The Black Diamond, the new dark ride at Knoebels Amusement Resort, opened in October of 2011. After eagerly watching the twisting tracking being laid before it was surrounded by a massive building, my husband and I took our first ride during the Hallo-Fun weekend in late October. With such a late opening, it is likely that the Black Diamond will have one of the longest lines during the 2012 season. But will it be worth your wait, and the hefty $2.25 ride price? I don’t think so, and here’s why.
It was boring!
The style of tracking had both my husband and I envisioning a crazy-mouse style ride, with small cars whipping around sharp turns and racing down small dips. The Black Diamond begins with a clinking lift chain, as riders in a small train are hoisted up three stories. It seems perfect for a gravity fed thrill ride. Psyche.
The Black Diamond is themed as a haunted coal mine, a sort of homage to the area’s coal mining history. Combined with the track layout, this could have set the stage for a very intense escape ride. The track is full of sharp U-turns, which might have proved exciting had they not been taken at a turtle’s pace. As we reached the first downward sloping piece of track, I braced for a speedy decent and that lovely stomach-in-you-mouth feeling. Instead, we had a mild, brake controlled descent to the next level. There was no acceleration. No energy. No sense of urgency. It was all very tedious.
As for the coal mine theme, I found it to be garish and laughable. The miners, mostly black light lit skeletons wearing overalls and lantern hats, were unoriginal. Riders hear sounds of explosions, but nothing pops out of the walls or falls from the ceiling to really startle you, like in Knoebels’ Haunted Mansion. In short, it might scare a child under ten. Maybe. And perhaps that’s the age group Knoebels was targeting, but $2.25 is steep for a kiddie ride.
In my opinion, the best part of the ride is the very last room, where a house appears to be coming through the ceiling, next to a road sign reading “Centralia.” (A local ghost town, devastated by a mine fire and subsidence.) This was creative and gave me a good chuckle. Too bad most guests won’t get it unless they grew up in the area.
I love Knoebels, and I hate to report that I think the Black Diamond is a colossal flop. I would much rather have told everyone how great and exciting it is. If you’ve never visited Knoebels before, please don’t let my review of the Black Diamond tarnish the park as a whole. Knoebels has a ton of great rides. That’s why my husband and I spend many summer evenings there. However, we will not ride the Black Diamond again. I’d also like to mention that the Black Diamond WILL NOT be included in the pay-one-price plans (hand stamps). You will have to either use ride tickets or pay $2.25 to get a ticket to ride the Black Diamond.
