Knott’s Berry Farm: Rides, Boysenberry Pies, and a Celebration of the Old West

Before the high-speed roller coasters, there was a berry farm and a ghost town

The wooden rollercoaster GhostRider is over 4,500 feet long and goes up to speeds of 56 miles per hour. A track refurbishment in 2015 and 2016 makes for a smoother ride. Courtesy of Knott's Berry Farms

BUENA PARK, Calif.—Entering Knott’s Berry Farm, one of the oldest—if not the oldest—theme parks in the country, you’d be forgiven for making a beeline for the rides. The lines tend to stretch long, after all, and the park’s roster of high-speed coasters and kiddie cruisers alike is impressive. 

There’s GhostRider, for instance, billed as the longest, tallest, and fastest wooden roller coaster on the West Coast; and Montezooma’s Revenge, which accelerates to a cool 55 miles per hour within three seconds of its blast-off launch. In 2018, the park debuted HangTime, California’s first and only dive coaster, which teases riders with a nail-bitingly long suspension at its peak before plummeting down a beyond-vertical, 96-degree drop.