10 Things to Know Before You Go to Knoebels Amusement Resort

Heading to Knoebels for the very first time?  Awesome!  We have stayed there several times now over the last few years and have a bunch of tips to make your first visit even better.

Helpful Tips Before You Go to Knoebels

I have heard one thing over and over again from friends, family and readers, “You HAVE to go to Knoebels!”

We have been told all about the rides, the affordability factor, the FOOD, the family friendly atmosphere and so on and so forth.  We made our first visit to Knoebels in 2016. Knoebels is about a 2.5 hour drive from our home in the Philadelphia, PA suburbs.  On our first visit, we camped for 2 nights at Lake Glory Campground, which is just a few miles from the amusement park.  The next time we went, we camped at the Knoebels campground that sits directly adjacent to the amusement resort.

I will save you some suspense and tell you right now that we absolutely LOVE Knoebels and understand why people had been so insistent that we take a trip there!  From our own experience along with tips from friends, we put together a helpful list of things to know before you go to Knoebels.

Top 10 Knoebels Tips for New Visitors

1. There is no admission charge to enter Knoebels.  Nope, nada.  Bring the whole family, pack them into your car because there is no charge to enter the amusement park.

2. There is no parking charge at Knoebels.  When they say that Knoebels is completely free to enter, they aren’t kidding.  In addition to no admission charge, there is no parking fee.  This not only saves money, but saves time as you pull in and park – no delay waiting for each car to fork over some cash.

3.  Knoebels is HUGE.  We spent two days trekking all over the park and the first day I made a big mistake and wore flip flops.  OUCH!  I would strongly advise wearing comfortable shoes (like sneakers) when you visit.  There is a LOT of ground to cover!  I also recommend picking up a park map to figure out where you are and how to get to the rides you want (they are available in various locations around the park).

4. You can purchase ride tickets or wristbands to ride on the rides at Knoebels.  During a typical family outing to an amusement park, I tend to go on a handful of rides, but not many.  The older I get, I simply no longer enjoy the rough and tumble spinny dizzy rides that my kids find thrilling.  I prefer the slower, less spinny rides.  LOL  Knoebels is a breath of fresh air for me because I don’t have to pay a staggering admission price just to walk around the park.  There are two ways to ride the rides at Knoebels: purchase tickets and pay per ride or purchase a pay-one-price wristband (see #5 for tips on how to save money on those wristbands!).

5.  There are discounts available for Knoebels Pay-One-Price wristbands.  The ride tickets mentioned above are great if you only plan to go on a handful of rides.  We saw ride prices ranging around $1.25 for some of the kiddie rides up to $3 for the newest coaster.  Please note that the pay-one-price wristbands are NOT available on Saturdays or Sundays during peak season.  You can purchase a wristband M-F that includes all rides including coasters for $47.  Drop the coaster option and your price drops to $39.  This is for guests 48″ or taller.  Pricing is less for those guests under 48″ since some rides require certain heights.  (Prices valid as of our visit in 2017.)

Save on the wristbands by:

• Purchasing on the Sundown Plan (available M-F from 5 pm to Close). Price range $15 – $28.
• Purchasing on Bargain night (available W & F only from 6 pm to Close). Price range $9 – $12.
• Purchasing discount wristbands at local participating township offices and grocery stores.
• Using coupons located in Kid Stuff Books (sold by local schools for fundraisers).

6. You can bring food and (non-alcoholic) beverages into Knoebels.  Pack up the coolers with sandwiches, snacks and drinks to save a TON of money during your day at Knoebels.  We took sodas, waters, juice boxes, hoagies and lots of snacks.  We did splurge and buy some treats, but the food that we did bring kept our spending to a minimum.  There are a TON of free picnic pavilions at Knoebels were you can enjoy your meal.

7.  Knoebels has some incredible food options.  I know, I know, I just told you to pack your food.  Yes, definitely pack food to save some money.  BUT – if you don’t pack your food or even if you simply save some room, you won’t believe how many food options there are at Knoebels.  While they have typical amusement park fare, they also have unique options to choose from.  We loved the pulled pork sandwiches and if you saw my post on Instagram you know I fell in love with the frozen apple cider.  Mmmmmm.  Food prices seemed right in line with the rest of the park – a good bargain.

8. Knoebels has 2 campgrounds if you’d like to spend a night (or three).  Knoebels operates two campgrounds with sites for tents and campers.  Both also have cabins that you can rent. The Knoebels Park Campground is located right next to the amusement park and you can walk right into the park from the campground. The other campground is Lake Glory Campground.  While this campground is a few miles away from the park, there is a free bus that makes several trips every day.  We drove our own car each day, but it was nice to know that the bus was an option.  Campsites were very affordable – we paid right around $50/night for a full hook-up site.  One bit of advice: BOOK EARLY.  The first year we booked our campsite for July in April and the Knoebels Park Campground was already booked full for the type of site we needed. The following year we called over the winter and were able to secure a spot at the Knoebels Park Campground.

9. Knoebels offers free entertainment daily.  From the pop up band performing musical numbers on the concourse to the country singer crooning on the main stage, we heard some great tunes during our days at the park.  Yup, you guessed it, this is all free to enjoy.

10.  Now in its 90th+ year, Knoebels is family-run and they truly care about their guests and visitor satisfaction.  We had the opportunity to chat not only with the public relations team at Knoebels, but also with a member of the Knoebels family.  It was so obvious that guest enjoyment is priority #1.  You could hear their genuine care and concern when they spoke and you could see it when you watched their interactions with guests and employees.  We got a family friendly vibe from our first foot inside the park and that feeling stayed with us throughout our visit.   We can’t wait to go back!

Check out this video to watch some of our fun at Knoebels!

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