the park into
the late 90s, Knoebels began the construction of Twister, a second wooden roller coaster. Interestingly enough, this attraction was
built entirely in-house, by the park themselves. Naturally, the ride features a very twisted
layout which heavily relies on turns and sudden drops. Unfortunately, it was 10 years later when
the park would see another addition in the form of a roller coaster. Knoebels introduced Kozmo’s Kurves in 2009,
to replace the park’s former children’s coaster. Since the start of the last decade, the park
has undergone a period of rapid expansion. In 2011, Knoebels opened Black Diamond to
the public, a heavily themed roller coaster experience. The attraction is arguably more dark ride
than roller coaster, but still features quick drops throughout it’s interesting storyline. Black Diamond is themed to the haunted coal
mines of Pennsylvania, as it takes guests through a tour of the mines in the hopes of
avoiding the ghosts within. Alongside the construction of Black Diamond,
and even Kozmo’s Kurves, Knoebels was attempting to open a modern version of the wooden bobsled
roller coasters found during the early 1900s. The ride, named Flying Turns, began development
in 2007. After numerous issues to the ride vehicles
and systems, Flying Turns finally opened to the public 7 years later, in October of 2013. The roller coaster has quickly become and
icon for the park, not only for it’s one of a kind nature, but for knoebels persistence
in opening their inhouse built attraction. Following the opening of Flying Turns, Knoebels
saw the return of a steel thrill coaster to the park. Named Impulse, the ride is a compact roller
coaster manufactured by Zierer. It features a vertical chain lift hill, as
well as multiple inversions. Besides large scale thrill coasters, the park
is home to a multitude of transport rides and attractions, including two train services,
as well as a relaxing chairlift. All three attractions offer picturesque views
of the surrounding countryside and wildlife. Throughout Knoebels vast existence, they have
experienced their fair share of ups and downs. Unfortunately, due to the location of the
park, the resort often floods as a result of extreme weather. This causes the entire park to close for several
days to allow for major repairs to take place on the various affected rides. However, several of the attractions at Knoebels
amusement park and resort are loved by many. The Haunted Mansion, for example, opened in
1973 and has been recognised as a fantastic haunted house ever since. The park has also been awarded the Golden
Ticket Award for best food on multiple occasions, as they offer a variety of options, at an
affordable price. Some of these food locations can be recognized
by their iconic look, as many are shaped as item being sold, such as lemons, apples, and
bread. Though Knoebels doesn’t boast the world’s
tallest or fastest attractions, the park continues to attract new and old visitors alike due
to it’s fantastic charm and consistent reputation of family fun at an affordable price. The entire resort is an ideal getaway location
that can satisfy every member of the family. At Knoebels, there truly is something for
everyone. A big thanks goes to Coaster Studios, for
helping to produce this video. Click the video on the left to watch Glenwood
Caverns: Explained, over on his channel. Also, be sure to follow us on Twitter, Instagram
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