Home Features New Experiences for Knott’s Ghost Town at 75 Years Fun

New Experiences for Knott’s Ghost Town at 75 Years Fun

June 12, 2016

Knott’s Berry Farm is celebrating a very special milestone, the 75th anniversary of Ghost Town. Yes, the very heart of Knott’s Berry Farm has been entertaining guests with its rich theme of western life and lore, capturing the hearts of theme park fans for generations. What began as a small berry stand evolved into a chicken dinner restaurant which later added an interactive western town and attractions. Arguably, Knott’s is America’s first Theme Park.

Ghost Town Alive

How has Knott’s marked the landmark anniversary of its sleepy western ghost town? By bringing it to life of course! Creative Director of Knott’s Berry Farm, Lara Hanneman had a daunting task in developing an atmosphere that would pay homage to the years of visitors and memories, while at the same time making something vibrant and new. She and her team have achieved a miracle with the all new Ghost Town Alive.

What is Ghost Town Alive? It is interactive theatre on steroids which is at once charming, beguiling, and irresistibly fun. As guests enter what was formerly the rustic, sleepy borough of the park, they will see that it is now a bustling town literally alive with activity. What’s more, visitors can become a part of the action and, actually become citizens in this make believe world of wild western fun.

The formerly closed off peak-ins that featured modestly animated dioramas have been opened up to guests for the very first time. Visitors can now explore and interact with living characters inside the scenes. Beginning with the Assay Office, you can inspect your earnings from the Pan for gold attraction. You can then visit the town barber and get your very own mustache of choice.

If you visit the post office you will be able to deliver letters to other ghost town citizens and become involved in their stories. Or, you can get your own copy of the Ghost Town Newspaper and become an investigative reporter. Don’t forget to ask about the witch.

If you ask about the Witch of Ghost Town you will be directed to this small hovel and told to look in the second window.

The beauty of Ghost Town Alive is that you can enjoy it passively and just sort of people watch, or you can go whole hog and run for mayor in a day-long interactive event.

The former Haunt Museum has become Town Hall. You can meet the Mayor here and become a citizen of Calico.

Inside the barn that was once a shop, Knott’s has refurbished the entire space. It is now a spacious barn housing live animals for visitors to meet. Ghost Town is alive.

At the end of every day, at 5:30, the citizens all gather in front of the Birdcage theater for a big ol’ Ghost Town Hoedown. Here, all of the stories from the entire day are wrapped up into one big celebration of square dancing and hokey gee-golly fun. And best of all, the guests are incorporated into all this fun. You are part of the party.

Ghost Town Alive is simply magic. While it is similar in some ways to the Legends of Fronteirland game that Disneyland experimented with a couple of summers ago, it is even more fun. There is no need to follow a storyline that stretches days, you don’t have to solve convoluted puzzles, or stay on top of storylines. Everyday is a new beginning, a new story, and you can watch from afar, interact, or get fully involved.

Ghost Town Alive is one of the very best things that Hanneman and her team have ever created for the park. Kudos to the team at Knott’s for a rousing good time of chasing bandits, campaigning for mayor, tracking down a hidden treasure and getting the best darned mustache ever.

Mrs. Knott’s Chicken Dinner Restaurant

Also fully renovated is the fabulous Mrs. Knott’s Chicken Dinner Restaurant. We reviewed it here weeks ago, and the same compliments and concerns are here valid. The food is great, the new layout makes a lot of sense, but some of the rooms still feel a bit under-decorated. They need to hang a slew of photos and sprinkle the dining areas with more props and collectibles. But what really matters is that the food is still insanely delicious and they now have a full bar!

There’s now a large lobby to accommodate those waiting for a table.

You can pop into the comfortable bar area for food or just to have a drink.

Ghostrider Returns

As part of the 75th Anniversary of Ghost Town we got the full renovation of one of the very best wooden coasters on the planet, Ghostrider. If you haven’t ridden this classic attraction in years due to the increasingly rough ride, you are in for a treat. The coaster feels as smooth as the very day it opened with a completely renovated track, brand new trains, and that same ridiculous second act that keeps getting more and more intense as it goes along.

Pan For Gold

Also moved back to its proper place in the park is the classic Pan for Gold attraction. This is a fun little diversion which every family should do at least once.

New Stunt Show

Yet again, Knott’s has improved on a classic. The new Ghost Town Stunt Show in the Wagon Camp theater is a welcome upgrade from the tired show that had been playing for years.

The brand new cast is engaging, funny, and surprisingly talented, with perfect comic timing and a goofy, tongue-in-cheek flair.

There’s even a musical element to the show, via a banjo playing narrator.

Blockbuster Beagle On Ice

A hold-over from last year, the summer ice show, Blockbuster Beagle, returns to the Charles M. Schultz Theater. The cast has been improved with fresh faces and the slower bits have been spruced up with better arrangements that are more lively. Nice work.

Overall we could not be more pleased with the Ghost Town 75th Anniversary offerings, the new ice show, and most of all, Ghost Town Alive. With all this family friendly entertainment, Knott’s is a great value for your tourism dollar. Carve out some time this summer to visit a SoCal classic on its 75th anniversary.