Buena Park California Photos and Information Theme Park Destination

Buena Park--Best you bring your ticket for adventure when you plan a visit to Buena Park. Knotts Berry Farm,   known for its thrill rides, Pirates Dinner Adventure for an evening of bawdy delight, and Soak City Theme Park where you have permission to get wet, all make for thrills, chills and spills. Medieval Times with the daring horse challenges on stage and colorful costumed actors rounds out the ages from Medieval to pirates, to Gold Rush to now. Travel the time capsule of exciting re-enactments and living history in theme park and dinner attractions offering you something you can do with the kids, no regrets. For other entertainment, the lure of the beaches, and Buena Park beach vacations is close at hand. Beach Boulevard connects you to the beach by driving to the street's dead-end on Pacific Coast Highway where it meets Huntington City Beach and Huntington State Beach.

You can call this the other Orange County entertainment capital. Within a 20 minute drive from Disneyland in Anaheim, Buena Park offers its own brand of fun. From Knott's Berry Farm to Pirates Dinner Adventure, the thrills don't stop at a city that attracts several million guests each year to its theme park amusements and family entertainment.

Buena Park was built on simple things like chicken dinners and apple pie.  Many years ago Walter Knotts and his family had a restaurant in town that served delicious home cooking so popular, they began creating things to do while diners waited in line.

Panning for gold was one of the first forms of entertainment offered. Paying homage to California's roots and rapid growth after the discovery of gold in the mid-1800's, as the Knotts family succeeded even more and accumulated wealth, they invested money back into the local economy by expanding their dinner entertainment to include Old West themed buildings and artifacts. Orange County, itself, was better known for orange groves, dairy cattle and farms. But it was also tied to the boom the Gold Rush created as local ranchers supplied many types of food to  Northern Californians.

While nearby Walt Disney was imagining a fantasyland of rides to entertain families and kids at Disneyland, the other Walt was serving up a more historically-based attraction to educate and preserve a portion of American history for children and adults to understand and learn about. Thus grew Knotts Berry Farm theme park, funded by food and berries.

Knotts Berry Farm has one of the biggest outdoor wooden roller coasters in the United States, called Ghost Rider. It also features 165 rides, an Old West themed area where you can pan for gold, ride a stage coach and learn about the Old West. Then there's Camp Snoopy for the younger kids with easier rides, and Snoopy appearing for photos and fun.  Arcades, a parachute drop, Supreme Scream and Montezuma's Revenge make for a day of entertainment. Across the street is a replica of the historic Independence Hall with a Liberty Bell. 

Medieval Times dinner show and Pirates Dinner Adventure are two other attractions just down the street from Knottt's Berry Farm.  There's enough to keep you busy for a full day and several nights in Buena Park.
 

WHAT TO SEE:
 

Adventure City, 1238 S. Beach Blvd., Stanton, CA Call:  714-236-9300. adventurecity.com
17 rides & attractions for the younger crowd  Location: Beach Blvd. between Ball & Cerritos, Stanton, CA

Knott's Berry Farm,  8039 Beach Blvd, Buena Park, CA   *see side bar for tickets and prices

Medieval Times,  7662 Beach Blvd., Buena Park, CA   *see side bar for tickets and prices
4-course meal while cheering knights in tournaments

Pirate's Dinner Adventure, 7600 Beach Blvd., Buena Park, CA  *see side bar for tickets and prices

Pirates fight it out on a huge ship in a dinner theater where the audience participates in the competition to win.

WHERE TO STAY: If you're looking of access to Knott's Berry Farm from your hotel, Knott's Berry Farm Resort Hotel at 7675 Crescent Ave. is ideal. With a beautiful outdoor swimming pool and year-round sunshine, you can take a dive most any time, then head over to the theme park for food, entertainment and thrill rides (or mellow kiddy entertainment at Camp Snoopy. Days Inn is quite affordable,  Radisson Suites Hotel Buena Park
7762 Beach Blvd. is nice,Good Nite Inn Buena Park 7032 Orangethorpe Ave. is budget, Hampton Inn & Suites - Buena Park/Anaheim Resort Area at 7828 E. Orangethorpe offers suites that families prefer, and Holiday Inn is a full service hotel with an on-site restaurant and cozy cocktail lounge. This hotel does allow smoking in some rooms. There are approx. 15 hotels in Buena Park.