Buena Park - city in northwestern Orange County, California, United States

Buena Park is a city in Orange County in Southern California. Buena Park is nestled between Los Angeles and San Diego, and is best known for an Knott's Berry Farm on what used to be Walter and Cordelia Knott's farm.

Understand

European settlement of the area dates to the Spanish "ranchos", which were huge land grants in the late 1700s. A rail connection to Los Angeles was established in 1875. Buena Park was established as a community in 1877 (in conjunction with the railway development) and incorporated as a city in 1953. There has been some industrial activity in the area (such as a Nabisco factory which closed in 2006).

Get in

By car

• I-5 (Santa Ana Freeway) or CA-91 (Riverside Freeway) takes you directly to Buena Park. Take the Knott Ave, Beach Blvd, or any of the other Buena Park exits. Anaheim is just south of Buena Park, with Fullerton to the east, so both of those cities can serve as an entry as well.

By plane

• Fullerton Municipal Airport (dead link: January 2023) only accepts private airplanes and is 3 miles (4.8 km) from Buena Park.
• Long Beach Airport is about 15 miles (24 km) from Buena Park. JetBlue Airways serves it nonstop from 14 destinations. It is also served by Alaska Airlines, American, and Delta.
• Orange County/John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana, is about 16 miles (25 km)/24 minutes from Buena Park. It is served by Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines, Southwest Airlines, United Airlines, and Virgin America
• Los Angeles International Airport is served by a wide array of foreign carriers as well as most US airlines.

By rail

• Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner runs from Paso Robles to San Diego; the closest station is Fullerton.
• Buena Park (Metrolink), 8400 Lakeknoll Dr. Metrolink's Orange County Line runs from Los Angeles to Oceanside, with stops in Buena Park and Fullerton.

Get around

By foot

• The main tourism corridor in Buena Park is located along Beach Boulevard. Most of the main attractions, including Knott's Berry Farm, are located here and are within walking distance of each other. Additional attractions include Pirates Dinner Adventure, Beach Boulevard Club, and Medieval Times.

By transit

• Many Orange County Transit Authority (OCTA) lines come together in Buena Park. Route 29 (Beach Blvd.) runs north-south, from the Brea Mall to downtown Huntington Beach and the Pacific Coast Highway, straight through downtown BP. Route 38 (La Palma Ave.) runs east-west, from Lakewood to the Anaheim Shopping Center, serving the Buena Park Promenade. Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transit Authority (dead link: March 2023) Route 460 connects BP with downtown Los Angeles, Norwalk, Fullerton, and Disneyland. All three routes serve Knott's Berry Farm.
• The Knott's Berry Farm Resort Hotel and other hotels in Buena Park provide a shuttle to Disneyland.

By car

• Buena Park is small enough for driving, but most attractions are on Beach Boulevard.

See

• Independence Hall at Knott's Berry Farm, 8039 Beach Blvd, +1 714-220-5200. 10AM-4PM. A recreation of Independence Hall (site of the signing of the Declaration of Independence) is so accurate that the original structure in Philadelphia used Knott's blueprints for its own restoration. The replica also stood in for the actual Independence Hall in the film National Treasure. Free 2022-06-15

Do

• Los Coyotes Country Club, 8888 Los Coyotes Drive, +1 714-994-7788. Golf course with restaurant, wedding and event facilities.

Dinner theatre

• Medieval Times Tournament and Dinner Show, 7662 Beach Blvd. Show times vary based on day on the week. A medieval feast, with dinner show featuring knights, maidens, kings and jousting. 2022-06-15
• Pirates Dinner Adventure, 7600 Beach Blvd. A four-course feast, promoted as fit for a pirate king, served while buccaneers from an 18th-century Spanish galleon battle each other with swords, knives, and fists. 2022-06-14
• Beach Boulevard Club, 7600 Beach Boulevard. A 1920s classy cocktail lounge featuring dueling pianos, elegant cocktails and delicious bites. 2022-06-14

Knott's Berry Farm

Knott's Berry Farm is America's oldest theme park. In 1920, it was a working farm selling berries, with Mrs. Knott's Chicken Dinner Restaurant serving its first chicken dinners in 1934. Once the restaurant started drawing a crowd, Walter Knott began constructing a replica Ghost Town in 1940; the park's first ride attraction (the Ghost Town & Calico Railroad) opened in 1952. Knott's Berry Farm remained family-owned until late 1997. The park is now owned by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company and the food brand was acquired by the J.M. Smucker Company.

The park has the first, largest or only version of various amusements: the Calico Mine Ride (1960) the world's first themed amusement park attraction, Timber Mountain Log Ride (1969) the first log flume with thematic elements, Corkscrew (1975) the first modern roller coaster to successfully turn riders upside-down, Xcelerator (2002) the world's first hydraulically-launched roller coaster.

• Knott's Berry Farm, 8039 Beach Blvd, 33.844°, -118°, +1 714-220-5200. Daily except Christmas Day, hours vary seasonally. Originally a roadside berry farm selling boysenberries (a cross between a raspberry, blackberry, and loganberry). Now a large theme park with a plentiful list of amusements and rides, including scream machines like the Silver Bullet rollercoaster and the Supreme Scream Drop Tower . A Peanuts cartoon theme appears on attractions for little ones within Camp Snoopy. 2022-06-14
• Knott's Soak City USA, 8039 Beach Blvd, 33.8438°, -118.0005°, +1 714-220-5200. Open seasonally during spring and summer months.. A water park filled with water slides, a river and a wave pool. 2022-06-15

Events

• Knott's Scary Farm, 8039 Beach Blvd. Knott's is transformed into a Halloween Haunt extravaganza for mature audiences. Price varies based on day 2022-06-14

Buy

• Buena Park Downtown Mall, 8308 On the Mall, +1 714-503-5000. Affordable shopping options, restaurants, and entertainment for kids and adults alike. 2021-12-06
• Knott's Marketplace, 8039 Beach Blvd (adjacent to Knott's Berry Farm). A shopping and dining district. One of the highlights is the Berry Market where Knott's jams and jellies can be purchased. 2022-06-15

Eat

• Mrs. Knott's Chicken Dinner Restaurant, 8039 Beach Blvd, +1 714-220-5055. 2022-06-14
• Fuddruckers, 7802 Orangethorpe Ave, +1 714-739-8801. 2022-06-14
• Porto's Bakery, 7640 Beach Blvd, +1 714-367-2030. 2022-06-14.
• Rock & Brews, 7777 Beach Blvd, +1 714-266-0314. 2022-06-14
• Portillo's Hot Dogs, 8390 La Palma, +1 714-220-6400. 2022-06-15
• The Cauldron Bar Spirits and Brews, 8028 Beach Blvd, +1 714-484-2733. 2022-06-15
• SUP Noodle Bar, 5141 Beach Blvd, +1 714-521-2444. 2022-06-15

Sleep

• Courtyard by Marriott, 7621 Beach Blvd, +1 714-670-6600. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: noon. 24-hour convenience store and on-site restaurant are available. No resort fees. 2022-06-15
• Holiday Inn Hotel & Conference Center, 7000 Beach Blvd, +1 714-522-7000. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: noon. Kids under the age of 18 stay for free in their parent's room. Kids ages 2-11 eat free per adult at any on-site restaurant. 2022-06-15
• Knott's Berry Farm Resort Hotel, 7675 Crescent Ave, +1 714-995-1111, reservations@knotts.com. Knott's Berry Farm's on-site hotel offers package deals with special entrance to the park, complimentary shuttle to Disneyland, and special themed Snoopy rooms complete with tuck-in service provided by Snoopy. Great for kids. 2022-06-15
• Fairfield Inn & Suites, 7828 Orangethorpe Ave, +1 714-670-7200. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: noon. Includes a free breakfast with offerings such as fresh fruit, omelets, mini waffles, sweet breads, Greek yogurt, and bacon. 2022-06-15
• Hampton Inn & Suites, 7307 Artesia Blvd, +1 714-716-1800. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11AM. Breakfast, parking, and WiFi are complimentary with your stay. 2022-06-15

Go next

• Anaheim - the home of the Disneyland Resort - 10 to 20 minutes (travel south on Beach Boulevard then east on Katella Avenue, take LA Metro, Interstate 5, or use the free shuttle from the Knott's Hotel)
• Long Beach - 20 minutes (travel west on State Route 91 then south on Interstate 710)
• Los Angeles - 25 minutes (take I-5 or an Amtrak/Metrolink train to LA Union Station)
• Hollywood - 32 minutes (travel to LA Union Station and transfer to the LACMTA Red Line)
• Orange County beach cities - 25 to 43 minutes (travel south on Beach Boulevard)
• Yorba Linda - Richard Nixon's Birthplace, Museum, Library, Burial, and Childhood home - 20 minutes (travel north on Beach Boulevard then east on the Imperial Highway/California State Route 90, or simply take the 91 freeway)
• San Diego - 2 hours (by train from Fullerton)