My Visit to Knoebels

At age 22, I'd only been to a handful of amusement parks. I am an adrenaline junkie, and I love the feeling of falling out of the sky, but I just haven't had the money or time to take extended trips to go see amusement parks. At this point in time though, at the age of 22, I had already been to Knoebels, and it was time for me to go again. But this time, I would be going with my then girlfriend, who became a "BACA Child", or a kid who receives the services of Bikers Against Child Abuse. As such, I'll be sharing a bit about Knoebels and Baca both.

BACA (Bikers Against Child Abuse) began in 1995 when John Paul Lilly, known as the chief, noticed that a lot of his pediatric abuse patients still felt insecure in their neighborhoods and especially around their perpetrators. He noticed that whenever he rode his motorcycle with his friends, children felt safer and protected when he was around them. And so, he took one of his most favorite patients and invited some 40 bikers to the child house one day. The mother later reported that the child started riding his bicycle around the neighborhood again for the first time in months. The organization grew in popularity when a sexually abused child had to sit in court and testify against her father, who was also her abuser. BACA was there to stand behind her and support her every step of the way, and she became one of the most noteworthy BACA children.

Fast forward to 2016, where my girlfriend's PTSD regarding her father and his abuse has become so severe that it keeps her awake at night. She enlists to become a BACA child, quickly becoming part of the family, and before I know it, there are some 20 bikers or so at my house with her when I get off of work one day. I'm introduced to all of them, whom retain Anonymous identities for the sake of Health privacy, and do the same, giving me a nickname later that day. I became 'FIT', as I wanted to fit in and be physically fit. A month later, they have their annual picnic an amusement park they at Knoebels. I loved Knoebels the last time I went when I was 17, so I couldn't resist going.

Owned and operated by the Knoebels family since 1926, located in Elysburg Pennsylvania is Knoebels Amusement Park, the largest free admission amusement park in America. Although they have seen Leaps and Bounds over their career, they have long-standing Ben a family fun place for everybody, including roller coasters, a large water park, kids rides, haunted house attractions, and live entertainment. Going with BACA, my girlfriend and I got several bags full of Free Ride tickets, as well as free food. As such, the only thing I had to pay for the entire day was cotton candy. Needless to say, it was an awesome concept that I wasn't going to complain about.

Their oldest wooden roller coasters where the Phoenix and the tornado, and both will send you for a loop. No pun intended. There are two log flume rides are also and there are plenty of. Parking is also expansive, and even better yet, it is free. You can literally just walk around the park for the entire day and not get on any rides and not spend a dime. Or you can get a wristband for a day and spend $28, much better than any other amusement park I can think of. Whatever you decide, you will have a blast.

When the day is done, they have cheap catering services around every corner, and a family picnic & Campground. Staying the night there is also rather cost-efficient, as they have some of the cheapest camping fares Pennsylvania. It is family friendly, fun, and full of fantasy... And absolutely worth a visit if you can make it up there.