Regardless if we’re there for Knott’s Scary Farm, Knott’s Soak City, or regular Knott’s Berry Farm, we’re huge fans of Knott’s, but we didn’t know about Knott’s Boysenberry Festival. We went for the first time on April 1st and it ended up being our favorite visit to Knott’s yet. We still had access to all of the rides and roller coasters and the festival added one-of-a-kind boysenberry based food items, craft beverages, desserts, and live entertainment. The 23-day food festival features over 70 one-of-a-kind boysenberry inspired dishes, drinks, and more, plus entertainment, and a Wine and Craft Brew Tasting Garden. We visited with another couple and their daughter, who is a close friend of Athena’s. It was the ideal way to spend the day at Knott’s.
We arrived at 10 am and went directly for the family-friendly rides. There are more than 30 rides and attractions for families at Knott’s but we knew we’d never have enough time to experience them all. Athena’s favorite is Linus Launcher. As a fan as well, we always get in line several times before moving on. It was a busy day at Knott’s but the kid-friendly rides always have shorter lines.
After an hour of our favorite family rides, we made our way over to the heart of the festival. The mouthwatering line-up of boysenberry inspired dishes featured irresistible boysenberry pizza made with arugula and goat cheese, a delicious ravioli dish packed with boysenberry flavors, freshly-baked boysenberry fry bread, and our all-time favorite boysenberry Panna Cotta. Other must try items included crispy deep fried alligator bites paired with farm-made zesty boysenberry aioli, finger-lickin boysenberry BBQ wings, savory boysenberry meatballs, and creamy chocolate covered boysenberry cheesecake on a stick.
The Knott’s Berry Farm Boysenberry Festival Tasting Card was a great option for $25. It included generous, and I mean generous, portions of six delectable treats: Boysenberry Pizza at Wagon Wheel Pizza, Boysenberry Ravioli at Spurs Chophouse, Boysenberry Buffalo Wings at the Gold Trails Hotel, Boysenberry BBQ Meatballs at the Bank of Calico, Boysenberry Fry Bread at the Gourmet Churro Factory, and Boysenberry Pana Cotta at the Ghost Town Bakery. We had four cards total for four adults and two children and we always had plenty to eat. We had two treats at a time and then rode rides in between our treats. It keep our stomachs satisfied throughout the day without overeating or feeling sick on the rides.
The Wine and Craft Brew Garden offered four craft brews and over 50 different wines from 36 producers. A tasting card was available for $25, which included six tastings paired with snacks. Again, a couple cards were plenty for four adults and it allowed us to spread the tasting throughout the day. Coupled with the Boysenberry Buffalo Wings, I happily relaxed in the Wine and Craft Brew Garden while the kids played under the shade for awhile. Everything was at our fingertips all day. We had no reason to leave the park.
Back at Camp Snoopy, the girls had their picture taken with the Easter Beagle at his Camp Snoopy home, blooming with colorful springtime decor. We finished riding our favorite family-friendly rides and found some new, more advanced ones including Voyage to the Iron Reef. Although the line was long, Athena played with her friend and we chatted with ours. The time flew by and it made it such a fun experience.
Going with friends was an awesome idea. When we wanted to ride “taller” rides, we took turns with the kids and then took advantage of the “parent swap” program.
Between the exceptional food and drinks and the new way to wait out the lines, Knott’s Berry Farm couldn’t have been more fun. The tasting cards are an exceptional value. It wouldn’t be necessary to have one card per person. You could easily get by with one card per couple or even for a family of three. The meatballs, for example, came with three per tasting. One card would have given us all a taste and we could have spent a little more money on our favorite items if we were still hungry. Going with friends, we all had the chance to ride our favorite rides and we didn’t need to miss out because the kids were with us.
As a family, we love Knott’s and now that we’ve experienced the Boysenberry Festival, we now have yet another reason to return again and again.
****Thanks to Knott’s Berry Farm for tickets to enjoy Knott’s Boysenberry Festival. As always, all opinions are my own.***
