Knott’s Berry Farm holds fond childhood memories for me. The whole park has so much real-life history in it, dating back to when the Knott Family actually lived on the property with a farm, a chicken dinner restaurant, and an old-fashioned Western ghost town. It was from there that they built the theme park around it known as Knott’s Berry Farm, America’s 1st Theme Park.
Last summer in celebration of Ghost Town’s 75th Anniversary, Knott’s introduced a fun, interactive experience for guests called Ghost Town ALIVE The concept of a working ghost town for guests to interact with was brought to fruition and I had so much fun experiencing it. You literally feel as if you’ve stepped back in time when you’re there in Calico, in the Wild West. There are townsfolk, cowboys, bandits, judges, all kinds of interesting people who live there in the beloved town of Calico.
I was elated when I found out that Ghost Town Alive! was returning this summer! It is a must-do for families visiting the park! There are so many fun ways to participate in all of the town’s happenings. You can become an honorary citizen of Calico and help out in the quest to capture the Mayfield Gang, which recently escaped the custody of Sheriff Wheeler.
In our case, we were actually part of their gang, we were “bad guys”. I don’t think we were “bad”, just a bit “misunderstood” is all. Sheriff Wheeler saw right through us, just by looking at the color of our bandanas and took us right into custody, locking us in the town’s jail!
Here are just some of the things you can do in Calico during Ghost Town Alive!:
- Grab a copy of the Calico Gazette, hot off the press
- Participate in the town election and vote for the Mayor
- Witness a wedding in Town Hall
- Go to school in a one-room schoolhouse
- Go to the Barbershop for a “shave” and a mustache
- Help deliver a package from the Post Office
- Visit the animals in the Livery Stable
Every evening, the town’s “story” culminates with a town-wide celebration in Calico Square at the town’s Hoedown. It’s so much fun for guests to dance and mingle with the townsfolk of Calico.
In addition to all of the fun action happening in the town of Calico, Knott’s also has an extensive lineup of entertainment this summer. The live entertainment continues with:
- The explosive Wild West Stunt Show (Ghost Town)
- The high kickin’ Calico Saloon Show (Ghost Town)
- Get “krazy “when Krazy Kirk and the Hillbillies mount their toe tappin’, knee-slappin’, gut-bustin’ country comedy show that will have audiences clamoring for more! In the evening a group of krazy talented performers will have guests kicking up their heels with vine dancing, a down home jug band and dueling fiddlers and banjos! (Wagon Camp Stage)
- The renowned “Traveling Circus” also returns to Knott’s for another season of exhilarating performances. Set on the Calico Mine stage in Ghost Town, come witness a spectacle; see awe-inspiring stunts, and death defying acrobatics in “Circus of Wonders.” The astonishing 30 minute spectacular will be action packed with all-time favorite circus attractions such as the Trapeze, Tightrope, Aerial Acrobatics, Trampoline, and of course, clowns, incorporating lighting and pyrotechnics, making this nighttime show a totally unique event! Select dates, June 10 – August 20.
- While you’re in the park, be sure to catch the all-new show, Snoopy’s Magnificent Magical Revue, starring the World’s Most Famous Beagle, Snoopy! This family-friendly show features Magician Extraordinaire Greg Wilson as he teams up with Snoopy and the entire Peanuts Gang to perform a jaw-dropping magic show and lavish musical production. Guests may even find themselves part of the act! Watch Snoopy’s Magnificent Magical Revue on select dates through August 20 .The show is dark Wednesdays. (in the Charles M. Schulz Theatre.)
If you haven’t experienced Knott’s Ghost Town Alive! yet, you’ll want to head to Knott’s Berry Farm this summer, before September 4, to be part of this authentic western adventure. It’s definitely an action-packed experience and fun for the entire family and is included in the price of a Knott’s ticket (or Season Pass.) This summer is the perfect time to grab a Knott’s Regular Season Pass, which offers unlimited visits in 2017. Knott’s Gold Pass also includes admission to Knott’s Soak City Waterpark, whcih we enjoyed visiting recently. 
For more information about Knott’s Season Passes, go here. To read more about Knott’s Ghost Town Alive!, go here.
If you aren’t familiar with Knott’s Soak City, it’s Orange County’s largest family water park, located adjacent to Knott’s Berry Farm Park, in the heart of Buena Park. The park just finished going through an extensive 2-acre expansion and renovation, which included the addition of 7 new slides and 2 slide towers, Shore Break and The Wedge. Along with the renovation came an upgrade to the landscaping of the park, which now looks like somewhat of a tropical oasis. More cabanas, available for rental) have also been added to the park, as well as additional shady areas and expanded seating. 
Grand Re-Opening Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
Immediately following the ribbon cutting, we headed directly over to try out the first of the new rides: The Wedge. This thrilling ride takes families with up to 6 riders, on an open-raft ride as they descend down navigating hair-raising twists, turns, and unexpected dips.
My girls rode in the inaugural raft of The Wedge that morning and absolutely loved it! They loved it so much that they immediately went back on, dragging me on with them. I loved it too!
Next, we hit up Shore Break, which is the other new group of slides that were part of the expansion. Shore Break includes 6 new slides. First, there are 4 slides that will take single riders on an adrenaline-filled water adventure as thrill-seekers board one of four Aqua Launch chambers to await the chamber’s floor dropping from beneath their feet sending them on a high speed free fall down a 60-foot tall slide and through a series of exhilarating drops and daring loops. Also part of Shore Break are two dueling tube slides which will have riders zipping through adventurous drops and turns as they soak up the warm summer sun.
In addition to the newest areas at Soak City, we also had tons of fun relaxing on the Lazy River, playing in Tidal Wave Bay wave pool, and hanging out at Beach House, waiting for the big red bucket to dump on us!
If you have small children, you’ll want to be sure to visit the Gremmie Lagoon area too.
With all of the new things to check out at Knott’s Soak City, in addition to this summer’s Ghost Town Alive! At Knott’s Park, there’s never been a better time to grab a Knott’s Gold Pass! A Gold Pass includes unlimited 2017 admission to both Knott’s Berry Farm and Knott’s Soak City Waterpark. Gold Season Passes can be purchased online starting at $117.00 or 6 easy payments of $19.50. Applicable taxes and fees apply. Please note: the Season Pass payment plan is only available online at knotts.com
I had the opportunity to spend a day in the Park, enjoying many of their boysenberry-inspired foods and drinks. I got so excited to see Ghost Town all decked out for the occasion!
Did you know that the boysenberry originated at Knott’s? Yep! The roots of Knott’s Berry Farm stretch back to the early 1930s when Walter Knott nurtured the only surviving 
The popular purple little 
Knott’s Boysenberry Festival runs from April 1-23 this year. During the festival, guests have the opportunity to enjoy boysenberry foods, both sweet and savory, and boysenberry-inspired craft beer and wine. Trust me when I say that you need to try all of the special boysenberry offerings during Knott;s Boysenberry Festival. One of the best ways to get a tasting of a variety of these foods is by purchasing a Festival Tasting Card. For just $25, you’ll get to sample 6 different items. As you can see, I started with one of the desserts, Boysenberry Panna Cotta! 
The Festival Tasting Card gives you quite a bit of food as you get samples of Boysenberry BBQ Meatballs, Boysenberry Fry Bread, Boysenberry Buffalo Wings, Boysenberry Ravioli, Boysenberry Panna Cotta, and Boysenberry Pizza!
I loved all of the items I got to try but I couldn’t stop there because there was still so much more boysenberry goodness to try! Some of the other boysenberry items you can find during the festival include:
Aside from all of the boysenberry goodness at Knott’s Boysenberry Festival, there’s also a great lineup of entertainment for the whole family, you won’t want to miss including Snoopy’s Boysenberry Jamboree (on the Calico Mine Stage), Old Time Melodrama (Bird Cage Theater), The History of Boysenberry & Knott’s Berry Farm (in Town Hall), Cloud 9 Ballroom/Studio K Classic Dance Party (in the Boardwalk Ballroom), Wild West Stunt Show: Frontier Feats of Wonder! (in Wagon Camp Theater), and the fun Camptivities (in Camp Snoopy). Also stop by Calico Park for some fun, music & games and visit the animals Old MacDonald’s Farm (in Ghost Town).
Knott’s Boysenberry Festival is a must-do. Be sure to stop by before April 23rd! For more information, visit Knott’s Berry Farm’s site
This year Knott’s Boysenberry Festival begins on April 1st and will offer park guests 23 days of special boysenberry offerings, After attending a media tasting and getting a sneak peek at this year’s menu, I’m pretty sure this year’s Boysenberry Festival is going to be the best one by far!
Knott’s has a line-up of over 70 mouthwatering boysenberry-inspired foods and drinks to choose taste this year. You’re not going to want to miss out on any of it! I was absolutely wow-ed by some of the new offerings this year’s Boysenberry Festival! First of all, they’ve got an incredible Boysenberry Pizza that will drive your palette crazy! 
It’s made with arugula, smoked ham, and goat cheese, and topped with Knott’s very own boysenberry Sriracha sauce. It was delicious!
Another new menu item is the boysenberry ravioli! Who would’ve thought? This ravioli dish is packed with boysenberry flavors and so savory! Also new for this year is the freshly-baked boysenberry fry bread! Mmm!
Some other guest favorites from years past, which will be offered again this year, include:
Guests who want to take home the exquisite Boysenberry BBQ sauce, Boysenberry Butter, Boysenberry Dressing and Boysenberry Chipotle Sauce can do so by stopping by the Berry Market located in the California MarketPlace and General Store located in Ghost Town. *Select items are available on the online Berry Market store.
One of the best ways to experience the Boysenberry Festival is with a Boysenberry Bites Tasting Card. For only $25, the tasting card includes generous portions of six delectable treats:
Guests at the Boysenberry Festival can also visit the Wine and Craft Brew Garden, which is located inside of Ghost Town’s Wilderness Dance Hall. Those guests who are 21 years of age and older can enjoy 4 craft brews and over 50 different wines from 36 producers including boysenberry beer and boysenberry wine. There’s also a tasting card iavailable for only $25, which includes 6 tastings paired with snacks.
As you can see, there is lots to see and do at Knott’s Boysenberry Festival this year! In addition to all of these food and beverage offerings, there’s also an entire lineup of live entertainment during the festival, which I’ll be sharing more about once it begins. To see a schedule of the live entertainment, go 
All throughout the Park, there are wonderful, festive decorations, special shows, tasty treats, and the usual thrilling attractions for guests to enjoy. As you stroll through Calico Ghost Town, you’ll literally feel like you’ve stepped back in time and right into the town’s old-fashioned Christmas celebration, “Christmas in Calico“.
For the first time ever, the bustling streets of Calico are overflowing with seasonal joy as its gleeful citizens, from 
New this year, Calico’s Town Hall offers plenty of holiday activities for all to enjoy.New this year, Calico’s Town Hall offers plenty of holiday activities for all to enjoy. Little ones can pen Christmas letters to jolly ol’ Santa Claus or gather round for a special reading of the holiday classic the Night before Christmas by the Calico citizens. 
Everyone can also lend a hand around town by delivering gifts to some of the folks in Calico. Just outside Town Hall, cheerful Calico Carolers roam the festive streets sharing the sounds of the season though songs and hand bell chimes. 
Also in Ghost Town, be sure to save time to watch a performance of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol”and O. Henry’s “A Gift of the Magi” brought-to-life at the Birdcage Theatre.
You can also find the toe tappin’, hand clappin’, comedy and bluegrass of Krazy Kirk and the Hillbillies in the Birdcage Theatre. They’re always a lot of fun to watch!
During Knott’s Merry Farm, the Wilderness Dance Hall in Ghost Town is transformed into Santa’s Christmas Cabin for the holiday season. This is where you’ll find the jolly fellow himself.
Santa is sure to delight the young and young at heart. Send your season greetings to family and loved ones with special picture of the occasion, pictures can be purchased onsite.
You’ll also want to indulge in one-of-kind seasonal treats like Santa’s freshly-baked cookies, mouthwatering pastries, exquisite chocolate dipped cheesecake on a stick, seasonal craft beers, gourmet hot chocolate with marshmallows and hot spiced holiday wine, plus much more.
Knott’s world-famous holiday treats can also be found all throughout Ghost Town, including fresh poured-to-order maple lollipops at the Gold Trails Hotel, delectable homemade holiday churros from the Churro Factory and extra creamy Santa’s Milk and Cookie shakes from Coasters.
Returning this year, the PEANUTS® gang, and a cast of world class ice skaters perform in the breathtaking ice show, “Merry Christmas, Snoopy!” in the 2,100 seat Charles M. Schulz Theatre. 
In this whimsical show, Snoopy enjoys all of the best parts of the season, including trimming the Christmas tree, awaiting Santa’s arrival, and attending the Christmas Ball! This ice show is a must-see and is my absolute favorite thing to go watch at Knott’s Merry Farm every year! 
The annual Christmas Crafts village includes artistic craft holiday shops featuring power chainsaw sculpting and elegant glass blowing demonstrations. Entrance to the Knott’s Christmas Crafts Village is free Monday through Thursday, November 21 –December 8, and is included with theme park admission every day.
You’ll also want to make sure to check out what’s new for this year at Knott’s Merry Farm:
This year, Knott’s Spooky Farm is a limited-time weekend event perfect for families and is open on weekend days during October, as well as Halloween day. All of the fun included in the price of a regular park ticket. (pumpkin and cookie decorating are available for a nominal fee.) Whether they choose to wear a costume or not, guests visiting the park are welcome to join in on all the fun Halloween activities. 
Here are the fun experiences you won’t want to miss out on this year:
Linus’ Great Pumpkin Patch
This year at Knott’s Spooky Farm, you’ll find
There are some fun activities to do inside like Peanuts coloring, games, decorating your very own pumpkin
Also, don’t forget to catch a performance of “Monsters Are Coming Charlie Brown!” in the Camp “Spooky” Theater, while you’re in Camp Snoopy. 
For only $31.99 (plus tax) you can enjoy up to seven different dining locations 
Don’t miss out on all the daytime family friendly fun at Knott’s Spooky Farm this year! You won’t find any tricks, just treats!
The easiest way to add the All Day Dining Plan is to 
Wouldn’t it be fun to spend an entire day at Knott’s, just eating every 90 minutes? Ok, I’m just joking. 
The All Day Dining Plan doesn’t include drinks but I need to share one of the best drink deals in the Park with you! You can purchase a 2016 Souvenir Bottle for only $14.99 and get free drink refills the entire day! It’s a great deal and we used it in between meals to carry around ice water, which they’d also refill for us. It’s almost always hot outside in Southern California so having the option to get a cold, icy drink constantly refilled was a life-saver. Also, if you purchase it online before your visit, it’s only $10.99! 
For more information about Knott’s All Day Dining Plan or general park information, go 
I was invited to a media day at Knott’s a couple of weeks ago and I had the opportunity to experience all the fun! I actually can’t wait to go back again with my family! 
I think one of my most favorite parts about Ghost Town right now is the all-new interactive experience called Ghost Town Alive! Park guests get to step inside of this little Old West town and interact with the residents there. Whether it’s the Barbershop, The Sheriff’s Office, The Post Office, The Mayor’s Office at Calico Town Hall, or Goldie’s Place, you’ll be totally engaged with the people of Ghost Town. 
Just inside of Ghost Town, stands the tallest, longest and fastest wooden rollercoaster on the West Coast…GhostRider! GhostRider is a Knott’s fan favorite! After undergoing a recent resoration, GhostRider is now open with a complete wooden re-tracking of the entire 4,533 ft. long track. So, of course, I braved a ride on it myself with 
It was amazing! I mean, it was beyond scary, and she kept her eyes shut the entire time but it’s supposed to be scary right? Let me just add that the new cars and track are so smooth! You’re going to love it!
