My little four year old Thomas is very into dinosaurs at the moment, and wants to be a Paleontologist when he grows up. We hoped to check out the Los Coyotes Paleontology Museum, but when we arrived the doors were locked. They do only open at certain hours, so it is suggested that you call ahead. We had one sad little dino lover, but definitely plan to go back. He still asks us when we are going to go back! They have many fossils on display, including a 9 million year old whale skeleton, possibly the only complete ice age whale fossil in existence.
Instead, we walked around the park, and looked at the ducks in the pond and played on the playgrounds. We will have to come back and check out more!
Clark Interpretive Center hours: Wednesday – Friday, 12:30 p.m.- 5p.m.
Interpretive Center hours: Saturday – Sunday, 9:30 a.m.- 4:30 p.m. Hours may vary, call park office in advance (714) 973-3170
Ralph B. Clark Regional Park Park Hours: Fall – Winter Hours, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. PST Park Hours: Spring – Summer Hours, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. PDT
It is $3 to park on weekdays or $5 to park on weekends, or you can park just outside the park on the street for free.
During our stay in Buena Park California, we were able to spend the day at Knott’s Berry Farm on my husband’s birthday! Both my husband and I haven’t been since we were kids, and it was so much fun to re-live some fond memories we had of going there as children with our own children!
Things have changed a lot since I was at Knott’s last, and they had so many amazing family rides and rollercoasters. I was a total kid again on the Xcelerator. I even rode it by myself, because I knew I’d regret it if I didn’t. Seriously, one of the best roller coasters I have been on in a while! I couldn’t stop smiling after I got off. What a rush!! I loved every second of it. If you’re looking for a good mix of rollercoaster and rides for kids, I would strongly recommend Knott’s. The best of both worlds!
The kids were so excited to go, they had their Snoopy ears ready at the hotel early in the morning, and couldn’t wait to head out for the day. I was surprised that there were so many rides for my kids, especially in Camp Snoopy. My oldest and I had a great time on some of the rollercoasters. We braved Montezooma’s Revenge together. I totally remember it being the BIG one when I was a kid!
The kids ran around, went on rides, ate junk food, watched a wild west show, met Snoopy and Linus. They really had the time of their lives! My kids probably rode the little drop Woodstock’s Airmail ride at minimum of eight times in a row. They were in heaven!
Parking for the day is $17. It is a little bit of a walk to your car, so be sure to bring everything you need with you. We left our jackets in the car, and when it got chilly later it was a bit of a walk to go grab them. They have lockers if you need to store any items you don’t want to carry around.
There are several kid’s options in Camp Snoopy if you are going with young children.
There are also a good variety of legit Roller Coasters! Most of the height requirements are 48 inches, but there are a few over 52 inches. Which is why I rode the Xcelerator alone, ha! I think my oldest was a little relieved that he didn’t quite make the cut.
Check the show schedule. My kids enjoyed one of their Wild West shows, they only do the shows are certain times throughout the day, so be sure to check the schedule.
There are a lot of dining options inside the park with different varieties. There is also the famous Mrs. Knott’s Chicken Dinner Restaurant just outside the park.
Knott’s Berry Farm honors Military with Free Military Days Nov 21-Dec 20, 2015. Applies for all US Veterans or active duty and a guest.
Disclosure: As is traditional with travel blogging, my family was hosted, all thoughts and opinions are my own.
We recently return from an amazing week in Southern California, and had the best time! I’m excited to share with you our adventures in hopes that it will inspire you to travel with your family and make some special lasting family memories! I know some of our most magical memories are made while on vacation as a family.
We wanted to spend some time in Southern California, but were interested to see what kind of adventures and fun we could have without having to do Disneyland. We love Disneyland, and have been there before, but it seems like everyone assumes that if you go to California, you are heading to Disney. I wanted to experience some other adventures that California has to offer, and quickly discovered there are many!
We checked into the Holiday Inn Buena Park which was the perfect location, just down the street from all the activities we had planned. With convenient freeway access, and minutes from Knotts Berry Farm, Medieval Times, Pirate’s Dinner Adventure, and Disneyland. It is a great option for a family friendly place to stay. The pool is large and nice, and the rooms and hotel were very clean! Kids eat free at their restaurant with a paying adult, which saved us a lot of money on food! This is the perfect hotel for spending a day out at an amusement park or exploring, then coming back to a nice clean room for the night.
After settling in our room, we headed off to Titanic the Artifact Exhibition. We were not allowed to bring cameras on our tour, but the kids really enjoyed it! We went back in time aboard the Titanic and got to see what life was like on the ship before the tragic day it sank. My kids learned all about the great ship and the history. There was a very impressive tour guide that wore clothes from the time period and gave us all the details. She paid special attention to my children pointing out artifacts, and telling stories. My kids loved it! They were very sad upon hearing the news that the Titanic sank, and used their boarding pass to see if their name survived.
Unfortunately we found out that the exhibit will close permanently on January 2, 2016. So, if you get a chance, try to go before the new year when it closes. We did find out that it will be replaced by a butterfly pavilion, which we are excited to check out when it opens!
Next, we headed to the Pirate’s Dinner Adventure. It is an interactive Pirate Adventure show that includes a four-course dinner. The pirates are very interactive, and they seat you in a certain color section. We cheered on the blue pirate all during the show, and he made sure to give my kids a lot of attention, which they loved!
They waived their cups, and cheered on the blue pirate, and yelled, and hollered for the blue team! My boys even got called up on stage to be honorary Pirates and thought it was hilarious and fun! My kids thought it was the best show they have ever been to, and can’t stop talking about it! I for one had so much fun watching the show, but even more fun watching my children watch the show, and see their delighted expressions on their faces.
Reservations are required, 24 hours in advance, or at least 5 hours in advance.
Parking is free and on site.
Show up at least 45 minutes to an hour early for the pre-dinner show and complimentary appetizers. They pass out several appetizers and have a little pre-show before the doors open.
The food was much better than I expected it to be. We were served drinks, appetizers, soup or salad, chicken (bottomless, you can request as much as you’d like), steak kebabs, mashed potatoes, and vegetables. Dessert was a brownie and ice cream. You can also request a captain’s kids meal if you’d like more “kid friendly food.” Vegetarian options are also available.
My kids had a hard time remembering that they needed to eat an watch the show, they were too engrossed in the action! We had to keep reminding them to eat!
Dress up! It’s such a fun interactive show, if your kids have any Pirate garb, allow them to dress up and get into the show! They do sell souvenirs and Pirate garb in their gift shop on site!
The show is a little over an hour an a half. My children were entertained the entire time, if you have a baby or toddler, it may be easier to sit towards the top or at the end of a row since they can be pretty skinny to walk in and out a lot.
Between Pirate’s Dinner Adventure and Medieval Times, my kids had to think long and hard, it was a close one, but they concluded if they had to pick one the Pirate Dinner was their favorite! But, they really enjoyed both.
Be sure to stick around after, the Pirates and Princesses are available to take pictures with your family.
My kids gave it huge two thumbs up, and it was great family fun!
The evening of the Pirate’s Adventure Dinner, I wore my best flowy embroidered top to make sure I fit in with the Pirates, wink. It was a fun ensemble for a dinner with Pirates!
