Growing up in Southern California, trips to amusement parks were a regular part of our summer routine. For the most part, we tried to avoid amusement parks on holidays, fearing that they would be too crowded. A few years back, my sister-in-law convinced my husband and I to join her at Knott’s Berry Farm for the Fourth of July. It was a wonderful decision! Although I had never thought of it before, Knott’s Berry Farm is the perfect place for a family to spend the Fourth of July!
Fireworks!
Knott’s Berry Farm puts on a great fireworks show. Unlike Disneyland, where you need to stake out a good spot for the fireworks early in the evening, Knott’s Berry Farm’s fireworks show can be seen from most places in the park. The best place for viewing the fireworks show is in the Boardwalk area, right near Perilous Plunge. If you get there just a little bit early, you can have a sit on the ground for one of the best fireworks shows in Southern California. The Red, White, and Blue finale, accompanied by patriotic music, is seriously spectacular!
One unique thing about Knott’s Berry Farm is that it is so much more than just a theme park. Because it was initially a family run berry farm, it still has many remnants of the family’s influence. Independence Hall is one of them. Just outside of the theme park, across from the Knott’s Marketplace, there is a replica of Independence Hall that is almost exact, right down to the Liberty Bell. Having visited both the Knott’s Berry Farm replica and the real Independence Hall, the authenticity is remarkable. According to Knott’s website, “The building is so exact, one can even see fingerprints in the bricks, just like in the original in Philadelphia.”
Visiting the Independence Hall replica on the Fourth of July is such a perfect reminder of why we celebrate Independence Day. It will make you proud to be an American, and proud of our American heritage. If you have school age children, this is also a great chance to inject just a little bit of educational value into the holiday.
It’s Not That Crowded
When I visit an amusement park on a weekend or holiday, especially in the summer, I generally expect it to be packed. This is just not the case at Knott’s Berry Farm. When we visited on the Fourth of July, we were pleased to find that we did not wait longer than usual in any lines, were got good seats for “Snoopy on Ice” without waiting, and it wasn’t even packed in the chicken restaurant! For some reason, Knott’s Berry Farm just doesn’t attract the massive crowds that Disneyland does, which is generally a good thing in my book. Even when we visited Knott’s Berry Farm at Christmas time, on a day that was free admission with a toy donation, it still wasn’t very crowded.
On a hot summer day, what’s better than getting soaked, right? Seriously though, Knott’s Berry Farm has some great water rides! If you really want to get wet, try Bigfoot Rapids or the Perilous Plunge. If you are feeling a little less adventurous, the Timber Mountain Log Ride is an awful lot of fun.
Food
One of the best parts of Fourth of July is delicious barbecue food. Just because you head to Knott’s Berry Farm doesn’t mean you have to miss out on the meal. Knott’s Berry Farm offers so much more than the traditional heat lamp pizza and greasy burger. If you are willing to wait in line, you can enjoy the best fried chicken dinner ever at Mrs. Knott’s Chicken Dinner Restaurant.
Great for Young Children
Although it’s a bit off topic for the Fourth of July, it is worth mentioning that Knott’s Berry Farm is truly family-friendly, even for the youngest of children. We took my son for the first time when he was only 4 months old, and we had a wonderful time. The park is very stroller friendly, and there are tons of rides that babies can enjoy. He particularly loved the sky cabin, the calico train, and the carousel, but these were just among several rides we enjoyed that day. Plus, Camp Snoopy is the biggest area for young children that I have seen at any amusement park in Southern California.
