We try to take a picture by the clown every year.
I’m not sure what the best part of camping at Knoebles is. The amusement park is free entry, so you can just pay for the rides you like (which is great for us older crowd who can’t go up, down, spin around and then keep our dinner down). There is a beautiful zero entry pool, that’s about $6 a person for the whole day. Then there’s the outstanding food, it’s always in the top 10 for amusement parks (try the peanut butter vanilla milkshake, you won’t be disappointed). So while the campground it’s self, that only offers electric hook-ups is kind of rustic, the fun of everything else, makes up for it.
But the best part for us is we camp with extended family that whole week. My cousin R2, has been camping there since he was a kid with his aunt and uncle. So when he got married (to my oldest sister’s friend from JR high) and had kids (Broseph and Brosetta) he decided to carry on the tradition. Plus my oldest sister MFAE (most favorite aunt ever) goes along, she even started to rent a camper of her own. Then her hubby and her one son and dear wife also visit during the week. So it’s like our own little family reunion. As you walk through the campground you can see there’s a lot of that going on. It’s a great place for everyone young and old to come together.
If you want to get a good spot at Crystal Pool, then try to get there when they open, you can bring your own cooler so you can have lunch at the pool. There are some tables scattered around the pool area. If you want, you can buy your lunch there. (Aunt Boodle suggests the pickle on a stick) For an extra fee you can rent a lounge chair as well. There are 2 little slides in the big pool. Then the kiddie’s pool has a little slide, some water guns and some rocking animals. For an extra fee there are water slides for the braver members of the family. Really you can spend the whole day here if you’re so inclined. I do want to mention that the pool is spring fed, so the water can be a little brisk depending on the average temperature of your stay.
C with some of his cousins behind him on one of their favorite rides
During the week the actual amusement park isn’t too busy. You can do pay as you go, or buy a pass. Wednesday and Friday night are bargain nights, for $9 you can ride most of the rides all night long. There again, try to get in line early, the lines to get your hand stamped are long, but they do move quickly. Also you can enjoy the entertainment most nights by the bandstand. The two rides I suggest for everyone to enjoy are the Pioneer Train (hold your hands over the little ones’ ears in the tunnel), which takes you through the woods and if you’re lucky you’ll see the squirrels eating the corn set out for them. Then there’s the Grand Carousel that you can actually try for the brass ring on. For the over 40 set, it brings back memories of their childhood.
The food, well I don’t know where to start. There’s a sit down restaurant called the Alamo, we’ve never eaten there, but Uncle R2 and Aunt Boodle say the food is very good. We tend to graze as we walk through the park. Hubby and the twins swear by the sausage sandwiches, which is right near the pizza (very yummy), pierogies, loaded baked potatoes, hard ice cream and kettle corn stand. (don’t wear tight pants). But if you like your own food, you can bring your cooler with you. We bring a small shoulder cooler for drinks most nights.
So there you have it, if you want a nice get away for just your family or several camping families, I’d head to Knoebels and enjoy yourself. The memories there are some of our favorite. We’ve gotten to know extended family members even better while spending our yearly week at Knoebels.
The giant wheel at night. They say you can see forver from the top, I'll take their word for it
