Orange County Life

The Best Tips for Visiting Knott’s Soak City

“Cause a little bit of Summer is what the whole year is all about.” -John Mayer

Summer weather has finally started to break out in Southern California so I am here as your personal guide on how to beat the heat. My family and I had the opportunity to visit Knott’s Berry Farm Soak City for the grand opening of it’s new expansion this past weekend. There has been seven new slides added to the 2-acre expansion including the jaw-dropping “Shore Break” and the family fun raft ride called “The Wedge.” As part of the growth, they have also added cabanas and plenty of seating. After experiencing a full day in the sun I am here to give you the best tips for visiting Knott’s Soak City.

The best tips for visiting #KnottsSoakCity and how to beat the heat this summer. #soakcityoc @knotts Click To Tweet

Arrive Early

Because there is so much fun to be had, you will get the most out of your time if you arrive before the majority of the afternoon crowds. Plus, like the saying goes, the early bird gets the worm. So, you will have your pick of the seating areas, as well as shorter lines if you can make it early.

The Best Tips for Visiting Knott's Soak City

Pack a picnic

Although there are a few places to grab a bite to eat, your kiddos will probably be having way too much fun to want to stop to wait in line for food. I highly suggest just packing a picnic lunch, that way you can eat whenever you want and get back to the fun in the sun. Just make sure to check the approved list for what you can bring into the park before going.

The Best Tips for Visiting Knott's Soak City

consider a cabana

Although there are lots of lounge chairs to be found around the park, the new cabanas are worth the extra fee, especially if you have a large family or group. This way you can all sit together, have guaranteed shade and if you have any little ones they could take a snooze in your private area.

Height Requirements at Soak City

Prepare for heart pumping heights. There are some major water slides at Soak City, this is not your grandma’s water park!;) haha. If you have some thrill seekers in your house they are going to have a blast. The new “Shore Break” sends riders down a 60 foot tall slide through a series of exhilarating drops and loops. I will say that most of the big slides have a requirement of 42″ sometimes 48″ to ride, so our little ones weren’t quite tall enough to ride yet.

The Best Tips for Visiting Knott's Soak City
The Best Tips for Visiting Knott's Soak City

Toddler area at Soak City

For all those that are under 42″ there are still fun things to do around the park. There is a nice toddler area that has cute animal fountains along with a few smaller slides, which our son loved. This area was definitely a hit with the young families. If you have super little ones there are still height requirements for these slides as well, our 2 year old wasn’t quite tall enough for these, but she still had fun climbing on the animals and playing in the water.

The Best Tips for Visiting Knott's Soak City
The Best Tips for Visiting Knott's Soak City

They also have a lazy river that the entire family can coast along together, this might have been my favorite. We also checked out the wave pool and practiced hopping over the tides as they rolled in.

The Best Tips for Visiting Knott's Soak City
The Best Tips for Visiting Knott's Soak City

Overall, I think this a great way to cool off from the heat this summer. Make sure to check out the Knott’s Berry Farm website for all the details on tickets and easy payment plans for season passes. Thanks for reading The Best Tips for Visiting Knott’s Soak City, looking for other OC locations for the summer, check out this post HERE.

The Best Tips for Visiting Knott's Soak City
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*My family and I were granted 4 complimentary passes to visit Soak City, but all opinions are my own.*

This article has 5 comments

  1. Paul

    Thanks for the review, but you contradict the official Knotts Soak City website which says you are not allowed to bring food or snacks into the park (unless you have specific food allergies). Otherwise they only allow un-opened water bottles.

    • Jenny

      I was unaware of that. Thank you for bringing it to my attention. It would be helpful if there were more healthy options for food at the park. My son actually does have a severe peanut allergy so we pack our own food everywhere we go.

  2. Sarah

    What a great way to cool off this summer! I’ll have to take the kids!

  3. Sue

    Sounds like a fun, refreshing summer outing!!
    Your tips, and height requirements are helpful!! It’s always nice to know these things prior to arriving!!
    Wish we had one in Northern California!!

  4. Justine @ Little Dove

    That’s so fun! I haven’t been to Soak City in awhile but I remember liking it. That’s awesome that they were able to expand it, I know there’s not a lot of space there to work with so I’d love to see how they did it!

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