It was a bright, sunny California morning on Saturday, May 20th, when a tidal wave of fun hit Orange County California, opening Knott’s Soak City. Right across the street from Knott’s Berry Farm, of our very favorite theme parks in the world, is an oasis of aquatic insanity that has vastly improved their offerings park wide. By expanding the oceanic adventures a full two acres, and adding 7 brand new waterslides, Knott’s Soak City has reinvented itself as a world class waterpark.
Vice President & General Manager – Knott’s Berry Farm, Jon Storbeck, flanked by a steel drum band, cut the ribbon early Saturday morning, kicking off the 2017 season at the park. Entering the gates we see a far more tropical welcome with planters of tropical and Mediterranean foliage cushioning the former concrete quad.
Entering the park we see that the promise to plus the landscaping and overall feel of the park was fulfilled.
Shore Break
We went to check out the brand new Shore Break waterslide towers to see how they were holding up on opening day and were met with splashes and smiles. The new Shore Break Tower, which features two raft slides and four drop slides were a huge hit. Regarding the drop slides, we heard one guest literally say “That was the scariest slide in here.”
What are the drop slides? They are the four tallest slides in the park. Here guests enter a singler person chamber and, once in position, the floor drops out from under them, sending them on a hair-raising race to splashdown.
This waterslide tower takes single riders on an adrenaline-filled water adventure as thrill-seekers board one of four Aqua Launch chambers to await the chamber’s floor dropping from beneath their feet sending them on a high speed free fall down a 60-foot tall slide and through a series of exhilarating drops and daring loops. Additionally, Shore Break offers two dueling tube slides which will have riders zipping through adventurous drops and turns as they soak up the warm summer sun.
The more tame racing raft rides proved just as fun with final drops that landed guests in the splash pool.
The launch this kid got was hilarious.
Kid’s Stuff
Of course Knott’s Soak City still offers plenty for the lil’ ones to do in the water too. Gremmie Lagoon is a toddler play area, with adjacent lawn and park area, where parents and little fishlings can splash and swim.
Family Stuff
Okay but not all of the family stuff has to be tame. RK’s beach house, named after park President Raffi Kaprelyan, gives rambunctious party people a place to play with the occasional bucket full of water poured over the entire structure.
We also have the wave pool, at the far end of the park. One place where you could get your tan on, the Tidal Wave Bay could stand a little more shade for those keeping an eye on guppies. Regardless, on our visit, we noticed an impressive amount of lifeguards ready, happy, willing to engage guests and make sure they were having a great time.
The Tube and Cabana rentals were off to the right of the Tidal Wave Bay.
Of course the Old Man Falls and Malibu Rub tower was fully refurbished and ready for riders.
Food
The fifteen acre waterpark has two food locations to service the hungry masses, along with three brand new separate Coke beverage stations.
Portside Pizza is the first place that you see entering the park. The prices are reasonable here, but, keep moving. the lines are too long and uncovered.
Longboards
The fully refurbished Longboards is by most accounts a great improvement. Knott’s has doubled the size of the counter serve food location and created a new, covered seating area just outside the entrance.
Again, here the prices are pretty reasonable with a large range of options for hungry guests. We opted for the Grilled Chicken Sandwich, with fries. To be honest, these are some of the best fries we have had in a theme park. The sandwich was good but not, like, amazing. Still, after getting food, you have access to the dressing and condiment bar. So many pickles.
Refill Stations
As mentioned, there are three brand new refill stations throughout the park. One near Tidal Wave Bay, one at Longboards, and one near the brand new family raft slide.
Yes. This is a horror site. Why are we covering a waterpark? Because it’s Knott’s and they create one of the best Halloween Haunts on the planet. They know fun and they know how to create year round awesome. The other thing is that the summer months mean one thing. We are THAT much closer to the most wonderful time of the year. NOT CHRISTMAS YOU FOOL! Knott’s Scary Farm’s Halloween Haunt! Come splay and play. The scares are just a few months away.
