Knoebels Grove
Knoebels Grove
391 Knoebels Boulevard
Elysburg, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania is proud to be home to “America’s Largest Free Admission Park” (the Travel Channel recently named it one of America’s Top 10 Parks)!
Knoebels Grove is a wonderful mix of old and new — and it’s fun for visitors of all ages. With free admission and a pay-per-ride system, it’s a really great destination that won’t break your bank. I live less than 30 minutes from “The Sweetest Place on Earth” and I know people who spend major $$ to fly to the “House of Mouse” … but I would choose Knoebels over both of them!
For a complete list of rides and additional information, visit Knoebels online.
How do you pronounce Knoebels?
Though Knoebels is properly pronounced Kuh-No-Bels, northeastern Pennsylvanians often pronounce it Kuh-No-Bulls; folks from western PA tend to say Kuh-No-Bils; and some people even pronounce it GA-No-Bels (we’re looking at you New Jersey)
If you pronounce it No-Bulls, don’t worry … we’ll just assume that you’re not from around here 🙂
I headed for Knoebels Grove the week before Memorial Day. Even though my bike and I arrived completely soaked by periodic thunderstorms during the ride, I’m happy to report that the trip was worth it. The park is just as great as I remembered!
Luckily for me, the motorcycle parking is right along the edge of the park and my waterlogged boots only had to tromp a few feet before reaching the heart of the park.
There are so many cool rides: from the Phoenix Roller Coaster for big people, to tiny little rides for children, to many amusements that both adults and children can share. I love this tiny Ferris Wheel to pieces.
I’m also a big fan of all the 3-D-ish architectural details throughout the park
A Norse cousin for the American Muffler Men 🙂
Though it may look like just another ordinary suburban “McMansion” … the Haunted Mansion is legendary amongst amusement park enthusiasts.
If you’ve been through it before … then you know why everyone talks about “the truck”!
One of the few carousels that actually still has brass rings … the amazing 1912 Grand Carousel! (see it in action in my video below)
Watch Knoebels Grove in action!
Planning a birthday party? What could be better than a giant birthday cake pavilion?
Though this isn’t the most flattering picture of it — “The Loaf” is one of my favorite buildings at Knoebels.
I’ll leave you with the park’s original entrance (it’s roughly in the middle of park now due to expansions through the years). More photos are included in the video above … and I purposely omitted a feature or two for an additional post in the near future. Stay tuned. You’ll be “Fascinated” {hint, hint}
Oh I so LOVE Knoebels! We took the RetroRoadkids there a few summers ago and I swear I had just as much fun as they did. We’ll of course be forced to take them to Hershey at least once, but after that it’s Knoebels or nothing!
Yep, it’s hands-down my favorite park that’s still around 🙂
I’ve been to Knoebels many times over the years and love it, great post. The shade trees & creek are big selling points to me and the large pool is kinda cool too
What is “the loaf”??? It has never been opened since I took the kids up there the last few years.
Maybe someone knows?
Pete –
Part of it is currently a frozen yogurt stand and I believe that I’ve been told that the rest of it is kitchen space for Knoebels catering.