This is one ride where it is equally enjoyable being predator or prey. Knoebels also offers a multitude of meal selections from pizza to pierogis and fast food to fine dining. The decision as to which meal selection to choose may be difficult, but a mistake cannot be made. With the coming of night, the park is illuminated with thousands of incandescent lights.
The soft glow produced by these electric flames not only outlines and accentuates the structures, but bathes the entire area in an amber radiance that is timeless. The past is present and newly created memories shall remain, but soon enough the sights and sounds will beckon once again. Knoebels Amusement Resort features classic roller coasters, kid-friendly rides, arcades, daily entertainment, swimming, camping, golf, and attractions for the whole family.
Special themed events are also scheduled during the season. Located at Knoebels Blvd. Skip to content Search for: search Search. Photo Courtesy of Knoebels By Dimitri John Diekewicz For Harrisburg Magazine In this 21st Century high-tech world of entertainment, where special effects and gadgetry must be updated on what seems to be a weekly basis to hold the interest of its target audience, a place exists where play and pastime were not only perfected long ago, but continue to be put into practice, with very little change, to this day.
Previous Previous post: Roller derby league folds. Next Next post: These destinations conjure bygone eras. Well, needless to say I treated myself to a few more rides on the Phoenix, in the back row and the Herb Schmeck seat, both also quite exquisite but truth be told the front was still the place to be.
Actually I found the greatest advantage of riding in the back that was largely absent from a front seat ride was the ability to watch the people in the rows ahead of me and share in their collective joy in riding the Phoenix.
I remember one ride I think I was in row in which the two would-be tough, disinterested teenage boys in the row ahead of me were giggling like schoolgirls by the time we reached the final series of bunny hills, which for me was the most satisfying part of that particular ride experience. With every ride there is a new opportunity for a unique, shared social experience that will set it apart from the last; twenty-four unrelated strangers all somehow connected in their uniform delight as the coaster goes through its motions.
I first found myself waiting in line for their Flyers flying scooters ride, a ride model from my understanding that has quite a large cult following, and this installation in particular is apparently the equivalent of Spinal Tap. So I was quite a bit curious to see what the fuss was about. It sounds as if one is able to get enough lift that they have a moment of slack in their cable on the descent thus creating a snap.
Now I was able to observe a cycle or two of this ride while in line as well as my own cycle that consisted of some pretty aggressive maneuvering of my paddle, and I must say if my understanding of what constitutes snapping is correct, then I would like to declare it a fable.
While an extra speedy rotation might allow for more height to be achieved, that comes at the expense of increased centrifugal forces, which will ensure that unless you are somehow able to completely invert your scooter, the cable will remain taut at all times. Perhaps someone can correct me and explain exactly how it is done. I also would have loved to have taken the Roto-Jets for a twirl, they just looked so amazingly retro and picturesque surrounded by so many tall trees, but between the fact that the median age of those in line appeared to be born well after Clinton left office, and with no other flats aficionados to justify my standing in such a line, I somehow never ended up climbing aboard.
I think the order of events after that were a few laps on Twister before getting some food. Lines were quite expedient for Twister as well, despite my first wait starting well down the steps out of the station.
What I think did it was that there are no seat-belts or airgates to be found anywhere near the ride and this was even more true of the Phoenix, with its single position buzzbars instead of individual ratcheting lapbars , everyone was able to quickly get in and sit down as soon as a train came to a halt, and could have lapbars down and ready to go within seconds, not having to worry about messing around with their seatbelts.
They would consistently have one train ready for dispatch while the other was just circling the helix that surrounds the station, and then have that train ready to dispatch while the other one was circling the station.
Quite an impressive feat. In keeping with this spirit of efficiency myself, on one visit to the back seat I noticed that only on girl probably around 14 years old was waiting ahead of me, her two friends waiting for the row ahead.
Followed by much nervous giggling. I mentioned in my review of the Phoenix how the more social setting can create new experiences with each ride. Looking over the map it seemed the International Food Court would be the place to dine, which was true, as they had a huge menu. This ride is not included all-day, all inclusive wristband along with the pool and their chairlift , supposedly because Dick Knoebel wanted to retain the open, up close feel to the ride rather than block off sets like is found on most other dark rides, but had to find a way to prevent kids from getting bored with it after multiple re-rides and possibly jump off the attraction and vandalize the props.
Then with a loud crack of lightning, two skeletons I was not anticipating very quickly jump out of a bed and scream. Hands up and over the eyes! Hidden farther back in what is obviously the older section of the park were several more rides worth trying, first up being the Satellite aka Roll-O-Plane, aka Salt and Pepper Shakers.
I wish flat ride manufactures would continue making rides this evil. Two arms that rotate in a vertical degree loop, with a carriage attached to either end that rotates horizontally on its axis rather than vertically like a Ferris wheel.
No problem, right? Seating choices were first-come first serve, and while I found myself behind a nervous little kid with his mother, they opted for a middle seat while I then took the back.
The first lap was more of a warm up the motor needs the train to hit it with some speed from a prior before it yank it up at top speed , but even then a bit of air was present from my perch on the first go round. So he does, and I barely creep over the hill on the next lap. Thanks a lot, kid, for freaking out on my one and only ride of this classic.
I may have been a wuss on dark rides at your age, but at least I knew how to compose myself on a kiddy coaster. That last one ended up being an exercise in futility, since the looping ability of the cars depends on the riders input. Fed up with that, I decided I needed one last flat before the night was over, preferably one that I could simply sit there and ride rather than be forced to be an active participant, and the Fandango a KMG Afterburner, I think?
This is partly what I love about open-gate parks like Knoebels, is that this small road is actually the fastest pathway to get between the Phoenix and Twister, although there were no lights along it like a traditional midway so it was a bit of a stumble in the dark as we hurried to get final rides on each of these coasters.
Twister is interesting. Despite all the shout-outs this park gets in enthusiast circles, between the food, classic flats, the Haunted Mansion and especially the Phoenix, I was always surprised and suspicious by the general silence surrounding the Twister. Twister, featuring skid brakes and efficient operations, and perhaps most importantly it stands as the perfect counterpoint to the airtime laden Phoenix.
Is it just that straight airtime hills are that much more popular than twists and turns, or was there something else I was missing. Twister starts off with a threesome of nearly identical turnarounds, making the bread of a lift hill club sandwich. While the split lift hill by itself would be unique enough, I found that by having three identically shaped turns characterized by a short left turn downward before sweeping right, where it eventually climbs upward and slows to a near stop once again really added a lot of to the overall ride.
Each progressive turn piles on a few more laterals at the base, while each is also situated a good 50 ft. The second drop is nearly just as great as the first, supplying airtime to all seats while once again diving down down down into the shadows of the lumber cobwebs. From here it quickly transitions into a fast and forceful double inclined helix. So this is why they call it the Twister. Plenty of mean, lean and sustained laterals with speeds that ebb and flow as train climbs and descends the tilted helix.
It makes some fast, high banked turns deep within the super structure mixed with some drawn-out, oddly banked bunny hops. A cool underground tunnel finishes off one of the final turns, emerging to a final dip before sliding into the curved skid brake runway that leads back to the station. Speaking of the high and mighty Phoenix, I should mention that throughout the day the Phoenix suffered a fall from grace in my books.
Throughout the afternoon and especially on the last evening rides including the last ride of the night in the front row the airtime seemed to grow weaker and weaker along the course, eventually only really present on the final row of bunny hops. Whatever it was, by those final rides it was clear that Phoenix was no more in the top five for me. At the end of the trip my appraisal of the Phoenix sunk to number 15 on my wooden coaster list. I still remain optimistic that I can catch it on a better day sometime soon in the future and my original praise of the ride can be restored, but I suppose that would depend on if the ride really did slow down throughout the day seems improbable, normally wooden coasters speed up as the grease warms or if the more troubling conclusion that I grew board of the floater airtime was what really happened.
Knoebels or Kennywood? And Phoenix offers plenty of it. And, unlike many new roller coasters with cars that pin riders down under a harness, Phoenix's restraints allow you the freedom to float out of your seat magically. It takes its name from a character of Greek mythology associated with rebirth, which is exactly what happened to it. The Phoenix is just one of Pennsylvania's classic summer thrills -- the state has the highest number of top-ranked roller coasters of any state or foreign country.
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