Tips for Visiting Knott's Scary Farm

READ THIS BEFORE YOU GO! IT WILL HELP YOU GET THE MOST OUT OF YOUR EXPERIENCE!

-- CHOOSING A DAY TO GO--
Before you go to Haunt, plan your night accordingly. Weekdays are the BEST days to go because it is not so crowded and you are more likely to do everything you want to do. Be aware though that the closer it gets to halloween, the more crowded it will get, even on weekdays. If you must go on a weekend, try to go the first two weeks of Haunt, or on the very last night. Surprisingly, HALLOWEEN NIGHT IS RARELY CROWDED!

-- TICKETS --
After you have decided on what night to go, you will need to buy tickets. Burger King always has discount coupons and sometimes their discounts are even better than the employee discount. Annual passholders also get coupons in the mail. Buying tickets on the website is cheaper than ticketmaster, and buying them at the gate is cheaper than the website (no service charge). Unfortunately ticket prices have been steadily increasing year after year due to Disney raising their prices and more and more new mazes/shows being added to the park. But ya know what, for all that Knott's offers, it's still a good deal. Some Haunts charge high prices and you only get 1-3 mazes! I've seen some places charge up to $15 for ONE MAZE! This year (2008) Knotts has 13 mazes, 6 shows, 3 street zones, and all of the normally operating rides! But if you want lower prices, go earlier in the month because the discounts on the coupons decrease the closer it gets to halloween.

-- PARKING --
Parking sucks and is expensive so get there early (5:30/6:00ish). I highly suggest buying the pre-scare dinner because you get good food at the buffet (it includes Mrs. Knott's chicken) and you get into the park an hour early & a refillable water bottle (water is $4 so it saves you money). Be advised that on busy nights, the parking lot on Beach Blvd will be crowded but there are also parking lots on La Palma Ave. and Western Ave. There is also street parking on Crescent Ave or other surrounding streets. Parking is around $10 so try looking for street parking if you get there early. There is also a parking lot behind Fat Burger.

-- HOTELS --
The Radisson next to knotts is by far the best place to stay. It is right next to the park and the rooms are nice. You can buy packages that include the room, your haunt tickets, and pre-scare. Burger King has coupons for this too. But BOOK EARLY! On busy nights the hotel will get booked fast. And in all honesty, you do NOT want to stay in any of the motels near knott's. They are SCARY. I've stayed at the Crescent Motel (it's ok- you get a bed, a tv, and a bathroom.. thats about it), the Good Night Inn (probably the best of the sleazy motels around knotts), the Home Town Inn (on beach blvd- it's not bad, the staff is friendly but I still consider it a creepy motel), and a friend stayed at the Covered Wagon (SCARY!!). Your best bet is to go with a reputable hotel chain and not chance it with the creepy motels.

-- GETTING INTO THE PARK --
When you are ready to go into the park, you will go through security/metal detectors and they will check your bags. Save time by having your bags ready and metal out of your pockets. DON'T BRING DRUGS OR ALCOHOL. Come on, be smart for once k? It is a family park, just remember that (meaning keep PDA minimal too). Lines to get into the park can take a LONG time (we're talking an 1 hr +) so bring something to do if you get there late on a busy night. Sometimes they open the rear entrance on Western Ave. which is way less crowded than the main entrance on Beach Blvd. There is also an additional entrance behind the chicken dinner restaurant.

Once you get into the park, pick up a map and decide what mazes/shows/rides are MUST-SEES for you. If you know you are going on a busy night and are gonna be waiting to get into the park for a while, I suggest printing out the maze/show info from Knotts.com and plan your night with your group while you wait in line. Planning is critical on busy nights. If you went through a maze last year, odds are it hasn't changed much so hit the new stuff first. The rides are the most popular (I can't figure out why- they are pretty much the same as they are in the daytime but with a few monsters and decorations) so you might want to get those out of the way first. I highly encourage you to check out websites like www.ThemeParkAdventure.com and read the reviews (especially the message board!!) before you decide to go to them because you don't want to waste valuable maze time stuck in a show that might not be what you expected. Plot your night, it will help you get the most out of your time. Also note that mazes change on a yearly basis. Most mazes last 3-5 years so if you were expecting a certain maze to come back and you don't see it listed, odds are it was retired. Sorry. :(

-- MONSTER ETTIQUETE--
Do not be a jerk! Monsters do not appreciate the following: rude comments, back talk, "scare my friend!" (we don't tell you how to do your job), "I see you!" (thanks, you just ruined it for everyone around you), "you're not scary" (would you tell someone they aren't pretty? they aren't smart? etc), NO TOUCHING, HITTING, KICKING OR GRABBING WHATSOEVER (it is THE fastest ticket to getting booted from the park/ arrested), no coming up behind us and yelling in our ear (it is unnecessary to be a dousche when we are just triyng to do our job). Just remember... you PAID to get scared and we get paid to scare you. If you get too scared, you can always leave, but don't get mad at the monsters for scaring you!

Cameras are allowed but PLEASE don't be rude and flash your camera in the monsters' faces. They do not appreciate it. If you ask nicely, most do not mind taking pictures with you, but if they decline, don't get offended. Monsters are not there to play concierge with you either... monsters have an attitude as part of their character so a lot of them prefer not to answer questions or give you directions. If you have questions, save yourself the frustration and ask a uniformed employee. Monsters are not trying to be rude but they are playing a character and they do not like having to get out of character to play information booth.

-- CHILDREN/ HANDICAPPED--
If you are thinking about taking your children to Haunt, please note that Haunt is recommended for kids 13 and older. In all honesty, I wouldn't trust your teen alone at Haunt either, so send a chapperone. You would not believe how a lot of teens act at Haunt! They are making out all over the place, some are drunk or stoned, and a majority just get out of control. I'd say 16 or 17 is probably a better age to let your kid go alone unless you know your kid is mature enough to be responsible. Kids in a stroller... what are you thinking?!?! Just don't. Find a babysitter instead. Also, manual wheelchairs are available. Electric wheel chairs are not rented because they are difficult to operate in the dark. Also, if you are going with someone with lung problems, make sure they bring a rescue inhaler or something because some people can't handle the fog.

-- MAZE TIPS--
On busy nights, long lines are to be expected. Do the new mazes first. Some mazes sell 3D glasses for $1 but you can use the same pair in every 3D maze. You are not allowed to use flash photography in the mazes unless you ask permission from the monster you are photographing. If the line is long, please step aside for your photo so you are not holding up the line. Also, most mazes are wheel chair accessible except for Labyrinth (located in Camp Snoopy/ the Gauntlet street zone), which has stairs. When in mazes, please do not touch the props/decorations or bodies. Obviously, do not STEAL anything because you will be hunted down and thrown out of the park. And please do not hit the walls... it is annoying, it is stupid, and unnecessary. Just walk through, get scared, don't get in our way, and let us do our job. And NEVER touch the talent! If you bring drinks into the maze, put the caps on. If you bring food into the maze, wrap it up. Just treat the mazes as if you were a guest in someone's house and be respectful. A LOT of good people spent a lot of time, blood, sweat, and tears working for months to build the mazes, and it is a slap in the face if you come through and wreck them. Also, it is best to go through the mazes before 9pm or after 10pm- tis is when a lot of monsters have lunch and the mazes do not have as many monsters in them. On the other side of the coin, this is a GOOD time to go if you have a scardey cat in your group.

-- SHOW TIPS--
If you want a good seat, get there 15 minutes early. For the Hanging, there is no seating, just standing room only in Calico Square. This show gets PACKED so get there at least 30 min. early if you want to be able to see anything. If you need to get to the other side of the park, avoid Calico square during the Hanging because you will not be able to pass through easily. It takes less time to take a detour around Calico Square than it is to push through the crowd.

-- STREET ZONE TIPS--
Chainsaws are in Ghost Town and CarnEvil. If you do not like chainsaws, stay in the Gauntlet. Each street zone is different in how they scare. Ghost Town is known for being "dark/creepy scary", as is the Gauntlet. CarnEvil is a brightly lit area with clowns, so you will see a lot of goofy/scary stuff going on in CarnEvil. They also have a stage set up this year for the monsters to put on shows. The Gauntlet has a medieval theme so you will find the royal court with a king and queen, jesters, knights, peasants, etc. They also have a stage. The Gauntlet is unique in that they have a drum line that plays every sunday at 9:00 with a procession that leads from Lucy's Lunch Box to the stage where a Monster of the Week award ceremony and sliding show follows. This is fun and not to be missed! I know Ghost Town also has sliding shows in Calico Square but I do not know what time or day they do it.

-- PARK CLOSING--
Half an hour before the park closes is when everyone starts to leave so the exit gates and parking lots will be CROWDED. If you have taken sharp shooter photos at all during the night, I suggest you view/ purchase them during the night because once everyone starts to leave, the photo booths & souvenier shops get SWAMPED and you could be waiting a VERY long time. Take your time heading to your car cause everyone will be rushing to leave. That's all you need to know now, so have fun! Be safe and get scared!


**** MY PERSONAL HAUNT SCHEDULE ****
I've gone as a guest twice this year so here is what order I did the mazes. I plotted my night according to the location of the mazes in the park and according to their quality. I've worked there for 5 years now as a monster and for 4 years on the build crew so I know the ins & outs of Haunt, so take this schedule as GOLD. This is your NO FAIL game plan for a good night.

1. Enter the park and walk through the Gauntlet.
2. Go through Labyrinth.
3. Walk out of the Gauntlet to Fiesta Village and go through Quarantine.
4. Continue walking through Fiesta Village and go through Corn Stalkers. **Note: on busy nights, they push the maze enterance all the way back to Xcelerator. So in this event, go through CarnEvil and go through Killer Clown Kollege and Corn Stalkers.
5. When you come out of Corn Stalkers you will end up back in the Gauntlet. You have now covered half the park. You can take this chance to stop and get some food. Eat in Lucy's Lunchbox for short lines.
6. Walk back through the Gauntlet to Alien Annihilation which is next to Sierra Sidewinder.
7. Walk back to the front entrance of Knott's and go through Ghost Town to Ghost Rider where you will find The Asylum and Club Blood. If you had photos taken of you, view/purchase them at the entrance to Ghost Town.
8. After hitting Asylum and Club Blood, continue walking through Ghost Town to the Doll Factory. Now would be a good time to buy souvenirs.
9. After the Doll Factory, you will be let out back into Ghost Town. Walk through Calico Square in the direction of Johnny Rockets and head past it to the left to Lost Vegas.
10. After Lost Vegas, walk towards Big Foot Rapids where you will find the entrance to 13 Axe Murder Manor.
11. 13 Axe Murder Manor will let you out back where you entered it, so if you want to, you can head back towards Calico Square and to the Mine Ride (Black Widow's Cavern) and the log ride (Pyromaniax). I suggest doing the log ride last because if you get wet, you'll be done anyway and will probably be heading home so you won't be out in the cold all night).

I don't really watch the shows, but you can always squeeze them in anywhere in there.