Knott's Berry Farm - Buena Park, California - America's first theme park

Established by Walter Knott in 1940, Knott's Berry Farm is a 160-acre theme park in Buena Park, California. The park has 40 rides, including nine roller coasters and a number of water rides. Knott's Berry Farm was originally a company known for this jams and preserves. The food portion of this company is now part of the J.M. Smucker Co., but the theme park is a completely separate entity. It is known as America's first theme park.

Although the park's location was originally rather rural, today, this area has been suburbanized. The oldest part of this park is Ghost Town, which the Knott family build to entertain guests who would stop by their restaurant for chicken and pie. Many of the building in ghost town are the original structures from the 1940s and 1950s. Attractions in this area include the Ghost Town & Calico Railway, the Pan-for-Gold attraction, the Timber Mountain Log Ride, the Calico Saloon Show, and a stunt show featuring wild west characters. In 2004, Knott's Berry Farm also added the world's longest inverted roller coaster, called the Silver Bullet, as well as the world's first air-powered swing, which is called the Screamin' Swing. This area of the park also has a wooden coaster called GhostRider, which critics consider one of the best wooden coasters in the United States. GhostRider is the longest wooden coater west of the Mississippi.

There are a number of other roller coasters at Knott's Berry Farm as well. One of the most recent is the Pony Express, which opened in 1998. This was only the second "motorbike'' coaster to open in North America. Another fairly recent coaster at the park is the Sierra Sidewinder, the first free-spinning, multiple-car roller coast in the United States. The oldest coaster at the park is Montezooma's Revenge. Opened in 1978, this steel coaster shoots riders through a loop that is seven stories tall. There's also Boomerang, which has six upside-down twists, Xcelerator, which takes riders from 0 mph to 82 mph in 1.8 seconds, and two family/kid-style coasters called Jaguar and Timberline Twist.

Along with roller coasters, Knott's Berry Farm features a number of rides and attractions throughout the park's many themed areas, which have been compared to Disney World. At The Boardwalk, which was previously themed as a gypsy camp, visitors can find the Sky Cabin Tower and the world's largest Johnny Rockets Restaurant, along with a number of the faster coasters. Fiesta Village has carnival-style rides that are often family-friendly, inkling a merry-go-round, tea cup ride, and swing ride. In Wild Water Wilderness, guests can find Bigfoot Rapids, a river rafting ride, along with Mystery Lodge and an authentic Native American storyteller, and at Indian Trails, guests can see Native American arts and crafts, as well as traditional dances.

In addition, the park has Camp Snoopy, a Peanuts-themed area that is specifically geared toward young children. Snoopy has been the official mascot of the park since the 1980s. Some of the rides here include Lucy's Tugboat and the Log Peeler.

Knott's Berry Farm is open most days starting at 10:00 AM. They have longer hours during the summer mothers and during weekends, and some rides may be schedules as closed during off-season months. Admission prices range from $22.99 to $51.99, depending on age, and there are discounts available for Southern Californian residents, AAA members, those who buy annual passes, and groups.