Knotts Berry Farm Tickets

Strap in for fun at Southern California amusement parks

LOS ANGELES - There's a lot more than pixie dust swirling through the air at Disneyland and Disney California Adventure as construction crews, earth-moving excavators and towering cranes work on several theme park rides set to debut this summer and beyond.

The headliner is the $100-million Little Mermaid: Ariel's Undersea Adventure at California Adventure in Anaheim. The elaborate dark ride takes visitors on a family-friendly musical underwater journey based on "The Little Mermaid," the 1989 animated movie.

California Adventure visitors should be forewarned that the construction dust won't settle until 2012, when the 12-acre Cars Land and the main entrance makeover are completed.

Across the way at Disneyland, the long-anticipated reboot of the classic Star Tours motion simulator attraction also is open, with riders experiencing 54 possible story lines resulting in a different beginning, middle and end for each journey.

On May 27, the music-centric Mickey's Soundsational Parade made its debut on Disneyland's Main Street USA with dancers, drummers and two dozen Disney characters.

Southern California's other theme parks are planning a series of new attractions to counter Disney's continuing $1.1-billion expansion project.

Six Flags Magic Mountain will reclaim the "Roller Coaster Capital of the World" title in mid-June with the addition of a first-of-its-kind ride in the U.S.

The Green Lantern vertical coaster will feature suspended trains that rock back and forth on the straightaways and rotate head over heels as the cars plunge over freefall drops.

The Valencia amusement park reopened the revamped Superman: Escape From Krypton shuttle coaster in March with new trains that rocket riders backward at 100 mph.

The 301-foot-tall WindSeeker will change the Knott's Berry Farm skyline when the $5-million spinning swing ride debuts at the Buena Park theme park in late June or early July. WindSeeker will carry 64 riders in twin-seat gondolas to the top of the tower, where the ride's metal arms will extend at a 45-degree angle and spin at 30 mph for one minute.

At Legoland California in San Diego County, the new Star Wars Miniland renders epic battles, iconic cityscapes and massive machines in an intimate 1:20 scale. The new "Star Wars" attraction, which opened in March at the Carlsbad park, uses 1.5 million Lego bricks to build a visual timeline stretching from the first film in the series to the latest television cartoons based on the space fantasy.

Free Admission to Knott's Soak City and Knott's Berry Farm – July ...

Knott’s Berry Farm and three of Southern California Knott’s Soak City water parks, San Diego, Palm Springs and Buena Park, are pleased to announce that they will be offering FREE admission to active and retired United States Military personnel on Sunday and Monday of Independence Day (July 3-4) weekend (CLICK AT BOTTOM FOR MORE INFO). Additionally, all three of Knott’s Soak City Water Parks – San Diego, Buena Park and Palm Springs – will be offering FREE admission to active and retired United States Military personnel on Sunday and Monday of Independence Day (July 3-4) weekend as part of their Tribute to the Armed Forces Program. A valid military ID must be presented to receive free admission. Active and retired members of the U.S. military will also be able to purchase discounted admission tickets for members of their immediate family (maximum of six) for Knott’s Berry Farm for only $31.99 for each Regular ticket and $25.99 for each Regular Knott’s Soak City ticket. “Our men and women in the military work tirelessly to protect and serve our country,” said Marty Keithley, General Manager of Knott’s Berry Farm, “this is just a small way in which we can thank them for their efforts.“ Knott’s Berry Farm is owned and operated by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, a publicly traded partnership that is listed for trading on The New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “FUN”.

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