NEPA Scene Staff

Knoebels named ‘Favorite Traditional Amusement Park,’ ‘Best Park for Families,’ and more in national survey

Knoebels named ‘Favorite Traditional Amusement Park,’ ‘Best Park for Families,’ and more in national survey
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The National Amusement Park Historical Association released the results of its 30th annual NAPHA Amusement Park and Attractions Survey on Monday, May 2, and Knoebels Amusement Resort in Elysburg, Pennsylvania has once again been voted to the top in several categories.

Knoebels, which opened for its 90th season last weekend, was named “Favorite Traditional Amusement Park,” “Best Park for Families,” and “Best Post-Summer Season Park,” and its famous Phoenix roller coaster took “Favorite Wood Coaster” for the fifth consecutive time. Knoebels and Kennywood in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania have won “Favorite Traditional Amusement Park” since 1996, running neck and neck and swapping the top two positions every few years. Knoebels was No. 1 in 2010, 2012, 2013, and 2014.

Knoebels also jumped from No. 2 to 1 in the “Best Park For Families” category, switching those positions with Idlewild & Soak Zone in Ligonier since 2010. The park’s Halloween-themed Hallo-Fun events in the fall helped Knoebels win “Best Post-Summer Season Park.”

“We’re honored to share the news,” Knoebels wrote on its website. “The average NAPHA member has been to more than 125 different amusement parks and has ridden about 350 roller coasters!”

The NAPHA survey is the oldest of its type, and members “are typically experienced riders who have visited countless amusement parks and have ridden a diverse assortment of roller coasters and other rides,” according to the organization’s website.

“While perusing survey results is fun for enthusiasts,” NAPHA’s Survey Coordinator Marlowe McClasky Futrell said, “parks also are interested in the findings, and many incorporate the results into their publicity materials.”

Opened in 1926, Knoebels is a family-owned and operated and can boast being America’s largest free-admission amusement park. With new and classic rides dating back to the early 1900s, swimming, campgrounds, a picnic grove, miniature golf, restaurants, and more, Knoebels was rated No. 2 in the Travel Channel‘s Top 10 Family Friendly Amusement Parks in the United States in 2014.