Williamsport, Pa- Knoebel's-York, PA- Baltimore About This Page:

[cre8fmom]

My family has won tickets in the lottery for the Little League World Series Championship game this August, so that means ROAD TRIP!

We have consulted our map, and have come up with the following route:

Williamsport, PA for LL game
Elysburg, PA for Knoebel's
York, PA for some factory tours
Baltimore, MD for Inner Harbor, Baltimore Orioles Field Tour, and Game

Travelers are me, DH, and by 15 year old boy/girl twins!

We have all hotel reservations made, but I would love to hear from anyone who has been to these places with suggestions, restaurants, and input on must do's/ can avoids!

Thanks in advance!

[Colexis Mom]

We were just at a Baltimore Orioles game a few weeks ago. Watch for it in my trip report (link in sig) although I haven't gotten to that point yet

We had a great time. Parking was cheap ($8) and we had cheap seats ($15 - well, about $21/each after all the charges )! Easy off I-95, and easy back on! It's a beautiful ballpark! We didn't do any restaurants or anything, but there seemed like there were quite a few right in the neighborhood, and of course there's ballpark food once inside The inner harbor is a quick walk away as well, which will give you more options if you're making a day out of it

[Belle0824]

I can't say enough good things about Knoebel's. It is about an hour from my hometown, so it was a staple growing up. First of all, it is one of the few parks left that you do not have to pay admission. Each ride is a certain price and you just buy tickets, or during the week, you can also buy a handstamp that gets you onto most of the rides. Some rides cost a bit extra, like the coasters and the Haunted House. They have a few wooden coasters that most, if not all, have received different awards over the years. They have some good kids' rides as well as rides for the grown ups. It is just a wonderful family park. Lots of food, rides, and entertainment. It really takes you back to a simpler time!

[emtpej]

Yes, there is a lot to see in and around Baltimore -- I'm in the middle of a TR, too!
There is a link in my sig.

[katydid]

I love the Inner Harbor, there is so much to see and do. I agree that the National Aquarium is fabulous. Take a water taxi from the inner harbor and visit Fort McHenry. This is a great National Park and the sight of the huge flag (star spangled banner) after the film presentation is so moving. During good weather months there is often some special activity happening in the inner harbor. Check their calendar for the exact dates you will be there. They had an extreme sports demo the last time I was there. The maritime museuem was well worthwhile too. For one price you get admission to several ships, a submarine, a lightship and a lighthouse too. We had a great docent on the sub and the teens were facinated with the conditions endured by the WWII vet who gave us a tour of the sister sub to the one he served on. The entire inner harbor is overflowing with restaurants that would appeal to any variety of tastes. You'll have a great time, try to spend as much time there as you can.

[emtpej]

Oh, and my article on the Aquarium is in the PassPorter newsletter, too!

[DyanKJ130]

The inner harbor is a wonderful place to visit! Lots of stuff to see and do! And, Camden Yards is a beautiful ballpark! It's been a few years since I've seen a game there, but DS just took a tour of the park last weekend while on his high school band competition trip and really enjoyed himself.

[JoanW]

We just did the Fort McHenry tour, and I have to say it was very good. We've been here our whole lives and I regret we didn't go before!

The stadium is a pretty hike to the Inner Harbor, but it is doable. Or take a cab. The stadium has good food, but the bigger restaraunts are in the Inner Harbor.

[Chrissi]

Sorry, I've been busy this weekend and missed this thread! Seriously, I could write a book about Knoebels! We go there every year for a week in August! I wrote an article for PassPorter News a few years ago that might help you get a feel for Knoebels: Knoebels Amusement Park - PassPorter.com.

I'll start you off with a Top Ten list of rides you must do while you're there.

1. Ride the Phoenix. No less than twice. Once early in the day before the line gets long and once after it gets dark. The park is open nearly every night in August until 10 pm and I love riding the Phoenix in that hour between 9 and 10.

2. Ride the Antique Cars. When Knoebels bought the Antique Cars, they discovered the turning radius was identical to the first turn of the Phoenix - so of course, they built it right under the Phoenix! It's more scenic during the day, but more exciting at night when the coaster trains sneak up on you and go whizzing by your car.

3. Take a ride on Ole Smokey - the coal-powered, mini steam train in Kiddieland. If you have a few minutes near the front of the line while you wait to board, strike up a conversation with the engineers. These men are a wealth of information about the trains and the history of Knoebels and the floods over the years.

4. The Skooters. You MUST ride the Skooters. The full size version is near the front of the park. They're real, hard-hitting, steel bumper cars. The ones that you grew up with that ram so hard they make your teeth rattle. If he's in a good mood, the Bumper King may even pose for a picture with you. The Bumper King is the grouch who runs the Skooters. He yells at you to turn around, drive the right way, etc. His bark is worse than his bite. He told us last year he may be retiring this season, so if he's there, have your picture taken with a legend.


5. Ride the Flyer. One of only two of these particular rides remaining, I believe. Wicked ride. Scares the poo out of me.

6. Take a trip through one of the most popular dark rides of all time - Knoebels Haunted House. DAFE chooses it more often than not as the top dark ride by dark ride enthusiasts every year! Knoebel's Haunted Mansion [DAFE]

7. Catch the brass ring on Knoebels' Grand Carousel. They still do it the old fashioned way and catching the brass ring does win you a free ride - well, ride tickets in the amount of whatever the cost of a ride on the Grand Carousel would be this season. At the end of your ride, keep an eye out for the kid who jumps on to collect the brass ring and distribute the prize tickets. They often jump on running backwards. It's a show in itself!

8. Hit the older rides that many amusement parks are pulling out of their parks these days in favor of newer, more high-tech thrills. The Whip, the Motor Boats (you steer - NO TRACKS), the High Speed Thrill Coaster, the Scenic Skyway, the Giant Wheel, Tilt-a-Whirl, and Spinning Teacups.

9. Sklooosh! and the Flume. Knoebels' two major water rides. Knoebels took great pains to remove as few trees as possible and engineer the Flume around the existing trees so it really feels like you're riding through the woods. There's also an awesome pool that's got half a dozen water slides.

10. Before you leave, it's kind of a tradition to ride the 1 1/2 mile long Pioneer Train at night before grabbing a soft ice cream cone or peanut butter and jelly milkshake from the Patio Grill. Everyone grabs a bench by the Playland Arcade and takes in the sounds of the carousel before heading out to the car.

[MEM]

Jill
If you feel up to a quick pp meet, you can find me anywhere from section 23-44 behind home plate on the lower deck. I work as an event staff supervisor for the Orioles so I'm at every game! Everyone else has given you good ideas regarding Baltimore's Inner Harbor and its neighborhoods.

[Chrissi]

Hey Jill, I know your message said you were interested in some tips and advice. I took it to heart. Sorry it took me so long to post this. The message board wouldn't let me post on this one thread the last two days! Weird. It's the high points of most of the eateries at Knoebels.

Knoebels: Top Fifteen Snacks and Eateries That Can’t Be Missed! (Couldn’t limit it to just ten choices!) Knoebels is known for its Golden Ticket-award-winning food, so don’t be shy about eating your way through the park. A day at Knoebels is a good day to forget your diet. http://www.knoebels.com/pdfs/GoldTix07.pdf - Check out the Golden Ticket Rankings for Best Park Food 2007 – Knoebels came in first – EPCOT came in second.

• Stony Gables Fudge and Nut Shop – The richest, most incredible fudge ever. We take home several pounds as souvenirs for friends and family every summer. BTW, if you have a child with a peanut allergy, you’ll want to avoid this entire area altogether because one wing of the Stony Gables Cottage was converted to a roasted peanuts stand. The air in this part of the park is permeated with peanuts. The other wing is the fudge kitchen and they use a lot of nuts anyway.
• Chicken and Waffles at the Alamo Restaurant. Comes with 2 waffles, boneless, skinless chicken (light and dark meat) and a heaping full gravy boat loaded with real chicken gravy. Not for the faint of heart. The Alamo also has a counter service area out front where they occasionally have Cheddar Cheese soup. On a rainy day, you can almost guarantee it’ll be on the menu. Hits the spot.
• Our traditional first meal of the trip has become a stop at The Wharf for lunch within an hour of our arrival. It sits on the edge of the creek and is NOT a seafood restaurant – despite the décor. For most people, steak sandwiches are the order of the day here, but we usually get a couple of their Gyro specials (Gyro with lamb, Martin’s kettle chips, and a pickle for about $4), an order of eggplant fries with steak sandwich sauce for dipping, and an order of fried mac & cheese bites for DJ. (We save the chips for midnight snacks and pig out on all the deep-fried goodness. ) Then we walk it off with a lookie-loo around the park to see what’s changed or moved since our last visit before we decide on the first ride of the trip.
• Phoenix Junction Steakhouse – the specials never seem to change, but they’re so good it doesn’t matter. It’s almost always crab cakes or jumbo fried shrimp with coleslaw, fries with vinegar, and a soft, hot dinner roll with tons of butter. We tried the burgers last year and if you love Burger King, you’ll love the frame-broiled burgers here especially. They also do a plethora of fried veggie choices like mushrooms, eggplant, cauliflower, zucchini, or you can get a combo order and try a little of each. Diet food it is not.
• The Deluxe Travelin Taco at the Roaring Creek Saloon snack bar. They dump all the best (HOT!) taco toppings into a bag of Fritos and hand you a fork. It’s good food-on-the go, but if there’s a magic show (check the schedule outside the saloon for show times), pull up a chair or grab a table for your group and enjoy the free show.
• Corn fritters at Totem Treats. Deep-fried spoonfuls of creamed corn. Free shows throughout the day at the bandshell right next door.
• Funnel cakes. Real, old-fashioned Amish funnel cakes. The funnel cake stand is right behing the remote control boats. (We ran into Dick Knoebel by the boats last year dealing with a change machine. ) The bees love the powdered sugar, so plan this snack for the evening hours if you can.
• Taco Pizza at Cesari’s. Spicy and hot like lava! Wash it down with a traditional favorite – white birch beer. Cesari’s also does a Hoagie Pizza that I’ve heard is really good, but I avoid onions, so I’ve never had it. My DH loves it, though.
• The Round Stand is a great place to get all the little local treats – baked potatoes, pierogies, sausage sandwiches, hot dogs, and waffle ice cream sandwiches. They make the waffles fresh while you wait.
• The International Food Court is Knoebels’ overlooked gem. We get breakfast there cheap daily and go back often throughout the week for all the things we love. Halushki, taco salads, sandwich wraps, pasta (tons of choices and awesome garlic bread), strawberry shortcake, a huge fruit salad (cheap!), deep fried brownies, The Helado (fried brownie sundae), deep-fried alligator bites, bison burgers, honey-stung fried chicken, kielbasa, and non-alcholic margaritas. (I like to grab a margarita and take it back to the cottage to add a little tequila. )
• The Trading Post at the Knoebels Campground. Just over the covered bridge is a little campground store where we most all of our groceries. But especially hot dogs, rolls, marshmallows, Hershey bars, and graham crackers. They even sell one-time-use and reusable roasting forks for your campfire. And not as expensive as you might think.
• The Oasis Cafeteria is an all-you-can-eat buffet. Usually fried chicken, fish fry, or pasta. Only one entrée per night, but plenty of everything and a few sides besides for less than $10/person. I believe kids under three are still free,
• Old Mill ice cream stand – near the Round Stand. Hard ice cream in lots of wacky flavors made by a local ice cream company – Turkey Hill. TastyKake Cupcake Chocolate ice cream. Nuff said.
• The Cookie Nook and Frozen Yogurt Stand are conveniently side-by-side. They’ll make you a sundae with the Otis Spunkmeyer cookies from next door – just ask! The Cookie Nook also sells gourmet coffee at all hours of the day and night. Southern Pecan coffee.
• Patio Grill – burgers around at the the side counter during the day. In the evening, it’s all hands on deck to handle the masses of people who stop by for their traditional soft ice cream or milkshake before heading home. No sundaes or milkshakes after 9:30 PM. Ice cream only and know what you want when you step up to the window.

All over the park, you’ll see cotton candy for sale – at less than half the price of most amusement parks or boardwalks down the shore. Can’t beat $2 for the same bag you’d get on the boardwalk for $6.