Knott's Berry Farm 2026: California's Original Theme Park Still Has the Magic

Long before Disneyland existed, there was a berry farm in Buena Park, California, where a family sold fried chicken dinners and boysenberry preserves. That farm, started by Walter and Cordelia Knott in the 1920s, grew into one of America's first theme parks — and in 2026, Knott's Berry Farm remains one of Southern California's most beloved and underrated attractions.

A History Rooted in Americana

Walter Knott began farming berries in Buena Park in 1920. In the 1930s, he introduced the boysenberry — a cross between a raspberry, blackberry, and loganberry — that became the farm's signature crop. Cordelia's fried chicken dinners, served from a roadside stand, became so popular that the wait could stretch to three hours. To keep guests entertained while they waited, Walter built a ghost town from relocated authentic Old West buildings. That ghost town became the foundation of Knott's Berry Farm as a theme park, making it arguably the first modern theme park in America — predating Disneyland by about a decade.

Thrills for Every Generation

Today, Knott's Berry Farm spans 57 acres and features dozens of rides, shows, and attractions across themed areas including Ghost Town, Fiesta Village, the Boardwalk, and Camp Snoopy. The park is home to some of Southern California's most intense roller coasters, including GhostRider — a towering wooden coaster that was completely refurbished in 2016 and is consistently ranked among the best wooden coasters in the world — HangTime, a beyond-vertical dive coaster on the Boardwalk, and Xcelerator, which launches riders from zero to 82 miles per hour in 2.3 seconds.

For families with younger children, Camp Snoopy offers a gentler experience themed around the Peanuts characters, with age-appropriate rides, character meet-and-greets, and shaded play areas. It remains one of the best kids' areas at any theme park in the country.

Knott's Boysenberry Festival

Each spring, the park hosts the Boysenberry Festival, a food-and-entertainment event that celebrates the berry Walter Knott made famous. The festival features dozens of boysenberry-flavored creations — from boysenberry barbecue wings and boysenberry ravioli to boysenberry beer and boysenberry funnel cake — alongside live music, craft vendors, and special entertainment. The festival has become one of the most popular food events in Southern California.

Knott's Scary Farm

Every fall, Knott's transforms into Knott's Scary Farm, one of the largest and most respected Halloween events in the country. With more than a dozen haunted mazes, hundreds of roaming monsters, and a production quality that rivals professional haunted attractions, Scary Farm has been running since 1973 — making it the original theme park Halloween event, decades before Halloween Horror Nights or similar offerings at other parks.

Why It Matters

In a region dominated by Disney and Universal, Knott's Berry Farm holds a special place as the park that started it all. It offers world-class thrills at a fraction of the price of its neighbors, a genuine historical identity rooted in California agriculture, and the kind of unpretentious charm that comes from being built by a farming family rather than a corporation. For visitors looking for an authentic Southern California experience that goes beyond the obvious, Knott's Berry Farm is the real thing — and the boysenberry pie is still worth the trip.