Over The Top Mommy

Snoopy

Celebrating the Holiday Season at Knott’s #MerryFarm With Our Little Family!

Disclosure: My family & I were invited by GigaSavvy to attend a Media Day at Knott’s Merry Farm in order to write this review of our experience.  No other compensation was received. All opinions are 100% my own.The Southern California Holiday SeasonThe holiday season has just began and our family had so much fun kicking it off with a visit to Knott’s Merry Farm this year. We live locally and love going to Knott’s Berry Farm but this was actually our first time getting a chance to visit during “Merry Farm”, which runs this year from November 22nd to January 4th! The park is adorned with holiday decorations and the Peanuts characters are dressed in holiday attire! The sunny Southern California weather justified us wearing summer attire that day.

Knotts-Merry-Farm-Water-Tower

Knott's Merry Farm SelfieOur first stop of the day was at Camp Snoopy! Emily loves the kid-friendly rides and all of the little areas to explore in Camp Snoopy. During Knott’s Merry Farm you can catch one of several performances of “Lucy’s Wish List” show, each day, over the Camp Snoopy Theatre.

Lucy's Wish List Show

Lucy's Wish List Show 2Some of Emi’s favorite rides in Camp Snoopy include The Balloon Race, The Grand Sierra Railroad, and the Linus Launcher . While we were there, we decided to stop by and show Woodstock his other house. Emi also got to take a picture with Charlie Brown and sought some helpful (psychiatric) advice from Lucy. We love Camp Snoopy!

Woodstock's House

Charlie Brown

LucyIt was fun to walk through Ghost Town, which has been transformed into the Christmas Crafts Village for Knott’s Merry Farm. It’s a shopping wonderland filled with dozens of local artisans selling their unique gifts. Some of the highlights of the Village include artist demonstrations of chainsaw wood carving, pottery sculpting, and elegant glass blowing. We found a lot of photo opportunities in the Christmas Crafts Village. We also enjoyed listening to carolers sing.

Ghost Town 1

snoopy in calico town

Christmas CarolersAs you continue to walk deeper into Ghost Town, you’ll find Santa’s Christmas Cabin, located inside Wilderness Dance Hall.  Santa is right inside, sitting up on the stage, and waiting for you to bring your little ones to chat with him about what they’d like for Christmas this year. He also reminds them to be good for their parents, which was my favorite part! There are photographers on hand to capture the perfect moment with your little one(s) and Santa in photos available for purchase afterwards.

Emi and Knott's Santa

Inside Santa's Christmas CabinInside Santa’s Christmas Cabin, there are plenty of treats  to choose from including homemade cookies & milk, hot chocolate, gourmet coffee and hot chocolate, s’mores on a stick, roasted nuts, winter wines and beer. It’s a nice place to sit down and take a break for a snack. Emi loved sitting at one of the little wooden tables to share some milk and cookies with Snoopy!

Milk and Cookies With SnoopyDuring Knott’s Merry Farm, the Calico Railroad is converted into a special Christmas on Engine 41 train ride experience. After you climb aboard the vintage railcar, you get to interact with a whole cast of characters who are ready to brighten your holidays with songs and chats about their traveling adventures. It’s a Christmas train ride filled with holiday cheer.

Christmas on Engine 41#1

Christmas on Engine 41#2Just past the Calico Railroad, standing in front of the Calico Square Stage, stands the Knott’s Christmas tree, adorned with hundreds of ornaments. It’s so beautiful standing tall against the sunny blue sky! Emi and Snoopy liked checking themselves out in the giant ornaments!

The Knott's Christmas TreeAfter the sun goes down, you can enjoy watching Snoopy’s Merriest Tree Lighting on the Calico Square Stage as it lights up with the celebration of the season. It’s a musical, whimsical tree lighting featuring a cast of Toy Soldiers, Snowmen, Elves and the world’s most famous beagle, Snoopy!

Snoopy-Merriest-Tree-Lighting-650-pixels-wide(photo credit: Knott’s)  

After dark, there’s also snowy fun each night during Knott’s Merry Farm along the buildings and paths in Ghost Town’s Main Street, as they are filled with glow and snow! Thousands of sparkling lights dance to the beat of “Let It Snow” while snow gently falls in this spectacular one-of-a-kind moment you can enjoy with your family in the Ghost Town.

Snowing-in-Ghost-Town-family-header-650-px-width-(photo credit: Knott’s)

Emi, Snoopy, and Woodstock really wanted to eat dinner at Grizzly Creek Lodge, located inside of Camp Snoopy! They loved having a cheeseburger, fries and some Knott’s Berry Punch together. It’s one of our family’s favorites that we HAVE TO  have on each visit to the park. Emi loved the keepsake lunchbox that her kids meal was served in. She truly adores the Peanuts gang.

dinner with snoopy

Knott's Berry PunchI think our most favorite show at Knott’s Merry Farm was the “Merry Christmas, Snoopy” Ice show, which is in the Charles M. Schultz Theatre. I grew up watching Peanuts on TV and now Emi loves them too. Watching her face light up as all of the characters came out to skate during the show was priceless. Skating Snoopy was precious, the costumes were beautiful, I loved the songs they chose and the story lines, and the skating was amazing! What true talent!

Merry Christmas Snoopy 1

Merry Christmas Snoopy! 2It was a great day at Knott’s Merry Farm and we’re already planning our next visit. Have you checked out all of the benefits that come with a 2015 Knott’s Season Pass? They’re very affordable and make great holiday gifts! We’re considering grabbing 3 of them for our own family! If you purchase a pass now,  you get one 2014 visit to Knott’s Merry Farm for free! For more information, click here!

Thank you Knott's!

Thank you again, Knott’s! As you can tell by the smile on her face, she LOVED Merry Farm and our family is so grateful for the opportunity to have spent the day creating more memories together!  Happy holidays!

Camp Spooky is Taking Over Knott’s Camp Snoopy on Weekend Days in October!

One of the most adorable places to visit in Southern California as a family has got to be Knott’s Camp Snoopy! Located just inside of Knott’s Berry Farm, Camp Snoopy  features many of your favorite Peanuts characters and it’s just a fun place for kids to encounter kid-friendly attractions, including their 3 newest rides, Linus Launcher, Charlie Brown’s Kite Flyer, and Pig Pen’s Mud Buggies and 2 new interactive experiences for kids, Beagle Scout Headquarters and Peanuts’ Play Lot .

snoopyStarting this weekend, Camp Spooky will be taking over Camp Snoopy during the weekend days in October, as well as on Halloween. Camp Spooky provides an opportunity for children to participate in non-scary Halloween activities, that focus on “cheer rather than fear”! The shows and activities are geared towards children between the ages of 3 and 11. Camp Spooky admission is included in the price of regular Knott’s Berry Farm admission.

This year will be our first time visiting Camp Spooky. Although I grew up in Southern California and Knott’s Berry Farm was a big part of my childhood, there was no Camp Spooky back then, so for me, it’s a big deal too. Emi is kind of a planner, just like me, so when I told her we were going, she already starting looking at the park map again and making out her “Camp Spooky To-Do List”!

photo-355Here’s what you can be excited to find at Camp Spooky this year:

  • The Monsters Are Coming, Charlie Brown“, live theatre show in the Camp Spooky Theatre– Watch your favorite Peanuts characters in this adorable, live theatre production.
  • Peanuts Costume Parade-Kids are invited to wear a costume when they visit Camp Spooky and participate in a costume parade and contest, hosted by Snoopy and the Peanuts Gang. The contest takes place on Saturdays and Sundays in the Camp Spooky Theatre, immediately following the 3:45 show. Kids have the opportunity to win prizes too!
  •  Mini Monster Maze-Have fun roaming through the obstacles in this mini maze, with sweet treats awaiting guests at the end!
  • Photo Forest-You’ll encounter a few different interactive photo opportunities in this section of Camp Spooky. Look for the Mummy’s Manor, the mysterious mirrors of Medusa’s Bug Boutique, and The Witch’s Tea Party! You’ll be sure to capture some photo memories to last you a lifetime!
  • Witch’s Potion Station-for an additional fee, you can mix and match different potions, inspired by the witch’s own potions, to create the perfect and delicious potion of your own to take home and enjoy.

snoopy and woodstockNow we need to come up with little costumes to dress our Snoopy and Woodstock in! Any suggestions? 

We’re really excited to see all of our favorite Peanuts characters and get into the Halloween spirit this weekend at Camp Spooky! We hope to see some of you there!

water barrelFor general Knott’s Berry Farm information, click here. For ticket info, including a place to purchase park tickets at a discount, click here. Knott’s also offers season passes at a very reasonable price!

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