Knott's Offers 2016 Changes, Celebrations and Additions For Ghost Town's 75th

© Knott's Berry Farm

With Halloween now over for another year, Knott's Berry Farm has turned its full attention to 2016 and in turn has announced a plethora of additions, changes and more for next year.

The fun will be centered around Ghost Town, the park's famous themed land that will celebrate its 75th anniversary in 2016.  One of the most anticipated additions will be Ghost Town Alive!, which allows "guests young and young at heart to live the west through inventive new ways to interact with characters and environments as each day, a different story will unfold throughout all of Ghost Town.  From pledging one's allegiance to notorious bandits, to saving the day alongside courageous cowboys, guests play an active role in shaping the events of the day.  Every evening, the day's story culminates with a town wide celebration of 75 years of Calico."

The area's famous "peek-ins" will also come to life for the celebration, where select buildings will be renovated to feature live actors that invite guests to come inside and play along - including the Sheriff's Office, a brand new Horse Stable and even the Barber Shop.

© Knott's Berry Farm

Located just outside Ghost Town, the Calico Stage will be moving into the former home of the Screamin' Swing - a drawing of which can be seen above.  The new stage will be themed to an abandoned mine, feature twice as much viewing area as is currently offered, and host a new show for Summer 2016.

The area that is currently home to the Calico Stage will become Calico Park, a shady area with a small stage and plenty of atmosphere.  Nearby, the Calico Saloon will also have a new live show for 2016, and the western themed stunt show at the Wagon Camp will also be brand new.

© Knott's Berry Farm

As we well know, Knott's is already hard at work performing a total retracking of GhostRider, but hasn't given out many more details than that.  Now we have learned much more about the work going into the famous wooden coaster including three all new Millennium Flyer trains that have been purchased.  Great Coasters is indeed performing the retracking, so it makes sense that their sister company would provide the trains.  Each train will feature cars that are designed to look like mine cars, with gold, copper or silver accents.

Even more impressive is the news that the park will no longer use the ride's mid-course brake run as a near-stopping point, allowing the trains to race freely from the first drop to the final brakes.  When the ride reopens the park's Pan For Gold attraction will be moved back by the ride's queue, giving guests more space to enjoy the attraction.

Finally, Knott's will close Mrs. Knott's Chicken Dinner Restaurant in early January for a major revitalization that will last until a grand reopening in Spring of 2016.

The restaurant is what started Knott's Berry Farm, and it will shine like never before when the work is done.  The dining areas will receive all new thematic treatments that will entertain and capture the imaginations of visitors.  These include the preservation of the core "tea room," and themes like Cordelia Knott's kitchen pantry, and farmhouse motifs.

Other changes to the restaurant include a new outdoor dining area on the North side of the restaurant, a full service bar replacing the current Garden Room, modernized kitchen equipment and a new lobby with a new reservation system.

All these changes sound like a fitting extension of the love that Knott's has seen in recent years, which has led to major upgrades for the park.  For more information, details and a video on all the changes, follow this link to Knott's website.