National Park Road Trip: Knott’s Berry Farm (Part 12)

August 8, 2019InACents Leave a comment

It is hard to believe that after a year of planning, and some last minute changes, we were coming up on the end of our family’s epic 2-week cross-country road trip. Part of the appeal to head further west than we initially anticipated beyond the Grand Teton National Park was to visit Disneyland and Knott’s Berry Farm, two of our family’s absolute favorite theme parks!

After a full day at Disneyland, we used our Cedar Fair Platinum passes to get us free admission and parking at Knott’s Berry Farm. On every other trip, we flew to California, giving us limited luggage space to return home with a bountiful amount of Knott’s food products.

The Knott’s Berry Farm Marketplace, located outside of the gates of the park, offer some of the most spectacular food items that are great for us cooks! Since introducing the Berry Market line of products, all of the sauces, jellies, etc. feature premium ingredients with none of the filler colors or HFCS that is found in many other brands. Also, since Knott’s is the home of the boysenberry, they offer a spectacular array of sauces, including boysenberry punch concentrate. Driving all the way to California meant we could try and fit as much as we possible could into our van for the journey home. Jackpot!

We had hoped to grab an early breakfast at Mrs. Knott’s Chicken Restaurant, but despite saying they opened early, the doors were locked, so we headed next door to grab some DoughKnotts, fancy doughnuts, at the nearby shop. We highly recommend the boysenberry DoughKnott, which is topped with a smashed piece of boysenberry pie! Heaven!

We had not been back to Knott’s Berry Farm since the introduction of HangTime to the boardwalk area of the park, so we headed there first thing. Following we also got our first ride in ever on Xcelerator, which is similar to our Top Thrill Dragster at Cedar Point back home.

A large portion of our morning was spent in the area surrounding Timber Mountain Log Ride, since it was down. Little did we know it was the first day of testing our new seats on the logs, so we were excited to be among the first to try them out and this fantastic attraction!

We also got to try our first meal at the Boardwalk BBQ using our dining plan. WOW, what an upgrade! The food was all fantastic, with great portion size and terrific variety of entrees and sides. With a lot of the Cedar Fair parks receiving BBQ style restaurants in the past couple of years, The Boardwalk BBQ might rank up there as our favorite!

We also spent a portion of our day enjoying Ghost Town Alive!, the interactive experience where you become part of the storylines. Our family is big fans of the character driven experience, and our boys fit right in trying to decipher the clues. It was also very interesting seeing props and aspects that are very similar or the same as those at Cedar Point’s Forbidden Frontier on Adventure Island.

Another first for our family was getting to check out the brand new Calico River Rapids. Knott’s Berry Farm overhauled the former Bigfoot Rapids with a new theme and loads of new animatronics that help it tie into the western town of Calico theme. Very cool changes to Calico River Rapids, and it is something we would love to see implemented on tube rapid rides at other Cedar Fair parks. Cedar Point is the perfect example where the overlay would fit in well on the Frontier Trail!

The only areas we did not get to see on this trip to Knott’s Berry Farm were Camp Snoopy and Fiesta Village. I am always shocked how much we did not get to see in our visits to the Farm, as there is so much to see an explore. One of these visits we are going to have to force ourselves to enjoy a couple full days at the park to really take it all in, as I always get home and say, darn, I did not see ________.

Knott’s Hotel Camp Snoopy Room

At some point in the day, I had to sneak out of the park and switch over our belonging to the Camp Snoopy room so we could surprise the boys later in the day.

We had opted to change over the last night of our stay into the Camp Snoopy rooms, which are specially decorated and include plush Snoopy for the kids. Of course the best part about staying in a Camp Snoopy room at the Knott’s Hotel is that Snoopy personally comes to tuck you into bed each night between 8-8:30 pm. Imagine your kids surprise when there is a knock at the door, and the big dog himself is there at the door. After some quick pictures, he tucks each of the kids into bed and gives them a dog kiss goodnight. It is worth every penny!

Well that about almost wraps up all the FUN packed into two full weeks, and in the morning we start chugging along with four days straight driving back to Ohio. There is a long road ahead!

National Park Road Trip: Cleveland to Minnesota (Part 2)

July 11, 2019InACents Leave a comment

The first leg of our families epic summer road trip to see National Parks started out not at a typical park at all. After a brief overnight stay near Chicago, our family made the trip up to Minnesota to visit Valleyfair amusement park and Mall of America to check out Nickelodeon Universe.

Along the drive, we used our RoadTrippers app to find interesting roadside attractions. For example, the Pink Elephant at a Shell gas station near DeForest, Wisconsin.

Eventually, our family made our way all the way to Mall of America as our first official stop of the trip. Our first order of business was to find a place to eat. After quickly trying to get our lay of the massive complex, and trying to find a place that offered a variety of menu items, we sadly decided on the Rainforest Cafe.

Certainly not my personal choice, but we knew it would appease the kids and also offer something vegan/vegetarian friendly for me.

Mall of America/Nickelodeon Universe

After eating, we did a quick look around the mall, but the highlight we all wanted to experience was the Nickelodeon Universe amusement park. Fortunately, we finished eating right before 5:00 pm, which offers a discounted evening ride wristband to experience the entire park.

What I was reminded of shortly after we arrived was that the Nickelodeon Universe amusement park started out as a Knott’s Berry Farm park, a favorite Cedar Fair park of ours (that we also later visited during this trip). So we were able to see things in the park that were reminiscent of the parks past connection.

Today Nickelodeon Universe is themed to characters from a bunch of their archive of animated figures.

Nickelodeon Universe offered some really great attractions that we were really happy to experience.

For example, the Ghost Blasters ride is the same ride we find today at several Cedar Fair parks, now called Boo-Blasters.

Another really incredible attraction was the PEPSI® ORANGE STREAK roller coaster. While the attraction might not have been the worlds tallest, fastest, or any other world record breaking stats, it made up for in being a terrific family ride.

The most surprising aspect for the Orange Streak was how long the roller coaster lasted, making its way around the entire Nickelodeon Universe. We wish more amusement parks offered great family roller coasters like this.

The one ride we were most excited to ride at Nickelodeon Universe was the log ride. Knott’s Berry Farm invented the classic log ride we know today. Did you know Disney modeled Splash Mountain after aspects of Knott’s log flume?

When Knott’s owned the park inside Mall of America, they also constructed a very similar log ride complete with animatronics!

What we did not know was that on the day of our visit, apparently one of the Stranger Things actors was in the park and they added a special overlay of scenes and music to the attraction. So we got to see the ride with a very special overlay, which was pretty cool.

Valleyfair

On the second day of our adventure in Minnesota, we headed to Valleyfair amusement park. This was a special day for our family, because it marked our families first visit to the park. In addition, after our visit, it meant our family has now gone to 10 of the 11 owned Cedar Fair parks.

Maybe it was the newness to us, but we absolutely LOVED Valleyfair. Great collection of rides, cute park with fantastic landscaping, and really good food (which is important since we run the CPFoodBlog)!

Our absolute favorite roller coaster was Renegade at Valleyfair. This super fast wooden roller coaster hugs the ground and flies through the track, offering an intense experience that is a lot of fun.

I have rode roller coasters and rides all over the place. I have jumped out planes. I have never been scared of a ride until North Star. While the ride has the appearance of your typical rotating swing attraction, North Star takes you up 230 feet. With so little holding you up but some small chains, North Star is absolutely terrifying!

While North Star is totally safe, it was a surreal feeling spinning so high in the air.

One of the coolest things we got to try when visiting Valleyfair was their new signature Colonel Oompahpah Shake. A massive margarita style cup is rimmed with sprinkles and filled with milkshake. Then it is topped with whipped cream, chocolate sauce, and more sprinkles. Then skewers with funnel cake, donuts, cotton candy, and a sucker are inserted into the dessert.

While the Colonel Oompahpah Shake was massive, our three boys devoured the entire thing within a matter of moments.

You can get yours this summer at the Valleyfair Cool & Creamy stand.

Minnesota Accommodations

Our family’s go-to hotel and reward program is through IHG. Therefore, we elected to go with the Crowne Plaza Suites, MSP Airport – Mall of America for two nights.

The hotel adequately met our family’s needs with two queen beds.

The boys also thoroughly enjoyed the indoor pool complex complete with hot tub and sauna (which our kids had never seen before).

A block away from the hotel was also a nice little park that allowed the boys to use their scooters and get out some energy on one of the mornings we were killing some time prior to Valleyfair opening.

We also took advantage of the breakfast buffet at the Crowne Plaza which offered a nice assortment of warm and cold selections that were a step above the typical IHG breakfasts.

The only con of staying at the Crowne Plaza was the attached parking structure was in terrible shape and left a bad impression on the hotel. The first thing you should experience is not a dilapidated parking structure, especially when the facility houses conferences.

Following our adventure in Minnesota, next we were off into the heart of the trip and head towards the Badlands!

Top 8 BEST Cedar Point Tips with Toddlers

March 10, 2015InACents Leave a comment

There is nothing like the drive into Sandusky along the shores of Lake Erie, and hearing our kids yell out, “there is Cedar Point” and their eyes getting as big as saucers. Their excitement always hits at the same time as we can see the tallest roller coasters in the world reaching for the sky.

Our family’s love for Cedar Point has grown just as our kids have started to reach the height requirements to ride various attractions across the park.

We understand families traveling to Cedar Point have it a little tougher than those traveling alone. So we have put together some of our family’s BEST Cedar Point tips with toddlers.

1) Bring your stroller to Cedar Point

An essential for our family traveling with 3 kids (approximate ages 6, 4, and 2) is to bring a stroller. For some families a double stroller might be ideal. However, for our family, we have learned to make due with a single stroller. When one of our kids gets tired, they sit across the top with the toddler riding in the stroller. On crucially tired occasions, we have even been able to get them all in the same stroller.

A stroller at Cedar Point is essential for not only getting the little ones around, but also storing all of their essentials, as well as souvenirs you may pick up in the park.

2) Identify Character Locations

When visiting Cedar Point with your toddler, it is a great idea to let them meet Snoopy and the Peanuts gang. If you stop at Guest Services, you can pick up a list of places and times where you will be able to meet the characters. Some may be at select locations on the midway, while others will be within one of the kids Snoopy areas of the park such as Planet Snoopy or Camp Snoopy.

3) Schedule Down Time

The quickest way to ensure a toddler meltdown is to run them silly all day with no breaks. Just because you are visiting Cedar Point does not mean you need to skip naps. Guests can easily find a quiet, shaded location in the park to sit and relax while your toddler relaxes in the stroller.

You can head to one of two Family Care Centers at Cedar Point to find a quiet place to relax for some more fun in the afternoon.

4) Avoid the Hangry

Does your child get extremely irritated when hungry? Heck, it happens to the best of us. Since toddlers may require a snack or bottle between meals, make sure to bring them along and store them in the bottom of your stroller.

While Cedar Point restricts the use of outside food and beverage, it is allowed for special diets/needs.

You are also allowed to bring in individual, unopened bottles of water.

5) Plan Your Meal Times

Make sure to also consider taking advantage of the Cedar Point dining plans, which can be an incredible value for families. Families visiting for only a single day should purchase the All-Day Dining plan, while those guests with a season pass should purchase the All-Season Dining plan.

Also, consider eating during off-peak times. Everyone wants to sit down in air conditioning during the typical lunch and dinner times, so consider staggering your dining times to avoid crowds.

6) Parents and Toddler Rides

Make sure to check the Cedar Point website ahead of times to determine what rides your toddler will or will not be able to ride. You might be surprised that several of the kids rides they can not ride, or require a supervising companion like the parent or older sibling.

In addition, parents can get in plenty of fun time at Cedar Point too by taking advantage of Parent Swap. This terrific program allows the parents to ride their favorite roller coasters, and when done, swap with the other parent. This way everyone goes home happy at the end of the day.

7) The Essentials Beyond Diapers

Besides diapers, wipes, snacks, and drinks, one of the most important items to bring along to Cedar Point is sunscreen. Lather up often, as the sun can be brutal during the summer, even on a cloudy day.

Consider bringing some change in clothes as well in case the little ones want to take advantage of the splash pad on the midway or one of the water rides.

8) Their Legs Were Meant for Walking

While the thought of letting your toddler run around at a crowded amusement park may seem daunting, there are areas of Cedar Point where you can go and let them run some of their energy off. Besides the kid areas, head into the Dinosaurs Alive area and find the quaint dino-dig, where kids can explore their curious side while the parents relax on a shaded bench.

Do you have your own BEST Cedar Point tips with toddlers?

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Source: InACents

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