Summer Fun!

Summertime Fun at Knoebels!

While today it is hot and humid here in  South Central Pennsylvania...last week there are few days of PERFECT weather!  70's, sunshine, breeze...and we decided it was the perfect day to visit a spot that we enjoyed many times over the years.  Knoebels is America's largest free-admission amusement park.  Located in Central Pennsylvania's Susquehanna River Valley - between Bloomsburg and Danville - this spot is the perfect place to enjoy the day if you are anywhere nearby.  We used to live a lot closer and have not been to the park in years.  Now it was a little over a 2 hour drive to get there....but well worth it!

First of all...parking is free and plentiful.  If you arrive late and are parking far away from the park there is a shuttle to get you to the entrance.

You can see from these photos that the park is nestled in the mountains and is shady and cool most of the time...

but is is a sunny area at the beautiful pool.  There are cottages you can rent if you want to stay for a few days...as well as many picnic pavilions that can be reserved for family picnics or other groups.  You can bring your own food, or have Knoebels cater the day.  AND...in case you are wondering...the name is pronouced "K-nobles" - the K is NOT silent!  There is a nice golf course located a few miles away...as well as a great mini golf course in the park.  

The park has been operating for 90 years and started out as a swimming pond...

Lovely flowers everywhere....

and what used to be the main entrance...years ago you could drive right through the park, but traffic has since been re-routed to the parking areas.

Being in the Susquehanna River Valley means that the park does flood occasionally...and you can see that 1972 and Hurricane Agnes was the most flooding. 

Lots of great food and dining venues inside and out.   We loved the inside dining in The Alamo...when we lived closer we would go for dinner and have the famous Chicken and Waffles.  That was a bit much for lunch, so we enjoyed the outdoor dining with pulled pork and french fries!

Knoebels is the BEST for small children.  There are many rides in KiddeLand for small children and it is so much fun to sit and watch the little ones steer the boats, ring the bells, and have fun!

Live entertainment every day...this show had the spinning plates that I had not seen since the old Ed Sullivan show - wow, am I dating myself!

We wandered around and came back for "Tom and Randy" - a guitar duo that did many songs from the 70's.  You can see there are shows several times a day.

Lots of streams run through the park making is a pleasant place to stroll around...

There are two carousels, and both are beautiful!

Showing that this is a very family friendly place, I thought this was a great addition to the park.

Another addition to the park since that last time we visited is the Coal Mining museum.  With coal being such a huge part of Pennsylvania this makes a great addition...and I loved it, because my father was a coal miner and worked for the Blue Coal Corporation, so I was thrilled to see this sign

And a picture of what my father called the "shiftin shanty" where he would shower after his shift...

This check in was at the entrance of the mines so that in case of a cave in or accident the rescue team would know who was in the mine.  My father was in three mine cave ins - luckily he survived with broken bones.

This coal stove made me smile...we had one in our kitchen for year...and those grates were lifted off to expose the coal fire...which made the BEST TOAST EVER!!!

I love that Knoebels showcased the work of the miners...and realize how lucky I am to have had an education and not have to work in the mines.

The Phoenix is the wooden roller coaster and is named one of the best in the USA...

We enjoyed watching others ride the coaster...

The best part of Knoebels is that there is NO entrance fee...so if you come with others who want to ride but you do not you can enjoy the park for free.  You can purchase tickets to ride - or purchase an all day hand stamp to ride an unlimited amount of time.  The nice thing is...the tickets do not expire.  For years we had tickets at the end of the season that we would use again....

Many of the rides have received awards...

And...if you wait in line for an "outside" horse you can lean out and try to catch the golden ring for a free ride...

I caught several rings, but none of them golden!  When the ride ends you toss the rings back into the lions mouth.

The train and the merry-go -round are the only rides we do...

It is a great ride through the woods and a tunnel...waving at the people waiting in line for the coasters and on the other train.  After some ice cream and another walk around the park we gave our leftover tickets to the people in front of us in the train...and had a great drive home.

If you are anywhere near Knoebels I highly recommend it for a fun time!  You can find all the information about the park at Knoebels

Thanks for coming along on our trip to Knoebels - do you have an amusement park near you ?  Do you go often?  How many rides do you go on ?  Please leave a comment below and let me know...and thank you SO much for stopping by Our New Vista today.  Have a great summer!