Hellobee

I hadn’t been to Knott’s Berry Farm in over 20 years, so it was about time I took my kids since I was about their age the first time I went. Luckily it turned out to be the first day of Knott’s Merry Farm when we went last Friday, and it really put us in the holiday mood, coming from a year round tropical country! The kids have been to Disneyland twice, Universal Studios, and Legoland. Don’t get me wrong – Disneyland still is the best and you have to go if you’re never been. But if you’ve been to Disney already, here is an argument for visiting Knott’s Berry Farm, which is just minutes away from Disneyland!

Ticket Prices

Disneyland almost never has discount tickets for single day passes. Right now admission is $129 on weekdays ($122 for kids under 10) and $149 on Fridays-Sundays ($141 for kids). Parking is $25. It would cost a family of four $527 on a weekday, and $605 on a weekend for tickets and parking.

I bought Knott’s Berry Farm tickets on their website, though you can find more discounted tickets at times elsewhere. I just showed the qr codes on my phone to enter the park. Adult tickets were $55 and kids’ tickets were $54. Parking was $20. When we got to the park, since it was peak season, adult tickets were $84 at the gate, so I saved $29 (30%) by booking online. It would cost a family of 4 $238 for tickets and parking if booked on the Knott’s website; it would cost $296 if purchased at the gate.

Add Ons

I regretted not getting the FastPass for $10 per person at Disneyland the last time we went. It lets you schedule Fastpasses on your phone instead of having to go to a kiosk. Still fastpasses are limited and not always available.

At Knott’s we didn’t need their FastPass because all the lines were so short! Knotts’ all day dining and drinking plans were interesting. For $31.99, you can get an entree and a side dish every 90 minutes at 16 participating restaurants. For $12.99 you can get unlimited Coca Cola brand refills in a souvenir bottle every 15 minutes. We didn’t sign up for this, but if you stagger the meals in your group, it’s actually a great deal!

Crowds

Disneyland is always busy no matter what day of the week or time of year you go. Even with fastpasses, it’s impossible to ride everything.

Knott’s was virtually empty when we went on Friday, November 22nd, which was surprising because it was the first day of Knott’s Merry Farm and so close to Thanksgiving. We rode any ride we wanted multiple times, and the longest we waited was 5 minutes! I hate big crowds so the experience was very pleasant! Because we saved so much time not waiting in line, we had time to watch shows, participate in ton of activities, and just leisurely enjoy the park. Charlie and Olive also rode many rides by themselves while I waited at the exit, and it was nice that they had the freedom to do so. Many other parents and kids did the same. This would be impossible at Disneyland with its crowds and long lines.

Ghostrider is their best wooden coaster, and it was a little scary for Charlie, but he loved it. It was his first real big rollercoaster!

this baby coaster is a good intro to coasters 

Activities, Shows and Shops

Disneyland has all these things too, particularly on Main Street, but they often get overlooked for the rides.

Knott’s has tons of activities that cost extra, but my kids love doing these things since we don’t have them in the Philippines! It feels very much like a fair. There were also free attractions that the kids loved watching such as glass blowing, wood carving, horseshoe making, and Christmas caroling. We spent a lot of time in their fossils, rocks and minerals shop, which was like a mini museum. We also watched a production of A Christmas Carol, as well as a stunt show. We just missed Snoopy on Ice, but we spent hours leisurely wandering around the Ghost Town area.

customizing slime with scent and mix-ins

gold flakes they panned themselves

You select a rock and they slice it open for you. Very educational souvenir as they talked all about different type of rocks, geodes, minerals, and gemstones

 
stunt show with a rollercoaster in the background

A Christmas Carol

we watched the making of these wood carvings with a chainsaw

an actual classroom from the early 1900’s


blacksmith shop for making horseshoes

We really had a nice, mellow time at Knotts. We will go to Disneyland again at some point to check out the new Star Wars Land, but I’m not looking forward to the crowds and lines!