It’s been over 10 years since I have stepped foot in Knott’s Berry Farm, 10 years too long! I have fond memories of coming here as a kid. I would stay up all night with knots (or should I say Knott’s) in my stomach from the anticipation of riding Montezuma’s Revenge and going upside down on Boomerang. I remember mining for gold, trying boysenberries for the first time and meeting Snoopy. Everything I just wrote reminds me of how much I love Knott’s Berry Farm so you can imagine my excitement when I received an invitation to attend their  media night last Thursday for Knott’s Scary Farm. It’s described as the largest and most terrifying Halloween event in Southern California with 11 mazes, 1000 monsters, 2 shows and 13 thrill rides. I invited my friend Jen from San Diego to come with me. We drove to Orange County (Buena Park) and arrived to the media check in at 6:30pm and received a press kit with goodies that included a schedule of activities, tarot cards and a special skeleton key that granted us access to special rooms in many of the mazes. Keep reading to find out about my frightening experience at Knott’s along with 7 reasons why Knott’s Scary Farm is the Halloween attraction you don’t want to miss.

After checking in, we entered the park and were immediately greeted by scary creatures roaming around  in costume. I knew I had to be prepared for monsters jumping out at me all night! This leads me to reason number 1 to attend Knott’s Scary Farm:

1. You will be spooked during your entire visit!- That’s right, everywhere you turn will have a scary surprise!

We made out way  to the media reception and I was happy to run into many of my Orange County and LA social media friends who I don’t get to see often. It was great catching up with everyone while enjoying delicious and scary treats including the famous boysenberry pie and Frankenstein desserts! I am blessed to be connected with so many smart and successful leaders in the social media and tech community online. Social media allows me to keep up with everyone’s day to day lives so when I see a social media friend in person, we take off right where we left off, which is from our last Tweet. Reason number 2 to attend Knott’s Scary Farm:

2. The sweet treats!- The media reception was filled with special Halloween treats like the Frankenstein and skull shaped chocolates filled with berries and cream. I am not sure if they sell these around the park but I do know they always have an abundance of berry pie and funnel cake! While I promote healthy eating, I also believe in balance and splurging once in a while.

After the reception we headed out to explore. At first I wasn’t sure what to expect at a Knott’s Scary Farm maze but I soon realized why there was so much hype around them and why mazes are another reason why you need to attend Knott’s Scary Farm!

3. Knott’s Scary Farm Mazes– I would describe each maze as a themed haunted house. Usually when you visit a haunted house, you wait in line, walk in the house, come out alive (hopefully) and then it’s over. Well Knott’s Scary Farm has 11 different mazes! Each one has it’s own theme. The theme decorations really add an extra element of fun. Each room is carefully thought out and designed according to the theme. My favorite mazes were Trick or Treat, The Tooth Fairy and Voodoo. The lines get quite long so I highly recommend getting the Fright Lane with Skeleton Key package.

4. Fright Lane with Skeleton Key- Purchasing this add on with your ticket will make your Knott’s Scary Farm experience more enjoyable. The Fright Lane pass allows you to skip the line and go straight to the front of each maze. The Skeleton Key gives you access to 5 bonus rooms that are found in some of the mazes. The bonus rooms may include someone telling you more of the story about that particular maze, a cool decoration or extra monster.

I have always enjoyed watching shows at theme parks because it gives me a chance to take a break from walking around but at the same time I’m still being entertained. Knott’s Scary Fam featured 2 shows,  Elvira’s Asylum and The Hanging. I was able to catch Elvira’s show and highly recommend it as another reason you must attend Knott’ Scary Farm!

5. Watch the legendary Elvira– Mistress of the Dark – Elvira’s Asylum has everything from comic relief, acrobats, dancing, singing and much more! You will want arrive to the show early to grab a good seat!

My favorite part of attending a theme park is the rides! The first one  we went on is my favorite of all time, Montezuma’s Revenge!  I also rode Pony Express, Jaguar, Supreme Scream, Sierra Sidewinder and the scariest looking ride of all, Xcelerator! This was my first time attending a Halloween event with so many thrill rides, and it definitely adds another element to my list of why Knott’ Scary Farm is a must!

6. Thrill Rides- There are 13 thrill rides you can enjoy as part of your Knott’s Scarm Farm adventure. The lines for the rides weren’t more than 20-30 minutes, many of them did not even have a wait. I am not sure if this will be the case for the rest of the season, but since most people are checking out the mazes, this might be your chance to hop on a few more rides. Being on the rides at night definitely makes them scarier!

My last reason for attending Knott’s Scary Farm is one I didn’t actually get to experience. Even with having a reserved time, the line was so long that we decided to skip it. However, from the looks of how popular it was, I definitely want to mention it.

7. Special Ops: Infected- Patient Zero– This is an interactive laser tag experience where you will fight off zombies! I recommend reserving a time in advance to do this since it had the longest line of anything  I saw at Knott’s Scary Farm.

The park stayed open until 1am. If you get in a ride line before 1am, they still allow you to ride it. We stayed the entire time and closed the place down! This was by far the best Halloween event I have ever attended. It was unique because of every reason I listed above and the fact that Knott’s Scary farm is able to combine so many elements into one amazing experience truly deserves them praise and a visit this Halloween season! I can’t wait to come back to Knott’s. Feel free to share with me your favorite attractions at Knott’s Scary Farm and have a wonderful Halloween! You can get tickets and more information HERE.

*Xcelerrator Roller Coaster Photo from: Bucket List Productions