Knoebels

It was that time of year again, our annual trip to Knoebels Amusement Park for their opening weekend. This was an exciting year for us since this was the first time we wouldn’t be sleeping on the ground in a tent, freezing half to death in the middle of the night. Last year it got so cold that I slept in the truck with Tristan. None of that to worry about this year!

     The original plan was to leave on Friday morning but we were excited to get on the road so we left Thursday evening. The campground wouldn’t be open when we got there so it would be a night of boondocking for us. Boondocking is when you camp with no hookups. We are limited to the fresh water in our tank and the capacity of our grey and black tanks. The only electric that we have is what is supplied by a 12V deep cycle battery. Walmart parking lots are the most popular boondocking locations. They are RV friendly mostly because they figure that you will be inside shopping at some point before you leave. I personally prefer them because they are under surveillance. 

     We set up at the closest Walmart to Knoebels and settled in for the night. Not to much to do when you have limited electric, no internet and no tv. I am grateful that I have my iPhone at least. I am obsessed with playing Words with Friends (for me it is Words with a Friend because I only play against the same person every single day). Sadly we were in a location where 3G was only a dream and EDGE was the only painfully slow option I had if I really wanted to get online. I figured that the campsite wouldn’t be offering wireless either so I decided that I better get used to having internet that made dial up seem lightning fast. 

     Although it was earlier then the check in time, we decided to head over to Knoebels anyway. A short 20 minute drive and we were there. The awesome staff at check in reminded me why we keep coming back to this place every year. We requested a closer campsite to the park and we ended up being given two adjacent sites for the price of one. It worked out great for us. They also let us check in early! Excellent customer service! We had a great view as well. 

Our view from our trailer

     Most campgrounds have full hookups but Knoebels is a little bit “old school”. They have electric hook up only. When you come in to the campground you fill up your fresh water tank from a hose hanging on a post. When you need to dump your tanks, you pack everything up and secure it all down and then drive up the hill to the dump station. I am betting you can imagine how fun that whole process is! 

Entrance to Knoebels from the campground

     So fast forward to the fun day at Knoebels on Saturday. This was the first time that we were wise enough to get to the park early instead of going to the ticket booth at the time that they “open”. We arrived at 11:30 and stood in line for about 5 minutes before we were getting our wristbands. Opening weekend is Buy 1 Get 1 free wristbands. That is a deal you can’t pass up. The great thing about this park is that everything is affordable or FREE. You pay nothing to park and nothing to get in, unlike the other major amusement parks where you do not get in at all without paying. This has worked out for me the last two years because I was pregnant both times but it cost me nothing to be with my family as they enjoyed the rides. Another plus is that their food is amazing and it is not marked up to an insane amount. Some people just come to the park to eat! I also like that it is a dog friendly park. I love seeing all of the different dogs walking around. 

This is the biggest claw machine I have ever seen!

     This was the first time that Tristan and I have been able to ride since starting this family tradition. I had roller coaster fever and couldn’t wait to get tossed around on the wooden roller coasters. I quickly got that out of my system and I spent my Saturday between riding stomach churning rides with Trinity and kiddie rides with Tristan. I loved it and everyone had a great time. We all went to bed exhausted and mildly sunburnt. 

     Sunday wasn’t planned at all. We decided that we would go back to the park again and enjoy more rides. The park was not crowded at all and for the most part the lines were no more than a five minute wait. So much more enjoyable when you don’t have to stand in a line for an hour just to ride for two minutes. We were able to see a pair of swans on the nest, which was nice to see them roaming free.

Daddy Swan

Afterwards we had some bubble fun which made me feel like a kid again! 

     The day wrapped up with a campfire followed by rain until Monday morning. The process of packing up is never fun but it was time for our vacation to end. We all had a great time and I think we may be going back again this summer. We have never been to Knoebels when their water park has been open so I would like to check that out. The thing about parking the rv and coming home is that as soon as I walk though the door I look around and think, "How did we get all of this STUFF?" I am looking forward to being forced to have only the things we NEED. Looking forward to less laundry to do too!!!

Had to share a picture of our little card shark.