Knott’s Merry Farm Brings Rustic Christmas Fun

Theme Parks all across the country are transforming into magical wonderlands for Christmas, Knott’s Berry Farm in Southern California is no exception. Knott’s Merry Farm has a charm that is uniquely pleasant and will delight guests of all ages. Knott’s has been becoming the Merry Farm during the holidays for several years, and each year gets better. They compliment their every day old town western theming with a great rustic Christmas overlay, delicious food options, and fantastic festive shows. Here are some of the offerings that can be experienced this year.

Christmas Crafts Village

One of the things about Knott’s that makes it such a wonderful park is the authentically themed Ghost Town. Ghost Town has been decked up and transformed into Christmas Crafts Village. Here there are lots of pop-up shops with merchants selling everything from greeting cards, leather goods, and artwork and everything in between. Also roaming the grounds are carolers singing Christmas classics. I just love the rustic charm of Ghost Town.

Calico Saloon Christmas Show

The Calico Christmas show is a charming show that includes singing, great piano accompaniment and lots of laughs. This show stars Cameo Kate and and her beau Dakota Dan. The show is housed in a replica old west saloon, so you know you are in for a treat. There is some audience participation, so don’t be surprised if Cameo Kate strolls down and asks you to buy her a Sarsaparilla while she serenades you. This is a very entertaining show that should not be missed.

Santa’s Christmas Cabin

Come meet jolly old Saint Nick himself at Santa’s Christmas Cabin. Inside this cozy cabin there are some fantastic treats like, Santa’s Homemade Cookies and Milk, Cupcakes, Snoopy Christmas Cookies, Warm Roasted Nuts, Egg Nog, Boysenberry Crapes, specialty coffee and hot chocolate. Just outside the cabin you can spend some time on the patio where you can enjoy a nice selection of wine, port and craft beer. In the name of research we sampled almost everything on the menu, and it was all delicious. The kids particularly enjoyed the warm cookies and the hot candy dipped mugs filled with hot chocolate. This was really a great place to take some time to relax, unwind and get into the holiday spirit. If you visit Santa’s Cabin be sure to take your free photo at the photo kiosk. You can then email to yourself and have a wonderful souvenir of your trip to Santa’s Christmas Cabin.

Christmas on Engine 41

Knott’s signature steam train get’s a Christmas makeover and takes guests on a journey thru Calico and Ghost Town.

A Christmas Carol / The Gift of the Magi – Bird Cage Theatre

The Birdcage Theatre sits in Ghost Town and offers two holiday shows. The Charles Dickens classic, A Christmas Carol and The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry. On our visit we saw a Christmas Carol. It is an abridged version of the classic story of Ebenezer Scrooge with only six actors playing all of the parts. While it was abridged, the show still clocked in at 45 minutes. A bit long for a theme park show with so many other things to do. But the performances were solid and the show was great. Considering the length of the show it was amazing that they were able to keep all the children in the audience engaged the entire time. That really speaks to the quality of the production and the actors in the show considering Santa was just footsteps away in his cabin.

Snoopy’s Ice Show – Merry Christmas

During the Holiday season the crown jewel of Knott’s Merry Farm is Snoopy’s Ice Show, this year called, “Merry Christmas, Snoopy.” With high production values, and professional level figure skaters, Snoopy’s Ice Show is fun for the whole family. Since it is a very popular show it is recommended that you get to the Charles Schultz theatre early to secure a seat. It is definitely a must see part of Knott’s Merry Farm.

Snow in Ghost Town

Once it gets dark, the lights of Ghost Town light up and several times throughout the evening, it snows. Each show consists of a song playing throughout Ghost Town with the lights blinking in time with the music. The finale of the show is snow! Well, California snow showered down on the guests as the lights glisten and the music fills the air. Very cool.

With so much to see and do at Knott’s Merry Farm, there was no way we could see it all. Here are a few of the holiday offerings that are available but we were unable to see.

Christmas Time is Here Charlie Brown

Over in Camp Snoopy, Charlie Brown, Linus and Lucy invite you to dance, sing and join in on the holiday fun in the live show, “Christmas Time is Here, Charlie Brown”.

Snoopy’s Merriest Tree Lighting

It was strange because this show was happening at the same time while we were watching Snoopy’s Ice show. Snoop must be a fast beagle to be able to perform at two shows at one time! Here are some pictures after the show.

Overall Knott’s Merry Farm is a great time and the cost is less than half of what Disneyland down the street costs. It’s fun, charming, and full of Christmas spirit. With all of the Christmas fun and plenty of rides including the all new Voyage to the Iron Reef, Knott’s is a great ticket!

DISCLOSURE: Adventures by Daddy was hosted by Knott’s Berry Farm for the purposes of experiencing K and sharing this recap.  However, all opinions expressed are those of the author.  For more family travel news, reviews, and trip reports, be sure to follow Adventures by Daddy on twitter and “like” our facebook page too.