An Autistic Adventurer’s Look at Knott’s Berry Farm

The last time I went to Knott’s was for a trip with my middle school symphonic orchestra. At the time, I had only been formally diagnosed as Autistic for about a year, and we barely had any ideas on how to handle strategies. Since it was a school trip too, we had no idea about Autistic Accommodations at theme parks nor did we know how to handle this through my school orchestra. At the time, I had only been formally diagnosed as Autistic for about a year, and we barely had any ideas on how to handle strategies. Since it was a school trip too, we had no idea about Autistic Accommodations at theme parks nor did we know how to handle this through my school.

When I initially went to Knott’s, I had a mixed-bag experience. The coasters seemed very overwhelming to me with their intense thrills and loud noises. It was a major festival season, so we had tons of groups performing even in the quiet Ghost Town area. Most of my friends kept trying to get me to do bigger and bigger thrills, but I was too scared to follow them. And, at the time, I didn’t know how to pace myself because Knott’s was a brand-new experience, and I had to mentally prepare to perform on stage later that trip.

It took another ten years before I returned to Knott’s Berry Farm.

For those of you who don’t know, I have just started a blog and web series discussing issues that Autistic and neurodivergent people face regarding theme parks. As it stands, I am only just starting out. But I consider theme parks one of my special interests, or a subject that I love and try to learn as much about as I can. Since I already visited theme parks frequently, I figured that I could apply my attraction and theme park knowledge with my experiences as an Autistic person to help other neurodivergent people be able to have their best day at a park.

So, when Knott’s invited me out during the Boysenberry Festival, I jumped at the challenge.

Besides Disneyland, I consider Knott’s to be my major local home park. And, from the last time I visited, I remembered just how much the experience overwhelmed me. But that was ten years ago, and obviously, Knott’s has changed a lot since then, and so have I. So, knowing what I had learned from my background as a scientist, I decided to run a few tests. And like any proper mad scientist, I used myself as the guinea pig. Because I wanted to see firsthand how much the park had changed. And I wanted to see if a park that prioritizes major thrills could still allow for an Autistic Friendly experience.

The first thing that let me know that Knott’s is forward-thinking about people with disabilities is the website. Most other theme park websites make it difficult to find their disabilities page. But, Knott’s amazed me by placing their “Accessibility” page right in the middle of the “Park Info” tab. Then, when I opened the page, I saw the guides for the park, the “Boarding Pass” system, and “Tips For Guests With Autism.” This was a welcome surprise compared to the cryptic placement and hidden information while searching other theme park sites.

Finding the accommodations didn’t turn out to be a chore either. It helps when the guest services is right across from the largest and most iconic roller coaster in the park. The website did a great job mentioning that the guest services building was right across from the exit to Ghost Rider, and in the park, it wasn’t that hard to find. Especially because the same area had the Lockers and First Aid stations in the same spot. Basically, everything we needed to make a decent day was in a convenient spot.

Getting the Boarding Pass was an easy task too. All we needed to do was to walk up to the desk, show our tickets, say what the pass if for, and then, voila! We have a boarding pass and a set of orange wristbands to help denote who was in my group. No fuss, no muss. We were all set and ready to go for our day at Knott’s.

Now, I will admit that I did get a bit lost at times figuring out where and when to use the boarding pass. Sometimes, we had to enter through the ride’s exit. Sometimes, I entered the full line by accident because I couldn’t see the sign for the Boarding Pass and Fast Lane queues. And sometimes, we had to try a different line that split between the Fast Lane and Disability Access Lines. There didn’t seem to be too much of a consistent rule between line setups, and it did confuse me a bit more than usual.

However, I think the solution here is simple. If we can’t change the placement of the queues, then maybe we can simply ask for the assistance of park employees. Or alter the signs on rides to make them more obvious to people. I know that in a busy crowd, I can get confused easily about where I need to go. This especially happens with parks I am not too familiar with but having clearer instructions on where I need to go really helps me out.

Food is a major highlight at Knott’s, especially when you are at Knott’s for the Boysenberry Festival. Now, I had never tried Boysenberry before my latest visit to Knott’s, so why not try it in the place where it was practically invented? I must admit that having the Tasting card definitely helped me select what I wanted to try while making me feel less stressed about paying a lot for food. And that meant that if anything looked good, I could try on my own terms.

I will admit that trying new things is tricky especially if I am working off prior knowledge. For example, I find mustard often too spicy or harsh for me to like, so whenever I get mustard on something, I usually don’t enjoy it. But, because I knew that I could get a tasting portion through my Tasting card, I felt less pressured to force myself to try the Boysenberry Mustard Sausage and allowed myself to work at my own pace. And I loved this sausage and mustard so much! Honestly, boysenberry mustard is the first mustard I have enjoyed. But knowing how my brain budgets and thinks, I wouldn’t have taken the chance to even try it out.

My major sticking point with Knott’s is one that I did remember from years ago. Knott’s is a relatively compact park filled with massive roller coasters. With Knott’s focusing most of their major attractions on these iconic thrill attractions, you get a park that prioritizes a good number of thrills. But that also comes with one major problem: noise.

On my first day back at Knott’s, noise was a common issue among our adventuring party. Besides myself, I traveled the first half of the day with my parents and another Knott’s family with an Autistic child. And, whenever the coasters raced by, this child and I were the first two to cover our ears. I had to wear my earplugs most of the day on rides and off rides, compared to some of my visits to other theme parks where I could take out my earplugs and rest for a moment.

Since it would be ridiculous to tear down roller coasters, the solution here seems obvious to me. Taking a page from what other theme parks are doing, as Knott’s continues to evolve and change, I think it would be wise to improve sound dampening and include more quiet spots. Right now, the quietest spot in Knott’s is the still bustling Ghost Town area. I love Ghost Town with all its rustic vibe and awesome stuff, but the foot traffic of people also enjoying a classic Southern California attraction can sometimes make for a less-than-ideal quiet spot.

Even at a coaster park, neurodivergent people and members of the greater public need their moments of rest. And as much fun as watching the various wild west shows can be, plenty of time we need a moment to be quiet. When I saw the concept for the new Fiesta Village, I got pretty excited. The new architecture of the land as well as the placement of major rides and restaurants emphasizes theming and more of an improved ambiance to the land as a whole. And I hope that as a big part of this update, we can see more of an emphasis on allowing for places of rest and peace.

Knott’s Berry Farm has been a wonderful experience for me as an Autistic Adventurer. From my first visit, I have managed to get my accommodations with ease, find attractions that I am willing to try beyond the most extreme ones, and have been given a helpful environment to try something I wouldn’t have tried otherwise. Despite the noise flaws that come with any coaster park, I see Knott’s as an environment that is willing to improve and update its layout and behaviors. The park employees have been some of the most helpful in being approachable and friendly for people with disabilities. And, if they keep making these improvements as well as encourage a positive, accommodating environment through its employees, then I could see Knott’s as a wonderful potential environment for all Autistic Adventurers.

This article was originally published in the Knott's Berry Farm employee newsletter after a trip I was brought out to the park to experience first hand. I want to thank everyone at Knott's Berry Farm and Cedar Fair, who got me involved with this opportunity to even write this article in the first place.