In addition to the classic burgers, chicken nuggets and french fries, and Pennsylvania favorites like pierogi and potato pancakes, Knoebels Amusement Resort offers oddities like alligator bites and, new this year, Liege waffles.
Tony Rodriguez is the food and beverage director.
“We are known for our food,” he said. “We’ve won the Golden Ticket Award over 20 times.”
Knoebels has won Golden Ticket Awards from Amusement Today for best food, best wooden coaster, and best carousel in the world.
The park has several food zones with sit-down and quick service options. New this year: boneless wings, bubble tea, and a pizza of the week and a burger of the week, just to name a few. More than 3-dozen new items were added in 2024.
The Old Mill ice cream stand celebrates 50 years with a new ice cream flavor, Roaring Creek Ripple, and two new sundaes.
The Liege waffles, named for a town in Belgium, have been a hit so far, Rodriguez said.
“I would say this year has the most new menu items that I can recall. And I’ve been here a while. This is my 28th season,” he said. “I started at the Alamo when I was 14 back in 1984.”
Jonathan Slodysko also started working at Knoebels when he was 14.
"My very first day was actually picking up mats at the bottom of the sky slide," he said.
He is now ride operations manager at the park. For many employees, it runs in the family.
"My mom and dad actually both worked down here, my sister worked down here," he said. "Knoebels is a very unique family business."
'A family park'
The original founder, Hartman Henry Knoebel, sold the park to his sons for $1 in 1950.
Brian Knoebel is from the fourth generation of the Knoebel family.
“Until the Phoenix came in 1985, I had a normal childhood. I really did. Knoebels was not overly busy,” he said. “I was 12 when the Phoenix came, and I could notice a big change happening.”
In the 55 years Lillian Kline has worked at the park, she has always enjoyed watching the rides be built.
She is a breakfast cook at the park. Everybody calls her Grandma.
“I have more grandchildren than anybody," she said. "It is a family park isn’t it?”
"How many places across the nation can say they've had five generations of family that have worked at one business," Knoebel said with gratitude.
As the park approaches its 100th anniversary in 2026, they are planning a big celebration. Knoebel says the family's values have stayed the same.
"We forever want to have no gate, we forever want to not charge for parking. Knoebels is that place of yesteryear where you walk on the gravel stones, plenty of park benches to sit under the canopy of trees hearing the sounds of Knoebels," he said. "If we can just keep that momentum going, there'll be a 200th."
Knoebels Amusement Resort in Elysburg, Northumberland County is open Saturdays and Sundays through May and every day of the week beginning in June, according to the 2024 Calendar.
