Spring is ending very, very soon and that means that Knott’s 15 acre water park, Knott’s Soak City, is set to open this weekend with two new acres of splashy fun, 7 brand new waterslides, a re-imagined eatery, and lush new landscaping. 

Why is a horror site writing about a waterpark? Shut up. It’s Knott’s and we love them.

To be honest, one visit years ago to the concrete vistas this park offered was enough for me for a while. However, Knott’s announced a major overhaul and expansion of Soak City last year after the park closed for the 2016 season. We got our first look at the work that has been done and can say it was impressive. We can also say we have already picked out our swimsuit and we can’t wait until the gates open on Saturday May 20th. 

Our tour began in the front entry of the park where the look has been softened with the addition of planters. Definitely a more inviting tone, the palm trees and tropical plantings lent a particularly California vibe to the entrance. Park-wide there are 20 brand new planters along with expansive replanting of the foliage.

Plenty of agapanthus left to be planted before the weekend!

Pretty impressive huh?

Additionally, work was underway in renovating the iconic surfer fountain that sits center stage at the front gates.

We were then toured past the first of three brand new drink stations located throughout. Yes, now it will be much easier to grab a soda once you have a cup handy. 

The water play area has now been renamed RK’s Beach House after Park President Raffi Karprelyan.

We headed over to the revamped Longboards counter serve restaurant. They really took this redo seriously. redone from top to bottom and expanded, the food location has been doubled in size and will feature a new menu with chicken tenders, fish and chips, wraps, and of course burgers and hot dogs.

New planters flank the entrance to Longboards

 
What is cool is that there is also an express lane for people just wanting to pop in and get a drink. The whole situation seems to have been thought out so well. There is even a new shaded outdoor seating area right out front.

Of course people come here for the water so, we were then taken over to the new waterslides. They removed the gigantic, low capacity slide called Pacific Spin (aka the toilet bowl ride) and replaced it with 7 new slides on two new towers.

First up was Shore Break. This Waterslide tower offers 6 options of watery fun with the Aqua-launch chambers and the dueling tube slides. 

Certainly the most thrilling addition to the park in years, Shore Break’s tangle of colorful tubes will have guests step into their own launch chambers to anxiously await the moment when the floor drops out from under them, sending them on a wild free fall down the 60 foot tubes.

For those looking to tube race to victory, the tower also features dueling tube slides. While slightly less insane, these look like they will pack a punch at the end with the final big drops.

We were next led over to The Wedge. A vast improvement in both capacity and thrills over Pacific Spin, this new family raft ride will hurl riders down twists and turns followed by the big splashdown. Management had the water flowing on this attraction and they invited two lifeguards that were on duty to come take a ride for the cameras. While in pants, a shirt, and my beloved Converse, I was more than tempted to dive into the water and take a ride for myself.

This slide as a conveyer belt for those massive rafts. WOOHOO!

Man! Lifeguards get to do all the cool stuff like save lives and ride waterslides early.

As we left the park teams of workers buzzed throughout the tropical landscape planting and putting the finishing touches on this refurbished and revitalized oasis.

Knott’s Vice President and General Manager, Jon Storbeck along with his team have lined themselves up to have a huge summer. Open from May 20th to September 10th, Knott’s Soak City will look better than it ever has and we are looking forward to spending our time here, chipping away at the time between us and Knott’s Scary Farm. See you there!

Guests can experience Knott’s Soak City Waterpark’s opening weekend celebration and much more with a 2017 Gold Season Pass. A Gold Pass includes unlimited 2017 admission to both Knott’s Berry Farm and Knott’s Soak City Waterpark. Gold Season Passes can be purchased online starting at $117.00 or 6 easy payments of $19.50. Applicable taxes and fees apply. The Season Pass payment plan is only available online at knotts.com