Knott's Boysenberry Festival
Spring festival celebrating the park's boysenberry heritage with themed food and entertainment.
Knott's Berry Farm
Theme park · North America
🇺🇸 Buena Park, California, United States
America's first theme park, still coaster-heavy
Overall score6.8
Opened
1920
Size
57 acres (23 ha)
Rides
43 attractions
Avg. visit
7 hours
Ticket range
$50–$90 USD
Events & shows
Knott's Merry Farm
Christmas season with Ghost Town alive with carollers, a snow-covered Calico and holiday shows.
Knott's Scary Farm
The original theme park Halloween event, running since 1973, with mazes, scare zones and shows.
Visual Archive
Knott's began as a roadside berry stand whose fried chicken queues needed entertaining, and grew into the first true theme park in the United States. The Ghost Town of relocated 19th-century buildings still anchors it, surrounded by GhostRider — one of the best wooden coasters in the west — plus Xcelerator, HangTime and Silver Bullet.
Knott's Scary Farm essentially invented the theme-park Halloween event and remains its benchmark.
Plan Your Visit
Hours & tickets
- Operating hours
- Typically 10am-10pm, shorter midweek in the off-season
- Seasonal closures
- Open year-round
- Queue-skip pass
- Fast Lane wristband, priced by date and demand. From about $90 USD.
- How long to stay
- Full day
- Multi-day tickets
- Single-day tickets only.
- Season pass
- Annual or season pass from about $115 USD.
Getting there
- Nearest airport
- John Wayne / Orange County (SNA), ~15 miles; LAX ~25 miles
- Public transit
- OCTA bus routes 29 and 38 stop near the park; Buena Park Metrolink station is a short taxi ride away
- Parking
- On-site parking available. Around $30 USD per day.
- Staying over
- Knott's Berry Farm Hotel sits next to the park entrance
Accessibility
- Accessibility
- Flat and largely step-free with wheelchair and ECV rental. A Boarding Pass system provides return times for guests unable to wait in queues, and most coasters require transfer.
Good to know
- Who it suits
- Good all-ages mix: Camp Snoopy is a standout for young children while Ghost Rider and HangTime serve thrill seekers
- Best time to visit
- Weekdays in January to March or September; Knott's Scary Farm in October is excellent but sells out
- Dining
- Famous for Mrs. Knott's Chicken Dinner Restaurant and boysenberry-themed food, especially during the spring Boysenberry Festival
- Outside food
- Outside food and drink are not permitted.
- Weather cover
- Mostly outdoor with the Calico Mine Ride, Timber Mountain Log Ride and theatres for cover; Southern California weather rarely interferes.
- Baby care
- Nursing and changing facilities at first aid and family restrooms.
- Rentals on site
- Stroller / pushchair hire and Lockers available on site.
- Currency & payment
- Cards and mobile wallets accepted throughout; USD cash accepted.
- Official app
- Knott's Berry Farm app (iOS/Android): wait times, map, dining and Fast Lane.
Archival records
America's first theme park