Day 2: Knott's Berry Farm

After 15 hours at Disneyland and maybe 5 hours of sleep, Knott's was a welcome destination to slow down. Since we stayed at the Knott's Resort Hotel, it was a short walk to the park.

Camp Snoopy was great for our kids. They had plenty of carnival-like rides for those under 48" and some small coasters too. But there was this big inflatable bouncer that caused Dustin to break out in an allergic reaction. Maybe it was latex? His skin got all red, bumpy and itchy. Fortunately a trip to first aid and some Benadryl cleared it all up. But still, no one wanted to touch him all day.

The rest of the park featured many death-defying roller coasters for the more daring – not me. After my second roller coaster ride, I sadly realized that I'm getting too old for this. My stomach can't handle the thrills like it used to. The speed and the spinning really forced me to make a conscious effort not to toss my cookies. Plus I was still recovering from the day before. Yeah, I'm a wimp.

The park was pretty empty and most rides we got on in less than 15 minutes and some we just walked on. And surveying our group, most of us actually preferred Knott's over Disneyland. Maybe because our boys don't really care too much about Disney characters. Or maybe because many of the Disney attractions were a bit scary. Or maybe there wasn't that pressure that we had to do everything... Knott's was quite relaxing.

Some of the rides were quite insane. Above is a video of Andy and Alicia aboard the Xcellerator (not that you can see them). Notice how fast it shoots out of the gate.

Other milder rides included several train rides and even a horse-drawn stagecoach ride, which are great if you want to take your toddler with you. The ice skating show was good too. The only downside was the clientele: more sleazy teenagers and some ghetto folks.

To me, the best part was the Mrs. Knott's fried chicken dinner! There was a long wait at the restaurant so we just took it to go. It was a huge bucket with sides for $22. More than enough to feed both families. Clearly the best meal bargain of the week.