First-Timer's Guide to Knott's Berry Farm: Everything You Need to Know
Knott's Berry Farm is in Buena Park, about 30 minutes south of downtown Los Angeles and 8 miles from Anaheim. It's a full-day park at roughly 160 acres with five themed areas, 40+ rides, and a history that predates Disneyland. Here's what to know before your first visit.
Getting There and Parking
The main parking lot is accessed from Beach Boulevard and Grand Avenue. Online parking starts at $40 per vehicle, buy it before you arrive to skip the toll plaza delay. The lot opens one hour before the park does.
The main lot is a 5-10 minute walk to the entrance. The walk is flat and uncovered, so plan for heat on summer afternoons.
Cheaper alternatives:
- The Knott's California Marketplace lot (the outdoor shopping area across from the park entrance) gives one free hour with no purchase and adds two more hours if you spend $25 at a Marketplace shop or dining guide. Useful if you're arriving early for a meal before entry.
- Several hotels on Beach Boulevard offer free or discounted parking for guests. If you're staying nearby, check if walking distance is viable.
Parking pass math: If you're going more than twice in a year, the All Season Parking Pass at $90 pays for itself on the third visit.
When to Arrive
Get there when the park opens. This is not optional advice, since it's the single most effective thing you can do to reduce wait times. The park's most popular rides (Xcelerator, GhostRider, HangTime) run 15-20 minute waits in the first 90 minutes and can hit 60-90 minutes by early afternoon.
Weekday visits are dramatically less crowded than weekends. If you have flexibility, a Tuesday or Wednesday visit in spring or fall is ideal. Summer weekdays are still busy but manageable. Avoid Saturday visits during school breaks if you can.
What to Ride First
The opening-rush strategy for Knott's: go straight to Xcelerator. It's in the Boardwalk area to the left after entry. Xcelerator has the most mechanical sensitivity of any ride at the park, if it's running when you arrive, get on it first because it may go down later in the day. From there:
- Xcelerator, so get this done early
- HangTime, adjacent to Xcelerator, still in Boardwalk
- Silver Bullet, Fiesta Village, 5-minute walk
- GhostRider, Ghost Town, longer walk but manageable early
- Calico Mine Ride and Timber Mountain Log Ride, mid-morning, before heat peaks
- Camp Snoopy, works well for late morning or early afternoon if you have young kids
- Sierra Sidewinder, Pony Express, Jaguar!, fill remaining time
The Locker Situation
Knott's added paid ride lockers at GhostRider, HangTime, and Silver Bullet starting September 2025. Using a locker is not required, guests can leave loose articles with a non-riding member of their party. If you prefer to secure your items in a locker, expect to pay around $3 for up to two hours.
The simplest approach: wear clothes with secure zippered pockets and leave bulky items in your car or in a day-use locker near the entrance before starting your ride circuit.
Food Timing
Park restaurants are at their worst between noon and 2 PM. Eat before 11:30 AM or after 2:30 PM if you want a table without a 20-minute wait. Mrs. Knott's Chicken Dinner Restaurant (outside the main gate in the Marketplace) takes reservations, so book in advance if that's on your list. The park-internal quick service options work fine for a mid-ride lunch if you time it correctly.
What Actually Surprises First-Timers
- The park is bigger than it looks from the entrance. Ghost Town is at the back of the park. Budget 10 minutes of walking to get from Boardwalk attractions to Ghost Town.
- Xcelerator goes down frequently. Hydraulic launch systems are maintenance-intensive. If it's down when you arrive, check back throughout the day, it usually comes back up.
- The Boardwalk area is separate from the amusement park vibe. It has a more carnival/beach-town feel than the rest of Knott's, which leans heavily into its 1880s Western theme.
- Mrs. Knott's Chicken Dinner Restaurant is outside the park gates. You don't need a park ticket to eat there. It's one of the best deals in the area, fried chicken dinner with biscuits and boysenberry jam.
- The Ghost Town area has real historical content. Knott's started as a literal ghost town tourist attraction decades before adding rides. The buildings and artifacts are worth slowing down to look at.
- Boysenberry is everywhere. Walter Knott was instrumental in developing the boysenberry. The park leans into this at every food stand, restaurant, and gift shop. The boysenberry pie at Mrs. Knott's is worth it.
Practical Checklist
- Buy tickets and parking online in advance (saves money and gate time)
- Bring a small bag with sunscreen, which the park has little shade outside of Ghost Town
- Wear shoes you can run, walk, and stand in comfortably for 8+ hours
- Check Xcelerator's operational status on the Knott's app before leaving your hotel
- Download the Knott's app for live wait times and the daily entertainment schedule
- Keep your ticket on your phone, which the scanners read digital tickets fine
Thoosie