Knott's Taste of Merry Farm Brings Back The Holiday Charm

Knott’s Is Back For the Holidays

**Due to stay-at-home requirements issued by the state of California, Knott’s Taste of Merry Farm will be closing beginning 12/11 through 12/26. If you purchased a tasting card for a date affected by the closure, please know that they are in the process of automatically refunding your order in the same form of payment you used for the purchase.

If you have a Knott’s Berry Farm Hotel reservation during the closure dates, please call 866-752-2444 for assistance. Select shopping and dining (takeout only) locations within the California Marketplace will remain open. **

Yup, you read correctly! Knott’s Berry Farm is hosting a new seasonal food and retail event, this time celebrating the merriest season of fall, with Knott’s Taste of Merry Farm now until January 3rd. While the theme park remains closed, Knott’s is opening their doors for a limited time to the public and offering a very festive tasting menu (with over 60 unique food and drink items), enchanting Christmas decorations throughout the park, socially distance entertainment and shows, retail shops featuring exclusive Knott’s specialty items, countless photo ops, a chance to say hello to the Peanuts characters, and of course a photo with Santa from a distance!

It’s no wonder that tasting tickets to Knott’s Taste of Merry Farm event are selling out quickly. In order to ensure proper physical distancing, tasting cards are limited each day to guests and are date specific. If you’re interested in purchasing, please go to Knotts.com or their mobile app to choose your desired date ASAP! Adult tasting cards cost $40 for 5 tastings (includes 2 adult beverages) while Junior tasting cards are $20 for 3 tastings.

Let’s Talk Safety

Safety is a topic on everyone’s minds, including Knott’s. I’ll be honest and will tell you that I wasn’t sure I wanted to go at first. However, I made the decision to go because visiting Knott’s during the winter holidays has become a very dear family tradition to our family. I also have been keeping up with the safety measures and protocols that Knott’s has been implementing heavily into their new system. As they continue to follow state, local, and CDC health guidelines, I wanted to share some of their latest safety measures that they are taking to ensure the safety of their guests:

Tasting cards are limited each day to ensure proper physical distancing
Upon arrival, guests will be required to enter a temperature screening and security checkpoint at the main gate
All associates
and guests must wear a facial covering while visiting Taste of Merry Farm and California Marketplace stores and restaurants
Frequently touched surfaces are disinfected daily and sanitized frequently. I saw this first hand the entire time I was there and was very pleased with how thorough the staff was. Only time mask can be removed is when seated at a designated table or bench to eat
Signage is present to aid guests in the proper direction of travel and a reminder to practice social distancing (I also heard periodic announcements)
Seating is spaced out throughout the Taste of Merry Farm event. This was very important to me and I’m happy to say I found some tables that were nearly isolated all around! Yay!
Hand sanitizing stations are available throughout the park (as a mother of two kids, I was very grateful for these!)
All associates are screens, including temperature and symptom checks using CDC guidelines
Associates have been trained on the importance of handwashing, physical distancing, and overall hygiene
Separate entrances and exits will appear at some store locations
Store occupancy is limited to less than 50% of the normal building capacity

For more safety info, please visit Knotts.com.

Festive Food Heaven

Okay now that’s out the way, let’s discuss all the exciting menu items at the event! There are over 60 unique dishes and drinks so be sure to plan wisely. You may laugh at me now, but trust me you’ll want to eat everything you smell… and well your belly can keep up for so long! There are so many enticing sweet treats as well as savory food items to choose from. I highlighted a few below, but feel free to scroll to the very end for the complete menu. It’s a stunner!

Family favs were:

Turkey Dinner Big Bites (we came back for seconds!)
Knott’s Holiday Bowl which was basically a complete Thanksgiving meal (Austin is now a fan of stuffing because of it)
Cupid’s Corn Chowder Soup served in a sour dough bread bowl
and of course we’re a sucker for funnel cakes!Surprisingly we had mixed reviews with the Turkey Dinner Tater Tots, which I was looking forward to the most. Try it and tell me what you think!

By the way, I tried the Boysenberry Slushy Sangria and Dan tried the Cherry Lime Margarita. Verdict: not strong enough! Still a refreshing beverage though. 🙂 I also had a root beer float and it totally made me feel like a kid again. Dan had a jack and coke and pretended he was back in college! LOL Oh to be young again….

All About the Kids

Alright, now to what really matters…not me silly, THE KIDS! Both Dan and I knew they were going to have fun because (1) we actually left the house (2) they love Knott’s and (3) they’re allowed to eat sugary treats for the day. As a parent, especially during these challenging times, seeing your kids enjoy themselves once again as before (sorta at least) was a very special experience for my Mama Bear heart. I know it’s not my fault, but I can’t help but feel sad that they are missing out on their childhood days being kept indoors all the time. Seeing them run around and reminisce all their favorite rides at Camp Snoopy felt so special. Shout out to Knott’s for going the extra mile and placing several stuffed gnomes/elves (?) inside all the rides! The kids really enjoyed spotting them out having fun on the airplanes, Ferris wheel, and a bunch of other rides throughout Camp Snoopy.

A Special Note About Photos

Just wanted to remind people that Knott’s does allow for masks to be removed in designated photo ops where a staff member is present and ensuring proper social distancing is enforced. I was also pleased to see another staff member disinfecting any touched surfaces IN BETWEEN every guest/group photo that was taken. I was so impressed! Although these photo are outdoors and there is social distancing, I’d like to bring up that removing your mask is entirely optional! You’re more than welcome to keep it on in the photos to be extra cautious and/or it makes you feel comfortable.

You can also celebrate the season and bring home the memories with a Souvenir Santa Photo. Although the photo ops are usually outdoors, Santa’s photo op is the ONLY ONE INDOORS. Again, you’re more than welcome to keep your mask on for the photo! He will not only be socially distanced from guests, but will also be wearing a mask during the interaction and photo. Packages can be purchased here and includes 2 4×6 photos and 4 wallet-sized photos.

Santa visits are available through December 24th, 2020 only. Reservations are time specific, limited, and can sell out. Guests must arrive at Santa’s Christmas Cabin to check-in at least 10 minutes before your reservation time. You can save $3 if you purchase online!

For What It’s Worth

It took me awhile to decide whether I should come to this event. I know Knott’s is doing a great job making sure safety is ensured on their end and following all the CDC guidelines, BUT safety for guests can’t always be guaranteed because of OTHER GUESTS who aren’t complying to the rules 100% of the time they are there. I honestly believe some people didn’t realize it at the moment (I saw a mom kneel over and removed her mask to talk to her child) while others may not have thought it was a big deal (I saw people quickly going for a sip or bite while walking away from the food vendors).

We wore our masks the entire time, except when we sat down to eat. I even brought our own pack of disinfect wipes for anything we touched or tables we sat at. We also made sure to sit at the furthest table every time we ate and avoided areas that seemed busy. The way I see it is if everyone continues to be mindful and respectful of their surroundings, then Knott’s can continue to hold more amazing events for their guests. It’s that easy!

Thank you again stopping by I hope you found what you were looking for from this blog post. Whether you’re able to attend Knott’s Taste of Merry Farm or not, I’d like to wish you happy holidays!