Buena Park is home to a decades-long tradition of home-cooked fried chicken dinners and boysenberry pie, set to the backdrop of thrilling roller coaster rides and a gold-rush era Western ghost town where miners young & old can still pan. If you don't know what we mean, we're talking about Knott's Berry Farm.
Other Buena Park attractions -- Pirates Dinner Adventure, Medieval Times and Soak City -- along Beach Boulevard (which heads right to Huntington Beach & the Pacific Ocean some 13 miles distance) make things easy to find so you'll see that it's hard to get lost. If you don't want to drive, you can hop on an OCTA public bus for a round trip that's just a couple bucks.
The city's main draw is Knott's Berry Farm, a fantastic theme park that was launched to provide entertainment while people came to eat the famous fried chicken dinners and boysenberry pie served by the Knott's restaurant. Walter Knott began adding things for people to do while they waited in line to dine. He loved the Old West and first introduced troughs where guests could pan for gold. He collected authentic gold rush town buildings and artifacts, and began building and entire ghost town near the restaurant. The interest grew, and so did the rides. Eventually branding itself in an alliance with Charles Schulz characters Snoopy, Peanuts, Lucy and the gang, Camp Snoopy for kids was added as a section of the growing theme park.
Around Halloween Knott's Scary Farm provides one of the best holiday experiences in the U.S. Since it's owned and produced by Cedar Fair, you likely know about the fun if you come from Doswell, VA (Kings Dominion), Allentown, PA (Dorney Park), Charlotte, NC (Carowinds), Kansas City, MO (Worlds of Fun), and Shakopee, MN (ValleyFair). These are all Cedar Fair theme parks, as well.
Tryouts for the scare characters are held each year and for those who participate, the event provides great excitement.
Knott's theme park also opens up a summer attraction, Soak City between Memorial Day in late may and some time in September. This water park across the street from the amusement is filled with a wide range of slides and water rides. Brightly colored with primal colors such as red, blue and yellow, Soak City is usually open.
Tourists who visit Disneyland in Anaheim approx. 15-20 minutes away by car, often like to visit Buena Park and Knott's Berry Farm, as well. Sometimes the teens don't get enough thrill at Disneyland and Knott's in Buena Park fits the bill with scary roller coasters, fast moving g-force style rides and even a cute, little Camp Snoopy for the toddlers and tiny tots.
Other attractions that make Buena Park worth a visit when coming to Disneyland is the popular Pirates Dinner Theater where and life-size ship sits center stage and guests interact throughout dinner with cast and crew, helping to fight battles between pirates and the good guys.
Another dinner theater in Buena Park that has been around much longer but is equally popular is the Medieval Times, a show with horses ridden by knights wearing Medieval costumes, and fighting mock battles, while guests munch on chicken and other foods.
Buena Park is a family-oriented city with a great parks & recreation department offering many activities throughout the year. Eggstravaganza Egg Hunt in the spring (usually on a Saturday before Easter) and Buena Park's Summer Concert Series in Boisseranc Park, 7520 Dale Street, offer but a few great events activities for the public (visitors and local, alike) to enjoy.
The hotels in and around Buena Park tend to be budget hotels with lower rates than at the beach or Disneyland. Many tourists opt to stay in Buena Park one night to save a little money, and attend the theme park there. One hotel is connected to Knott's Berry Farm and requires simply walking across the parking lot to the access gate of the theme park.
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