To enhance our multi-theme trip (featuring baseball, roller coasters, and historical monuments), we decided to swing by Knoebels Amusement Park in Elysburg, PA. It was a very different amusement park experience for both of us.
First of all, there is no charge for admission to the park. Instead, you pay by the ride. Also, there are no giant mega rides or coasters. Their two biggest rides are the Twister and the Phoenix, both of which are smallish wooden coasters. Twister was built in the 1990s, and its design is based on a ride that had been in the park previously. It was a great ride, featuring a 2-part lift hill and plenty of twists and turns, but without any whiplash. The Phoenix was built in 1947, but it was originally built in San Antonio, Texas. It was slated for demolition in the early 1980s, when Knoebels purchased, moved, and reassembled the ride. This was the first time that a historic roller coaster had been relocated to save it. As such, Knoebels was awarded honorary lifetime membership in ACE (American Coaster Enthusiasts), and the Phoenix was dubbed an ACE Landmark because of its historical significance.
Oh... the ride itself? Great! Even though it's only 78 feet 2 inches high, it provided two good drops, and lots (and I mean lots) of airtime.
We also rode the Whipper (another classic)...
...and the Scenic Skyride, which was originally a chairlift at Sugarbush Ski Area in Vermont, and then moved to Knoebels.
Overall, the park is a leftover from the era of classic amusement parks. It's what Rocky Point could have been, as Rich said.
--Karyn
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