There are SO many things I love about this time of year at Knott’s but most of all, the start of the Boysenberry Festival! The festival runs from March 16 through April 8 and this year’s festival is better than ever!
If you’ve never experienced it before, the Knott’s Boysenberry Festival is a must-do! This annual food-inspired event celebrates the park’s historic roots by highlighting the little berry that started it all…the boysenberry. 
This year’s festival will feature over 75 new and returning boysenberry-inspired creations crafted by Knott’s amazing culinary team.
Park guests will have the opportunity to indulge in a tantalizing lineup of treats ranging from savory foods with a boysenberry twist to refreshingly sweet and tangy. There are many one-of-a-kind specialty desserts that can only be found at Knott’s Berry Farm during this time of the year, which is why I seriously recommend heading to the festival at least once before April 8.
Did you know that the boysenberry is a cross between a loganberry, red raspberry and blackberry and is named after its originator Rudolf Boysen. The Knott family was the first to successfully harvest and sell the boysenberry on the land that is now known as Knott’s Berry Farm.
Guests at Knott’s Boysenberry Festival will find boysenberry specialty food and drinks throughout the park and can navigate their taste buds using the Event Guide. 
A great option for guests to indulge in a variety of new and returning food items during the festival is the tasting card.
Priced at just $30, the tasting card is a great value and offers 8 of the new food options per card and! Here’s another cool part about it, if there’s something on the tasting card you might not care to try, you can use the tasting card vouchers for a different item on it. I may have used mine to get not 1 but TWO of the boysenberry coconut macaroons on my visit! Mmm! Please note: Signature boysenberry items not offered on the tasting card are available for purchase a la carte.
Let’s take a closer look at each of the 8 offerings on this year’s festival tasting card!
Slow Cooked Boysenberry Short Rib – Slow cooked to perfection, this juicy meat is smothered in boysenberry hoisin sauce served over butter basmati rice and complete with chopped green onions will leave guests asking for more.
Boysenberry Pierogies – These are new for this year and are like little pillows filled with cheddar cheese and topped with onions, bacon and boysenberry sour cream. The pierogies are a bursting a combination of sweet and savory flavors.
Boysenberry Chicken Wings – The guest favorite and finger-lickin’ boysenberry chicken wings will be available during the festival; the irresistible wings are smothered in the delicious and popular boysenberry BBQ sauce which is made exclusively at the Farm.
Boysenberry Coconut Marcaroon – Sweets and desserts are a key part of the festival and this year the culinary team is introducing the scrumptious, perfectly bite-sized boysenberry coconut macaroons, dipped in a decadent chocolate ganache, which are great to enjoy while strolling through the park. 
Boysenberry Elote – The boysenberry elote is one of the satisfying treats guests will be able to find in the streets of Ghost Town. The lightly grilled corn is smothered in fresh boysenberry butter, mayo and perfectly topped off with cotija cheese.
Boysenberry Hummus with Grilled Pita Bread – a new vegetarian/vegan option like the highly enjoyable boysenberry hummus served with pita bread and prepared with garden-fresh boysenberries.
Boysenberry Cheese Quesadilla – Another new item for this year is the first ever boysenberry quesadilla! Made with a boysenberry-infused flour tortilla, prepared with boysenberry salsa, boysenberry sour cream, sprinkled with cotija and mozzarella cheese, it’s so delicious!
Boysenberry Sausage on a Bun – This is a popular item for meat lovers! This very filling boysenberry grilled sausage on a bun prepared with a freshly farm-baked roll and topped with boysenberry ketchup, relish and mustard.
Tasting cards for the Boysenberry Festival are available for purchase online at Knotts.com or else inside the Park.
In addition to the tasty treats, the Knott’s Boysenberry Festival offers a wide selection of daily entertainment, live music and fun activities for guests of all ages to enjoy. Knott’s Boysenberry Festival is just another great reason to consider grabbing a Knott’s Season Pass for everyone in your family. With no blackout dates, you can go back and visit the Boysenberry Festival several times before it goes away after April 8!
For more information about Knott’s Boysenberry Festival, please go here. Connect with Knott’s on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram and join in the conversation on social media by using and following #BoysenberryFestival!
Sea at Night invites guests to jump, leap and “splash” into simulated bioluminescent waves that react to their footsteps. The reaction created by the guests’ movements demonstrates the effect of a glowing tide similar to ones often seen along the Pacific coastline.
Sea at Night and Shark Mission are open now for guests to explore at SEA LIFE aquarium. For more information, visit
I find myself always on the lookout for new young adult titles for my tween to get into. She loves books from all genres but most recently she’s chosen to read several fantasy novels. I’m just happy she’s developed such a love for literature and I want to keep fostering it. Her most recent book was “The Crowns of Croswald” by author D.E.Night, which was something we sat down and read together.
Here’s a sneak peek you can find on the back cover of the book:
Both my daughter and I loved “Crowns of Croswald” because of the magic and the fantasy of the story. It’s a great read and something we enjoyed taking the time to read and discuss. For me, it’s important to have things like this that we can still do together as she gets older.
Here comes some more magic….D.E. Night is having a “Magical Reader Giveaway” on her Instagram for one lucky reader to win a vacation to Walt Disney World in Florida! That’s right!
This year, you can meet the Easter Bunny at Irvine Park Railroad beginning Saturday, March 10. He’ll be around for photo opportunities through Saturday, March 31. For the cost of $12.00, children can meet and have their photo taken with the Easter Bunny. The cost includes a complimentary photo that will be taken by Irvine Park Railroad staff. Each additional print of the same photo is $6.00. Photos will be printed in a few, short minutes at the Easter Bunny booth. It’s a great keepsake to commemorate this fun occasion and save for your child’s babybook or scrapbook.
Easter egg hunts – hunts begin daily at 10:00 AM and are grouped by ages. Tickets may be purchased and exchanged for a wristband to participate in an egg hunt at a specific time. Please bring an Easter basket for each child that will be participating in the Easter egg hunt.
Irvine Park Railroad will also offer Easter baskets for sale. Easter egg Tickets must be purchased on the day of the event to receive a wristband for the Easter egg hunt.
Train rides – The cost for train tickets is $5.00 per person. (Children 12 months and younger ride free.)
Other activities to enjoy during the Easter Eggstravaganza include:
While you’re at Irvine Regional Park, why not make an entire day of it and and visit the park’s other activities including Wheel Fun Rentals® at Irvine Park bike and paddle boat rentals, pony rides and the OC Zoo.
Irvine Park Railroad opens daily at 10:00 AM. Irvine Park Railroad is located at 1 Irvine Park Road, Orange, CA 92869. Please note: The park entrance fee, charged by the County of Orange, is $3.00 per vehicle on weekdays and $5.00 per vehicle on weekends.
Calling All Heroes! The Universe Unites with #HeroActs
A highlight this year, for the first time Great Wolf Lodge is partnering with 
During Spring-A-Palooza, families can visit a lemonade stand in the Grand Lobby for complimentary lemonade to be enjoyed together picnic-style. As a special twist this year, exclusive color changing cups will be sold for $2.50, and 100 percent of the proceeds from the sale of the cups will be donated to Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, a charity whose mission is to change the lives of children with cancer through funding impactful research, raising awareness, supporting families and empowering everyone to help cure cancer. Great Wolf Lodge anticipates at least $15,000 will be donated to Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation through the sale of the keepsake Spring-A-Palooza cups.
In addition to the partnership with Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, other highlights of Spring-a-Palooza include:
For more information on Great Wolf Resorts and its brands of indoor water park resorts, visit 
The free family event will kick off with an Easter egg hunt at 12 noon, beginning in Kaleidoscope’s courtyard. Passport cards will be given out to the first 350 children, directing them to the participating shops and restaurants where they will receive candy-filled eggs and prizes. The completed passports can then be handed in for a chance to win a Grand Easter Basket. Children should bring their own baskets to collect eggs.
Kaleidoscope’s Easter Party will also offer a complimentary photo opportunity with the Easter Bunny for guests who bring their own camera, as well as:
While you’re at Kaleidoscope, why not stop by 
For more information about this fun, free family event, please call Kaleidoscope at (949) 542-4407. Connect with Kaleidoscope on 
The Anniversary Celebration will also feature other $2.00 activities such as:
Attendees at the celebration will also enjoy $2 concessions including hot dogs, sodas, ice creams, and popcorn. There will also be FREE giveaways including Irvine Park Railroad balloons (one per child, please). The $2 tickets are valid during the Anniversary Celebration weekend only. Coupons, discounts and/or any other promotions are not valid on the anniversary celebration dates.
Irvine Park Railroad is open year round (excluding Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day). Our annual events include the Easter Eggstravaganza, Anniversary Celebration, Pumpkin Patch, Fourth Grade California History Education Program, and Christmas Train. Please visit 
While at Irvine Regional Park, be sure and visit the parks other activities including Wheel Fun Rentals® at Irvine Park bike and paddle boat rentals, pony rides and the Orange County Zoo.
The park entrance fee is $5.00 per vehicle. Irvine Park Railroad opens daily at 10:00 AM. The cost for train tickets during the Anniversary Celebration weekend is $2.00 per ticket; children younger than 12 months ride free. Irvine Park Railroad is located inside of Irvine Regional Park at 1 Irvine Park Road, Orange, CA 92869.
For more information about Irvine Park Railroad, please visit www.irvineparkrailroad.com.