Knoebel’s Campground and Amusement Park

Campground review

• Price: Expensive. $40/night (weekly rate broke down slightly cheaper, but we only stayed 2 nights)
• Location: Can’t be beat for proximity to the amusement park. It’s in the middle of nowhere so there aren’t tons of other options if you want to camp in that area.
• Facilities: Good. Reasonably clean, adequate bathhouse facility within sight of the campsite. Number of showers and toilets was good – we didn’t need to wait to use either. Dishwashing sink on one side of the building. Glass and aluminum recycling receptacles outside the bathhouse. Trash cans were a little on the small side and were overflowing as the main check out rush approached. Water spigot also within easy distance. Firewood available for purchase.
• Site description: Gravel/dirt. A bit damp and muddy in places. It didn’t rain during our stay so we can’t comment on drainage, puddles, etc. Roads between sites are paved. Picnic table and campfire pit in reasonable condition. The site was reasonably level and the size was adequate for our camper, which is 23ft long when extended.
• Neighborhood: Clientele is mostly families which means a generally child-friendly atmosphere. The proximity of the wooden roller coaster to the campground is a detriment for those of us with little ones who go to bed before the park closes. The park shuttle playing music and families returning from the park are also sources of evening sound. It’s not unexpected or unreasonable, but if you’re looking for peace and quiet in the evenings, you won’t get it until 10-11pm, depending on time of year and park open times.

Comments: We felt that this campground was worth the price for the convenience of being so close to the park. A day at the amusement park is both fun and exhausting for everyone, and we appreciated having a relaxed morning without a long drive, and being able to stay in the park until the kids’ bedtime, knowing that our beds were already set up just a short walk away.

A Day in the Amusement Park

Knoebel’s is one of my favorite amusement parks. While it lacks the thrill rides that some of the larger parks can offer, it offers a family atmosphere that’s hard to beat. One of the great things is that you can choose whether you pay for a “ride all day” bracelet, or if you pay with tickets per ride. So someone like my mom, for example, who suffers from vertigo and can’t go on most rides, doesn’t have to pay to go in and enjoy the day with the family.

My parents and my sister joined us on Thursday to spend the day in the park. They were glad to get to see our camp set-up, we were glad that they could bring a few things we managed to forget, and we were all glad to have a fun day together.

Emelie had never been to an amusement park like this before, so it was fun to discover it with her. At first, she was not convinced that it would be all that much better than playing with the gravel at our campsite, but we managed to get her to come along to check it out anyway. We decided to try the carousel as a first ride experience. She was scared and started crying to get off…

And then the ride started.

Let’s just say she was hooked.

I have to admit, I didn’t think she’d be able to do these hand-cranked bike things. But she just did it like she does it everyday. Mamma’s impressed.

Handy when your aunt is 12 years old and often allowed to go on rides with you that your parents are too big for. Thanks for your patience Aunt Rachel!

I was skeptical about this one. It went high and fast. But as long as she could squeeze Pappa’s hand, she loved it. She looks so little on it, but so happy.

Just a happy girl. Beautiful.

She got bolder and bolder as the day went on, and after grabbing some pizza for dinner, she managed to squeeze in one last ride before we walked back to the campsite and tucked her into bed. It was really nice not to have a long car ride at the end of the day. We’re always so tired after a day at an amusement park. But my family had only come for the day (maybe next time?) so we said goodbye to them and tried to get a good night’s sleep. We had a lot of miles to cover in the morning as we headed toward Pittsburgh.

The whole gang minus Staffan and Peter, a little weary toward the end of the day