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View Full Version : How close was Disney to buying Knotts Berry Farm?



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Westcotx2012
08-06-2008, 07:54 PM
Anyone?

Andrew
08-06-2008, 10:51 PM
7.7 miles – about 12 minutes (http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&saddr=1313+S+Harbor+Blvd,+Anaheim,+CA+92802+(Disne yland)&daddr=8039+Beach+Blvd,+Buena+Park,+CA+90620+(Knott 's+Berry+Farm)&hl=en&geocode=8667730440202039273,33.810336,-117.918985%3B1852329321146738549,33.845624,-117.997998&mra=pe&mrcr=0&sll=33.837805,-117.957397&sspn=0.161691,0.329933&ie=UTF8&t=h&z=13).

MickeyM00C0w
08-06-2008, 11:07 PM
7.7 miles – about 12 minutes (http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&saddr=1313+S+Harbor+Blvd,+Anaheim,+CA+92802+(Disne yland)&daddr=8039+Beach+Blvd,+Buena+Park,+CA+90620+(Knott 's+Berry+Farm)&hl=en&geocode=8667730440202039273,33.810336,-117.918985%3B1852329321146738549,33.845624,-117.997998&mra=pe&mrcr=0&sll=33.837805,-117.957397&sspn=0.161691,0.329933&ie=UTF8&t=h&z=13).

How do I convert that to dollar bills? :P

Andrew
08-06-2008, 11:19 PM
How do I convert that to dollar bills? :P

$1.75

(19.8 MPG, $4.499/gallon for premium)

MickeyM00C0w
08-06-2008, 11:24 PM
$1.75

(19.8 MPG, $4.499/gallon for premium)

Touche, my friend. Touche.

dawnid
08-07-2008, 11:17 AM
I've never heard that Disney was interested in buying Knott's. Anyone else? Or was it when Walt was alive? Mr. & Mrs. Knott would have been alive then too.

tod
08-07-2008, 05:49 PM
I've never heard that Disney was interested in buying Knott's. Anyone else? Or was it when Walt was alive? Mr. & Mrs. Knott would have been alive then too.

Never heard anything even remotely like that.

--t

Bytebear
08-07-2008, 06:10 PM
Actually, back in the day, both parks were quite amicable, and Walter Knott and Walt Disney were very good friends. In fact, they established a pattern where Disneyland was closed Mondays and Knott's Berry Farm was closed Tuesday, so that each park could have a day off but still give the tourists something to do seven days a week.

Now, if only Disney would buy Wild Rivers. Actually, they were considering parks in South OC as well as Long Beach before settling on the Disneyland Parking lot.

mckygirl99
08-07-2008, 08:18 PM
That's just what Knott's needs, the clean hand of Disney! We went there last week with the kids and lets just say I am never going back! It was awful, dirty and some places just looked old and neglected (I know some places were meant to look like that but come on!). I'd rather pay $100 a day at DL than pay $25 at Knott's. Even my 7 year old said told me it was dirty. Maybe we have just been spoiled by Disney.

Jodi
08-07-2008, 09:20 PM
That's just what Knott's needs, the clean hand of Disney! ... Maybe we have just been spoiled by Disney.

I agree! But then again we say that about a lot of things. "Knott's (or Six Flags, or Universal...) was fun, but it just seems dirty (or old, run down...) compared to DL"

or "Those Sea World (or Hollywood Bowl, or local July 4th) fireworks were nice, but not nearly as good as the ones at DL!"

To us, Disney is the gold standard to which everything else is compared!

ChurroGirl
08-07-2008, 09:28 PM
I have never been to Knotts, we were going to take half a day in December to do it. I am kinda scared now....:eek:
Should we or shouldnt we go...?

TTFN92
08-07-2008, 09:34 PM
I have never been to Knotts, we were going to take half a day in December to do it. I am kinda scared now....:eek:
Should we or shouldnt we go...?

My sister went last year with the really cheap passes and said that it was horrible. She used to work there in the 70s and was shocked at what it is now. She said that the people there were very rowdy, a lot of teens. She also commented about it being dirty and worn down. They didn't stay very long.

I would love to stop by one of the shops out front and get a boysenberry punch to drink. Those are sooo yummy :p!

Malcon10t
08-07-2008, 09:35 PM
I have never been to Knotts, we were going to take half a day in December to do it. I am kinda scared now....:eek:
Should we or shouldnt we go...? I'd rather have another half day at Disneyland....

cstephens
08-08-2008, 12:34 AM
I have never been to Knotts, we were going to take half a day in December to do it. I am kinda scared now....:eek:
Should we or shouldnt we go...?

I'd say check out their website, and if there are enough attractions to interest you, then go. Knott's is probably second on my list of Los Angeles area theme park locations, which would include Universal Studios and Magic Mountain, but excluding Sea World. It has some nice rides, and I have generally had more fun there in recent years than at Universal or Magic Mountain. It's also fairly close to the Disneyland Resort, so you're not wasting more driving driving, like you would be with Magic Mountain or Universal.

What's "Disney"?
08-08-2008, 03:16 AM
I used to go to Knotts a lot. It was a really great park. But I probably haven't been in 10 years.

Has it really gone that much downhill after Cedar Fair bought it?

Jim Dear and Darling
08-08-2008, 07:34 AM
I have never been to Knotts, we were going to take half a day in December to do it. I am kinda scared now....:eek:
Should we or shouldnt we go...?

You should go if you've never been. I love Knotts Berry Farm. You can't go in expecting it to be Disneyland. It's totally different. I do Knott's about every other year. I went last year, and won't go this year. I love the rides there.

Check out their website, and if you go, DO NOT MISS Mrs. Knott's Chicken Dinner. :)

Klutch
08-08-2008, 07:55 AM
I've been keeping up with Disney related news for many years. I've never heard or read any mention of Disney ever considering purchasing Knott's.

I spent a lot a time at The Berry Farm when I was young. Back then, admission was free. My family had little money and Knott's was a nice place to visit for the day on the cheap. We'd get an ice cream and maybe ride the burros.

I recently read the new owners dismantled much of the old attractions, like Haunted Shack, to make way for thrill rides. This is just sad, if true. Is the ghost town Mr. Knott reassembled on his berry farm still there? Or, was that also bulldozed?

I don't think expecting a non-Disney park to be clean an well maintained is expecting too much. I used to get season passes to Busch Gardens Williamsburg when I lived in Virginia. That park is as clean and well kept as any Disney park; probably even better during the Pressler years.

MickeyM00C0w
08-08-2008, 08:29 AM
I have never been to Knotts, we were going to take half a day in December to do it. I am kinda scared now....:eek:
Should we or shouldnt we go...?

Look at it this way: if you want lots of thrill roller coasters and that is it, go for Knotts. If you want more on an entertaining ride along with cast members who do more than push buttons to make the ride go, along with $30,000 a night shows, go for Disneyland.

Actually, now that I look at it this way, even though Disneyland is a bit more pricey than Knotts, you do get much more out of it. But in the end, it's down to what kind of experience you're looking for. I've been going to Disneyland since I was only a few weeks old and I still love it. But there are still times where I want fast paced coasters and just want rides where I can scream my head off.

Bytebear
08-08-2008, 08:58 AM
Go to Knott's if you have never been. Yes it is more amusement than theme these days, but there is some history there. The Calico Mine Ride helped inspire Pirates of the Caribbean and the Western town helped inspire Frontierland. Many of the things Walter Knott built on his farm were things that Walt Disney took inspiration from and improved for Disneyland. For example, instead of having a train crossing, like they have at Knott's, Disney decided to have tunnels under the train station to avoid that issue. Also the newer rides are great for coaster lovers. Ghost Rider is arguably one of the best wooden roller coasters in the world. They also have a water park which is supposed to be very good.

mckygirl99
08-08-2008, 10:16 AM
Ghost Rider is arguably one of the best wooden roller coasters in the world.

You forgot to add "the most violent" too. My daughter, who loves Cal. Screamin' and rides it alone, was in tears at the end of this ride. All I got was a massive headache from the constant vibration. Boomerang was fun though!

Jim Dear and Darling
08-08-2008, 10:20 AM
Ghost Rider is amazing. But it will shake you up. I love that coaster though. I love the X-Cellerator(sp?) too.

cstephens
08-08-2008, 10:23 AM
You forgot to add "the most violent" too. My daughter, who loves Cal. Screamin' and rides it alone, was in tears at the end of this ride. All I got was a massive headache from the constant vibration.

The deterioration of Ghost Rider is why I stopped renewing my pass. The last time I rode it, it was so incredibly painful that I spent the entire ride trying to find the least painful position to be in to endure the ride because of how bad it was shaking.

I liked Silver Bullet. Xcelerator was good for the first up and down, but the rest is so short and boring.

Ryan
08-08-2008, 10:24 AM
I'm surprised no one here has heard about this.

This is from Wikipedia:

In 1995, the Knott family sold the food specialty business to ConAgra. In 1997, the Knott family sold the amusement park operations to Cedar Fair. Initially, the Knotts were given an opportunity to sell the park to The Walt Disney Company. The park would have been amalgamated into the Disneyland Resort and converted into Disney's America, which had previously failed to be built near Washington, D.C. The Knotts refused to sell the park to Disney out of fear that most of what Walter had built would be eliminated, but ironically, Cedar Fair ended up eliminating more than what Disney had planned to.

cstephens
08-08-2008, 10:32 AM
This is from Wikipedia:

Yep, the bastion of truth as we know it.

mckygirl99
08-08-2008, 12:37 PM
The deterioration of Ghost Rider is why I stopped renewing my pass. The last time I rode it, it was so incredibly painful that I spent the entire ride trying to find the least painful position to be in to endure the ride because of how bad it was shaking.

Ok so I wasn't the only one who thought that! I remember riding about 9 years ago and it didn't shake like that. This was why I thought my little girl would like it. I felt so bad that she was crying.

We missed Silver Bullet b/c the kids weren't quite tall enough.