Buena Park
Buena Park is a city in Orange County in Southern California. It is widely known best for being the home of Knott's Berry Farm.
Get in
By car
- I-5 (Santa Ana Freeway) or CA-91 (Riverside Freeway) takes you directly to Buena Park. Take the Knott Ave, Beach Blvd, or any of the other Buena Park exits. Anaheim is just south of Buena Park, with Fullerton to the east, so both of those cities can serve as an entry as well.
By plane
- Fullerton Municipal Airport only accepts private airplanes and is 3 miles (4.8 km) from Buena Park.
- Long Beach Airport is about 15 miles (24 km) from Buena Park. JetBlue Airways serves it nonstop from 14 destinations. It is also served by Alaska Airlines, American, and Delta.
- Orange County/John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana, is about 16 miles (25 km)/24 minutes from Buena Park. It is served by Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines, Southwest Airlines, United Airlines, and Virgin America
- Los Angeles International Airport is served by a wide array of foreign carriers as well as most US airlines.
By rail
- Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner runs from Paso Robles to San Diego, and Metrolink's Orange County Line runs from Los Angeles to Oceanside. The nearest stations to Knott's Berry Farm are in Buena Park itself (serviced only by Metrolink) and in nearby Fullerton (serviced by both Amtrak and Metrolink).
Get around
By foot
- The main tourism corridor in Buena Park is located along Beach Boulevard. Most of the main attractions, including Knott's Berry Farm, are located here and are within walking distance of each other.
By transit
- Many Orange County Transit Authority (OCTA) lines come together in Buena Park. Route 29 (Beach Blvd.) runs north-south, from the Brea Mall to downtown Huntington Beach and the Pacific Coast Highway, straight through downtown BP. Route 38 (La Palma Ave.) runs east-west, from Lakewood to the Anaheim Shopping Center, serving the Buena Park Promenade. Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transit Authority Route 460 connects BP with downtown Los Angeles, Norwalk, Fullerton, and Disneyland. All three routes serve Knott's Berry Farm.
- The Knott's Berry Farm Resort Hotel and other hotels in Buena Park provide a shuttle to Disneyland.
By car
- Buena Park is small enough for driving, but most attractions are on Beach Boulevard.
See
- 1 Independence Hall at Knott's Berry Farm, 8039 Beach Blvd, ☏ +1 714 220-5200. Open 7 days a week except for Christmas Day. Across the street from Knott's Berry Farm is a recreation of Independence Hall, site of the signing of the Decleration of Independence. It's so accurate that the original structure in Philadelphia even used Knott's blueprints for its own restoration, and the replica also stood in for the actual Independence Hall in the film National Treasure. Free
- 2 Medieval Times Dinner and Tournament, 7662 Beach Blvd.
- 3 Pirates Dinner Adventure, 7600 Beach Blvd.
Do
Knotts Berry Farm
- 1 Knott's Berry Farm, 8039 Beach Blvd, ☏ +1 714 220-5200. daily except for Christmas Day. Hours vary seasonally. It features a wide range of attractions from Camp Snoopy for the little ones to scream machines like the Silver Bullet rollercoaster and the Supreme Scream Drop Tower. 'Single Day - Adults: $51.99, Children (3-11) and Seniors (62+): $22.99 Half-day (after 4PM) - Adults: $25.99, Children (3-11) and Seniors (62+): $22.99 AAA Discount - 30% off Adult tickets.
America's oldest theme park with the first ride attraction, the Ghost Town & Calico Railroad opening in 1952. The park was established on the site of a Berry Farm. The claim is that crowds were originally drawn by the chicken dinners being sold there, and then rides and attractions added to entertain the crowds. Today the theme park is large, and the chicken dinners are still on sale. The berries mentioned in the park's name are Boysenberries (a cross between Raspberry, Blackberry, Dewberry and Loganberry) and products made from them (including juice and jam) are widely available in the park.
It first started as a berry stand founded by Walter Knott, who unknowingly laid foundation for what was to become one of America's oldest and most revered amusement parks. The first ride attraction, the Ghost Town & Calico Railroad opened in 1952. Knott's Berry Farm remained a family-owned venue until late 1997, when Ohio-based theme park operator Cedar Fair, L.P. acquired it for $275 million from the Knott family (Walter's descendants). Knott's Berry Farm has accomplished and set many technological milestones in the amusement industry with its unique ride and attractions. The Calico Mine Ride, introduced in 1960, is commonly recognized as the first themed amusement park attraction in the world. The Timber Mountain Logging Co. (now Timber Mountain Log Ride) was the first log flume with thematic elements, which was the inspiration Walt Disney modeled his Splash Mountain flume concept after for his Disneyland Park in Anaheim, CA (10 miles from Knott's Berry Farm) even though he had been dead for 23 years when Splash Mountain opened. National media was brought to the park in 1975 with the introduction of Corkscrew, the first modern roller coaster to successfully turn riders upside-down.
Other ride and attraction records and milestones:
- Ghost Town & Calico Railroad; only remaining narrow-gauge steam engine still in operation. (1952).
- Supreme Scream; world's tallest free-fall-type attraction (312-feet tall). (1998).
- Perilous Plunge; world's tallest and steepest water chute ride (121-feet tall; 77.8-degrees). (2000).
- Xcelerator; world's first hydraulically-launched roller coaster. (2002).
The rides here tend are less themed than in Disneyland, but aim for bigger thrills. Rides:
- Mystery Lodge
- Wild West Stunt Show
- Timberline Twister
- Xcelerator
- Boomerang
- GhostRider
- Silver Bullet
- Montezooma's Revenge
- Jaguar!
- Pony Express
- Perilous Plunge
- Bigfoot Rapids
- Timber Mountain Log Ride
- Supreme Scream
- Wipeout
- La Revolucion
- Ghost Town & Calico Railroad
- Wave Swinger
- Hat Dance
- Calico Mine Ride
- Merry-Go-Round
- Screamin' Swing
- High Sierra Ferris Wheel
- High Sierra Railroad
- Stagecoach Ride
- Walter K Steamboat
- Rip Tide
- Sky Cabin
- Wilderness Scrambler
- Charlie Brown Speedway
- Woodstock's Airmail
- Lucy's Tugboat
- Red Baron
- Joe Cool's Gr8 Sk8
- Knott's Soak City USA, 8039 Beach Blvd, ☏ +1 714 220-5200. Open seasonally from May-Sept. A water park filled with water slides, a river and a wave pool. $25.95 for adults, $14,95 for children 3-11; after 3PM: $15.95 for adults, $11.95 for children 3-11.
- Knott's Scary Farm Halloween Haunt (seasonal website, redirects to Knott's for part of the year), 8039 Beach Blvd, ☏ +1 714 220-5200. Evenings in October. On October evenings, Knott's is transformed into Knott's Halloween Haunt, a Halloween extraveganza for mature audiences. (Special event tickets are required for Knott's Halloween Haunt).
Buy
- 1 Buena Park Mall, 8308 On the Mall (Accessible via La Palma Avenue, a short distance east of the Beach Boulevard intersection.), ☏ +1 714 503-5000. Basic mall with the usual store names.
- 2 Knott's Marketplace, 8039 Beach Blvd. A shopping and dining district adjacent to Knott's Berry Farm. One of the highlights is the Berry Market where Knott's jams and jellies can be purchased.
Eat
- 1 Mrs. Knott's Chicken Dinner Restaurant, 8039 Beach Blvd, ☏ +1 714 220-5080. Open year round except for Christmas Day. Hours vary seasonally. Breakfast: 7:00-11AM; Lunch: 11AM-4:30PM; Dinner: 4:30PM-closing. Sunday brunch: 9:30AM-2PM. The Knott's Berry Farm theme park actually began with this restaurant. Lines at the restaurant lasted for hours so Walter Knott built a ghost town to entertain the crowds, and this eventually evolved into the theme park. True to its history, Mrs. Knott's is an extremely popular place to eat and usually has long lines so plan to arrive early. The menu features traditional American fare with the specialty being the fried chicken and buttermilk biscuits. In general, no reservations are accepted except for the Sunday brunch and for parties of 12 or more.For Brunch Reservations call (714) 220-5055.
- 2 Medieval Times Tournament and Dinner Show, 7662 Beach Blvd, ☏ +1 714 521-2342. Open seasonally, call or check website for show times.. A Medieval feast dinner show that features knights, maidens, kings and jousting. Adults: $47.95, Children: $33.95. Check the website for discount coupons..
- 3 Fuddruckers, 7802 Orangethorpe Ave (Beach Boulevard just north of the 91), ☏ +1 714 739-8801. Great idea choosing and putting your own contents into your burger
- 4 In-N-Out Burger, 7926 Valley View St (north of La Palma Ave.), toll-free: +1-800-786-1000. Classic California. Looks like fast-food but you do have to wait for your freshly made burger and fries.
- 5 Farrell's Ice Cream Parlour, 8650 Beach Blvd.
- 6 Pink's Hot Dogs, 8039 Beach Blvd, ☏ +1 714 220-5084.
- Fast food and diners on Orangethorpe and nearby streets.
Sleep
- 1 Motel 6 Buena Park-Knotts/Disneyland, 7051 Valley View St, ☏ +1 714 522-1200, fax: +1 714 562-8978.
- 2 Buena Park Howard Johnson's, 7039 Orangethorpe Ave, ☏ +1 714 521-9220, fax: +1 714 521-6706. $55-139.
- 3 Courtyard Anaheim Buena Park, 7621 Beach Blvd, ☏ +1 714 670-6600, fax: +1 714 670-0360.
- 4 Holiday Inn, 7000 Beach Blvd, ☏ +1 714 522-7000. Reasonable sized rooms, outdoor swimming pool.
- 5 Buena Park Hotel & Suites, 7555 Beach Blvd, ☏ +1 714 522-7360, toll-free: +1-888-522-5885, fax: +1 714 523-2883.
- 6 Knott's Berry Farm Resort Hotel, 7675 Crescent Ave, ☏ +1 714 995-1111, toll-free: +1 866 752-2444, reservations@knotts.com. Knott's Berry Farm's on-site hotel. Special features include deals to the theme park, special entrance to the park, complimentary shuttle to Disneyland, and special themed Snoopy rooms complete with tuck-in service provided by Snoopy himself. Great for kids.
- 7 Portola Inn & Suites Hotel - Buena Park/Disney-Anaheim Area, 7921 Orangethorp Ave, ☏ +1 714 739-5885, fax: +1 714 228-9663, info@portolainnbp.com. Offers free wifi, comfortable accommodations, complimentary breakfast and is walking distance to many local restaurants.
- 8 Radisson Suites Hotel Buena Park, 7762 Beach Blvd, ☏ +1 714 739-5600. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 12PM. The Radisson Suites Hotel Buena Park, CA is a stylish, ALL-SUITE hotel conveniently located within walking distance of Knott's Berry Farm and just minutes from Disneyland Resort. Our full-service Buena Park, CA hotel provides an array of amenities, including complimentary cooked-to-order breakfast in our on-site Flora Restaurant, meeting space, Manager's Receptions Monday - Thursday and complimentary scheduled shuttle service to Disneyland Resort and Knott's Berry Farm (reservations required). Choose the Radisson and see why we're one of the top Buena Park hotels $89-179.
Connect
Go next
- Anaheim - the home of the Disneyland Resort - 10 to 20 minutes (travel south on Beach Boulevard then east on Katella Avenue, take LA Metro, Interstate 5, or use the free shuttle from the Knott's Hotel)
- Long Beach - 20 minutes (travel west on State Route 91 then south on Interstate 710)
- Los Angeles - 25 minutes (take I-5 or an Amtrak/Metrolink train to LA Union Station)
- Hollywood - 32 minutes (travel to LA Union Station and transfer to the LACMTA Red Line)
- Orange County beach cities - 25 to 43 minutes (travel south on Beach Boulevard)
- Yorba Linda - Richard Nixon's Birthplace, Museum, Library, Burial, and Childhood home - 20 minutes (travel north on Beach Boulevard then east on the Imperial Highway/California State Route 90, or simply take the 91 freeway)
- San Diego - 2 hours (by train from Fullerton)
| Routes through Buena Park |
| Downtown L.A. / Los Angeles ← La Mirada ← | N  S
|
→ Anaheim → Santa Ana |
| Long Beach ← Artesia ← | W  E
|
→ Fullerton → Anaheim |