Knoebels: A free-admission amusement park for the family
Learn more about Knoebels Amusement Resort, the Pennsylvanian independent family park with free admission and more than 60 rides.
Knoebels first opened in 1926, and it’s the largest free admission amusement park in the U.S. The park has never charged for admission or parking, and allows outside food and drinks for all guests. That’s just the tip of the iceberg, though: read on to learn more about one of the country’s most unique amusement parks.
The resort features a water park, a golf course, a campsite, and an amusement park with six roller coasters. Despite a humble entrance gate and gravel lot-style area to walk through, the park boasts more than 1 million visitors per year.
Photo courtesy of Knoebels Amusement Resort
All rides cost $1.50 – $5 to experience, and nearly all are accessible for the whole family.
The park is perhaps best known among amusement park enthusiasts for its older and more unique selection of rides, including a trackless wooden bobsled coaster (Flying Turns), a “hamster wheel” flat ride (Looper), an extra-large centrifuge (Super Round-Up), and a carousel with a mid-ride ring toss element (Grand Carousel).
Photo courtesy of Knoebels Amusement Resort
The most famous of the park’s coasters, however, is Phoenix. A wooden coaster built in Texas in 1947, it was relocated to Pennsylvania and refurbished in 1985. Phoenix won a #1 Wooden Coaster award from Amusement Today in 2018, and remains one of the best wooden coasters for airtime in existence.
Knoebels also includes multiple walkthrough attractions, including a carousel museum, a mining museum, and a park history museum, which includes old ride memorabilia and the history of the park’s land going back to 1828.
Photo courtesy of Knoebels Amusement Resort
Knoebels is located in Elysburg, Penn., about an hour north of Harrisburg. It is the largest attraction in the area, and is neatly settled in the mountains along with its connected park sections.
To learn more about Knoebels or to check the park’s schedule, visit its website.
Check out the video below to learn more about Holiday World, another independent park like Knoebels.
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