Knoebels a Throwback to
NOEBELS ISN’T THE biggest amusement park. It
doesn’t have the latest rides. It’s not located in a tourist
mecca. It isn’t affiliated with a movie studio or business
conglomerate. Most of the rides were brought in from other
amusement parks.

And that’s all part of the charm.

Furthermore, the price
of admission is a whopping
zero dollars, as patrons pay
individually for each ride
(unlimited ride passes are
also available). Parking
is free, too. You can even
bring your (leashed) dog.

That’s why Knoebels
remains a must-visit for
Philadelphia-area families.

What follows is an appre-
ciation of a place my family
visited a decade ago.

The park is located in
Elysburg, less than three
hours from Center City.

Depending upon the route
you take, you might con-
sider a detour to Centralia,
where an underground coal
mine fire burning since
1962 has turned the hamlet Knoebels entrance
into a ghost town. It’s an
eerie sight to observe smoke filtering out of cracks in the
ground — ground that might be rather warm to the touch.

Before we talk about Knoebels today, a little history.

Knoebels didn’t become an amusement park until 1926,
but the story dates to 1828, according to knoebels.com.

That’s when the Rev. Henry Hartman Knoebel bought land
known as “Peggy’s Farm.” For years, the land was farmed and
also housed several sawmills. The Knoebel family actually
moved to the property in 1880.

At some point, the idea developed for an amusement
park, and Knoebels Amusement Resort debuted on the
same day as the nation’s sesquicentennial of July 4, 1926.

Folks in Philly surely didn’t notice, as the City of Broth-
erly Love was hosting the Sesqui-Centennial International
Exposition. Meantime, in Nor-
thumberland and
Columbia counties
(the park straddles
both), all Knoebels
had was a merry-go-
round, the Crystal
Pool and a handful of
food stands.

Over the years, the
park expanded, add-
ing a grand carou-
sel (1941), bandshell
(1947), a petting zoo
(1954), a campground
(1963), a
haunt- ed house (1972) and
assorted rides through
the years.

Today, Knoebels is
a full-f ledged attrac-
tion with about 60
FLICKR rides. Some prominent
features include:
• Six rollercoasters, including two of the wooden vari-
ety in the Phoenix and the Twister. Wooden coasters have
their own unique charms and thrills that make up for the
lack of 360-degree loops and 90-degree drops found on
modern rides.

• The Crystal Pool, a large concrete swimming pool on
the site of a one-time swimming hole. The 900,000-gallon
The Twister
The Phoenix
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Amusement Parks of Yesterday
pool uses filtered stream water and features diving
boards, four water slides, a kiddie play area and a
climbing net.

• Two carousels, including the Grand Carousel,
which dates to 1913 and still has brass rings
• Two miniature railways
• Classic midway games, such as the Cat Rack (bet
you didn’t know this target game had a name) and the
Electronic Shooting Gallery
• All sorts of rides you might remember from your
childhood that are disappearing from other amuse-
ment parks
• A golf course
• A variety of accommodations, including camp-
grounds, cabins, cottages and a bed-and-breakfast
All these may sound like standard amusement park
attractions — and they are — but there’s a difference.

While there are plenty of opportunities to buy sou-
venirs and other things that can make an affordable
vacation pricey, there’s not the overwhelming marketing
to deal with. Unlike Disney, each ride doesn’t dump you
afterward into a souvenir shop with branded merchan-
dise tied to the ride.

And while the food certainly isn’t gourmet, it’s a cut
above the usual amusement park fare. Th e prices are rea-
sonable, too — a half-pound hamburger with potato chips
and pickles is going to run you a lot more at Universal Stu-
dios or Busch Gardens than the $8.50 it costs at Knoebels.

Sure, there are a couple unusual quirks.

For example, Central Pennsylvania apparently is
Marlboro County and, a decade ago, smoking was com-
mon throughout the park, but today it’s confined to nine
designated smoking areas.

What makes Knoebels unique is the entire environ-
ment. It’s hard to describe, but a quaint feeling pervades
the air. Everyone seems a little less rushed and a bit more
friendly. The value in that is priceless.

Wurlitzer band organ
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