Peaceful place to camp and enjoy with family and friends great food great rides cheap place to go…read morewith the family

You can't beat free admission and free parking. You also can't beat a $5 slice of pizza or…read morecheeseburger at a legit theme park. It's no wonder why this place draws crowds. Tucked deep in Pennsylvania coal country (i.e. the middle to nowhere) you can find the rollercoasters rising out of the hills and this cute little park that time has luckily spared. There's something for everyone here, and with rides and games being pay as you go you can have as action packed or as relaxed of a day as you choose. There's even a large pool in the park for the hottest of summer days. I can see why this place has its diehard fans. With ample camping and rentals around the perimeter you can turn a trip here into a full vacation easily.

Wuh-ho, ladies-n-gentlemen! After riding this coaster I can safely say it is the best twister…read morecoaster I've ever been on! And that's a statment the Rollercoaster Queen doesn't make too lightly. For those of you who are wondering what twisters are, they're a relatively new breed of wooden rollercoasters. Recent technological advances have allowed for higher hills and more sharply banked turns and twists, hence the name (and name of this particular coaster) "Twister." I mean, you know it's gonna be one hell of a thrill ride when the coaster has not one, but two lift hills! This beast is over 3900 feet long, reaches a height of 101 feet, and has a bowl so twisted, you'd think you're looking at spaghetti gone haywire. It was designed completely in house by the folks at Knoebel's and was built by Philadelphia Toboggan Company, who've put their name on many, many famous coasters. So we're gonna take a couple of rides, first in the front for the view and then in the back for the G-forces. Ready? The Twister does a bit of a drop out of the station and then clips along towards the initial lift hill. This lift hill is actually within the rest of the coaster's structure. This one does a rather rapid ascent and for me that's the only negative. Me, I love it when coasters ascend their lift hills slowly. Builds up anticipation, y'know. So the lift chain releases and we drop slightly into a very rapid "S" curve before we hit the second lift hill. The lift chain engages and if we look ahead, we see nothing but sky. But if we look to the sides we get a beautiful view of the surrounding countryside. As we crest the hill, we take a look of the foothills. We do a short drop and then into another "S" curve before we take the big drop. Ah, the big drop! We get maybe a nanosecond to take in the view of the twists, turns, and bowls of The Twister! We plunge Earthwards under the bowl before going back up again, then a 180 into a boomerang before we go into the bowl itself. We're on the outer part of the bowl as we do a high-banked curve. We're going almost too fast to see it, but we're now on the inner bowl with even more sharply banked curves. The a twist into a high-banked boomerang, an airtime hill, then we plunge into the short tunnel for another hidden airtime hill. Finally we do another curve as we hit the brake run into the station. So as we get off the ride, I hope you've caught your breath, your heartrate returns to normal, and your innards have caught up with you. 'Cos we're gonna ride again!

I've been to about 20 amusement parks throughout my life, mostly on the east coast and a little…read morefurther south to King's Dominion and those in FL. Although I'm a bit biased because I grew up just a few towns over from Knoebels, it is still the best park in America hands down for not only the free admission but because they have gems like the Twister that make you want to come back over and over again. The Twister has to easily be on the top 10 wooden coaster list in all of America, if not cracking the top 5. The BEST I've ever been on, even though it is a hybrid coaster, would be El Toro at Six Flags Great Adventure. The Phoenix was obviously ranked for many years and for good reason but now Knoebels has TWO of the top coasters in the entire country and can be ridden any day you'd like for only $5 for BOTH! Who offers up that kind of deal anywhere else?? I've posted a few "different" pictures, one of the golden bolt when the coaster was finished in 1999 and the lovely train that goes under the two large lift hills and back into the woods. I don't have enough gumption to pull out my camera going down the lift hills so you get to enjoy those instead. The only complaint about the ride itself is the headaches it can cause from all the jarring, especially if you ride it more than once in a row. One time, I rode 3x in a span of 20 min because the lines were so short on a fall day and that was not smart given how I felt afterwards. The bouncing around happens throughout the ride, beginning in the decent down a small hill out of the station. EVERYTHING else, and I mean everything....is great about the Twister. From the first teaser hill (sorry for ruining it) to the "double helix" twist you engage in while making circles around the queue line. It's so genuine and original, I can't think of another single coaster I've been on that compares to the Twister. It's in a category all on its own and the thrills don't end. Coaster enthusiasts need to head to rural PA for a day to experience this as well as the Phoenix....and I can't stress enough, it'll only cost you $5 and the gas to get there.

Welcome to one of the few arcade's left in Eastern/Central Pennsylvania. While arcades were once…read morecommon with virtually every mall having one, most have closed including Boardwalk Boulevard, Pocket Change, and Tilt. This arcade is located within Knoebles, so there is no admission fee. Playland is an interesting arcade that has modernized to keep with the times. Building is not fancy but is decently large. This is NOT a retro arcade, so you will not see games like X-Men, Simpsons, or Centipede. They have a wide array of new $1 a play games along with other recent games such as Dance Dance Revolution. Playland has many new ticket games with the usual array of prizes available. Some older ticket games include Skee ball and Pop-A-Ball poker. A few pinball machines are located in the back of the building. It's easy to walk into Playland and spend $5 quickly. As a child of the 80's it's nice to see at least one arcade can continue to thrive. There's no right time to visit as it's always crowded, so if you're at Knoebles, make sure to stop!

Fun arcade in the middle of Knoebels. The main draw for me is that in addition to video games and…read moreticket games, they also usually have three or four pinball machines!

The Scenic Skyway is a scenic and relaxing way to spend some time at Knoebels. Leaving, you get…read moregreat views of the mountains. Coming back, you get great views of the park. Because of this, this is something you must do at least once when visiting Knoebels.

Holy airtime! If you go, make sure to sit in the back seat…read morefor the best experience of this historic wooden coaster.

In the 1980s, when the Knoebels family announced they were resurrecting a dead roller coaster from…read moreTexas, a wooden relic called The Rocket, there were skeptics. "Wooden coasters don't rise from the dead," they said. "Once they're gone, they're gone," they said. "Extreme coasters with ever-growing numbers of loops are the future!" But Knoebels, being run by either visionaries or lunatics (or both), instead dug up the corpse, hauled it across the country beam-by-beam, and brought it back to life. They named it The Phoenix, because what else do you call a miracle? And what a resurrection it was. The Phoenix is a wooden coaster as God intended. No over-the-shoulder restraints, no plastic prison to hold you down. Just a single, beautiful buzz bar, a safety system designed under the assumption that riders are either thrill-seekers or daredevils, and that both deserve respect. The bar does not staple you to your seat. It merely suggests that you stay. And so, if you are fortunate enough to ride in the back row, and you should ride in the back row, you will experience what can only be described as flight. The first drop pulls you down like a siren's call, but it is the return trip, the final act of this wooden symphony, where The Phoenix truly earns its legend. The bunny hills do not simply lift you from your seat. They rip you from gravity itself. Your body becomes a loose suggestion, held in place only by momentum and the faint hope that this ancient engineering will continue to defy physics for just a little longer. You will scream. You will laugh. You will ascend. There are flashier roller coasters in the world. Taller ones. Faster ones. Louder ones. But none of them feel like this. The Phoenix doesn't consistently place in the top three (and often win) the Golden Ticket Award for best wooden coaster because of it's speed or height. It is a coaster built entirely of transcendence. So if you ever find yourself in Elysburg, PA, among the trees and the laughter and the smell of frying dough, do yourself a favor: go ride The Phoenix. And for those brief, breathtaking moments when you are no longer touching your seat, remember this: sometimes, dead things do come back. And sometimes, they are better than ever.

There are faster rides at Knoebel's. There are rides that pull your hair back like an unpaid debt…read morecollector and rides that make you taste the corndog you ate three hours ago. Flying Turns is not one of them. It tops out at 24 miles per hour, which is about the speed your uncle drives when he is looking for the turnoff he missed ten minutes ago. And yet, here I am, grinning like a fool every year as I step into its line. As far as I know, this is the only wooden bobsled coaster on Earth. The only one. Each car slides and rattles through a curving trough of planks with no rails to keep it in check. Gravity and momentum have the wheel. You are cargo. You are a marble in a chute, an egg in a spoon race against nothing but yourself. And here's the strange thing: even though it is only 24 miles per hour, because you are sitting so low in the car and there are no tracks beneath you, it feels much faster and far more chaotic than that number suggests. The line does not move quickly. There are three cars per train. Six humans ride at a time. Knoebel's built this ride over seven years and only opened it when it was perfect, so I respect the slowness. Before you even get in line, they weigh you. Before you ride, they weigh you again to arrange the load. No numbers are shown. Someone just nods yes or no like a prophet who has seen the future and decided you may proceed. If you ride with someone else you sit in single file and share a single seatbelt like two sardines who have agreed to a joint adventure. People say get there first thing in the morning. I say no. This week by noon the line snaked all the way past the North Pole shop. Around dinner time I walked on in about 25 minutes. That is my pilgrimage hour. Every year I ride Flying Turns. Every year it is worth it. It is slow. It is rare. It is as joyful as it is improbable. I cannot imagine Knoebel's without it.

Flying Turns is the only wooden bobsled coaster at least in the United States, if not the world…read more This causes it to hug every little dip and turn, which makes for an exhilarating ride despite the low heights. The only downside is that this has a low capacity, and therefore often has the longest line in the park.

The Bumper Cars, also known as the Dodgems or Skooters, are a Knoebels staple. Everyone has a…read moredifferent opinion of what the best ride is at Knoebels. Many will say the Phoenix; others will say the Train, there are countless possible answers. I would argue that this is the parks well known but best dark horse ride. The bumper cars are like many of the older rides at Knoebels: not perfect, edgy, and full of individual personality. Two different styles of cars are in-use (older medal vs newer plastic), with the medal ones being the standard operating cars. These cars are edgy, you might get one that is fast and maneuverable, but the next one is slow and sluggish, it's part of the experience. I've had a car break at the start of the ride, it happens. As for the individual ride, it can vary per the group. Floor is configured as an oval, one way, and no head on's allowed. Many kids have issues controlling the cars as they do not drive yet. Often, the ride has to be briefly stopped due to people being unable to understand directions. Cars can hit very hard and pick up some decent speed, and it can be a physical experience. Overall, worth the price of the ride for the fun experience. The Bumper Cars are one of the best rides in the park without question.

Come for a great time but try not to stay for the whiplash!…read more Often quoted as "the best bumper cars in America", this statement is fairly legit for those that I have been on throughout the northeast. These are a classic mainstay and part of the unique charm of Knoebels in general. I'll never forget the older gentleman who worked here for years and is glorified in a painting on the wall yelling "NO HEAD-ON COLLISIONS!" I believe he has passed away considering he was probably in his 70's back in the 1990's. RIP Awesome Bumper Car Man Whoever is working here, they are still sassy as hell no matter who it is and you'll hear someone get yelled at no less than three times throughout a ride. But this is for good reason and the heeded warnings are important because you will legit get injured if you decide to take your buddy on at full speed, head-on. Don't think about trying it because your neck will hurt for weeks AND you'll probably get kicked out of the park. The smell of these cars while running, the loud bangs and the sparks flying on the ceiling make it a must see attraction every single visit. These can't be missed and at under $2 per ride, it's probably the best value in the park besides the Grand Carousel. The line is rarely longer than 2-3 cycles of riders and the ride seems fairly long, like close to five minutes.

Treasure Castle Playland is a pretty cool place to visit in South Williamsport if you have younger…read morekids. It's an older church converted into a child's playland. Very similar to Chuck-E-Cheese, Gymboree or Bounce U. Admission is 6 dollars for ages 1-3 and 9 dollars for 4-12, one parent is free per child, extra parents are 2 dollars a person. They have two floors of adventure, including padded play area, fortress climb wall, blocks, panning for gold, a Castle Garden for younger kids, coin-operated amusements, a food court, learning computers, free wi-fi, and all sorts of kids stuff available for purchase. Our 2 year old had a blast there. Ample parking available, next to Little Tresures Daycare.

We wish we lived closer! We were passing through and stopped to get some energy out with our 1 and…read more4 year olds. It was awesome. Pizza was amazing and great priced. Love the family owned feel. Super cool place! Thank you.

I was really torn over adding an additional star and for those that really really really love…read morerollercoasters, you might. This was our second trip in about four years and we met up with some family to spend a pair of days doing all the coasters we could handle- In my case, it was all of them. Some of the kids had to work their courage up by doing easier ones first, but by the end of the trip, I think we conquered everything. I personally like the coasters on metal rails better- much easier on the neck and back, while the kids really loved the vintage wooden coasters. Between Candy-Moneum and The Great Bear the winning title for me goes to da Bear. About the hardest part of the park is the signage; you'll follow an arrow, get to an intersection and then have no clue what to do next. To add insult to injury, there's few if any park employees around aside from the ones working concessions or rides. A great bonus to the coasters is the water park inside the Hersheypark complex. Splash zones, and tubes and plenty of sun chairs are available for what could be a full day of fun for the kids. Lines for the more popular attractions are not uncommon but at least there's plenty of water around to cool off in. A food court of sorts is there as well with a decent assortment of decent food. Alcohol can be purchased at some of the trucks or concession trailer outposts throughout the entire park so now we know there is a god. Also included with a park admission, there is a zoo that is worth spending an hour or two. Between the park, the zoo and the water park, you'll probably leave because the kiddos are tired, not because they are bored. If you happen to stay at one of the Hershey owned hotels or lodges, you'll be able to forego the parking fees and take the free shuttle. Also, staying on site gets you into the park an hour early. Great for the coasters that develop longer lines as the days wears on- you can get them in before the other crowds show up. Clean and safe fun is what you're in for so plan a trip for yourself- just do yourself a favor and do a search of all the rides available- if you're not a fan of rollercoasters, there aren't many other non-coaster rides you'd enjoy.

We visited Hersheypark as a family, and this was the first visit for my husband and our two young…read moreboys, ages 6 and 4. I had been to the park several times when I was younger, but it had probably been 15-20 years since my last visit. Needless to say, a lot has changed. When we arrived, parking seemed organized, but there was a huge line to enter the park, so we decided to visit Chocolate World first. The ride was mostly how I remembered it, although the chocolate-smell portion didn't seem to be working, which was a little disappointing. Once we entered Hersheypark, we were handed a Dark Nights map, which wasn't particularly helpful for navigating the park. We eventually found another posted map near the entrance to The Hollow, but that wasn't much better. We finally downloaded the app, which was much more useful, although I personally prefer having a physical map. Trying to navigate an unfamiliar park on a phone while also managing two young children made the experience unnecessarily stressful. Our biggest disappointment was discovering that more than half of the children's rides appeared to be closed that day. It was a beautiful day with no rain, so we weren't sure why so many of them were unavailable. With children ages 4 and 6, those rides were a major reason for our visit, so having so many closed significantly impacted our experience. We also walked through ZooAmerica. Unfortunately, we left feeling uncomfortable with some of the animal enclosures, which seemed quite small. The ocelot in particular was pacing repeatedly, and we noticed extensive scratching on the viewing window near the alligator gar exhibit. Obviously, we're not animal-care experts, but some of what we observed made the zoo portion of our visit feel more sad than enjoyable. Another frustrating aspect of the day was simply navigating through the crowds. I understand that Hersheypark has limited control over individual guests, but there were numerous occasions where people stood in the middle of pathways or blocked areas while socializing, seemingly unaware that others were trying to get through. This even happened inside Chocolate World while we were clearly trying to select candy and fill our bags. With two young children in tow, constantly trying to maneuver around groups of people made an already stressful day more frustrating. The food was fairly standard amusement-park fare, although the burger was exceptionally disappointing. Spending around $50 for one cheeseburger, one order of chicken tenders, fries, and two drinks also felt excessive for the quality of the food. One thing we did genuinely appreciate was the availability of free ice and water throughout the park. Overall, this was unfortunately a very disappointing experience. Between the difficulty navigating the park, the large number of closed children's rides, the crowds, the food prices, and our experience at the zoo, the day simply wasn't what we had hoped for. I'm not sure if or when we'll return, but if we do, it will probably be when our children are considerably older and able to enjoy the larger rides. Based on this visit, the park seemed much better suited to older children, teenagers, and adults than families visiting primarily for attractions geared toward younger kids.

What a hidden gem! So glad my son & I visited! Really enjoyed not only the challenging 22 holes but…read morethe grounds were beautiful and peaceful, like you were in a secret garden. The owners a husband & wife team are super friendly! Would definitely come back if in the area!

Beautiful scenery (forgot to take pictures lol) with a very unique course, definitely a bit…read moredifficult but was extremely enjoyable. Quiet, not a lot of people, but you are accompanied by bullfrogs, butterflies, and dragonflies. We got distracted watching the frogs and taking pictures of the butterflies. Definitely is a hidden treasure.