Calico Mine Ride and Camp Snoopy To Undergo Renovations At Knott's

Buena Park, CA — Southern California's Knott's Berry Farm announced plans for two major refurbishment projects for 2014 that continue reinvestment in the park's rich history and heritage. Both the Camp Snoopy children's area and the park's classic Calico Mine Ride will receive extensive refurbishments before summer 2014.

Knott's first major attraction and a theme park industry icon, Calico Mine Ride, will undergo an all-encompassing refurbishment complete with new state-of-the-art animatronic figures and enhanced scenery. The ride has been in operation at Knott's Berry Farm since November 1960.

Knott's Berry Farm announced that the classic Calico Mine Ride will undergo a major refurbishment starting in January 2014, including the replacement of the ride's animatronic figures and scenery. The attraction has been a part of the theme park since Novemeber 1960.

"Camp Snoopy and Calico Mine Ride have delighted guests for decades and are classics that families come back time and again to experience together" said Raffi Kaprelyan, Knott's Berry Farm's vice president and general manager. "The revitalization of these areas will once again demonstrate our commitment to Knott's heritage and will preserve these experiences for a new generation of guests to enjoy."

Camp Snoopy has been a part of Knott's since July 1, 1983. Home of the PEANUTS characters, the five-acre area of High Sierra family fun will undergo a number of updates, including new rides and restoration of the entire land with the original inspiration in mind to honor the 30th anniversary.

The Calico Mine Ride, the first major ride at Knott's, quickly earned the reputation of being one of the worlds most immersive "dark rides." The attraction designed by industry pioneer Bud Hurlbut, carries riders aboard ore cars, on a realistic adventure through dimly lit tunnels of a working gold mine.

Hurlbut also designed the park's recently renovated Timber Mountain Log Ride.

The winding journey on Calico Mine Ride takes Knott's guests to underground lakes, waterfalls, caverns filled with thousands of mysterious formations, chambers filled with steaming, bubbling pots and geysers. At several points in the trip, riders find themselves along the rim of a sixty-five foot deep and ninety-foot wide scene filled with dozens of animated miners trying to strike it rich.

The attraction is one of Knott's finest rides and each year over a million guests take the 8-minute journey into the mine. The mountain that contains the attraction stands seven-stories tall and required over 275 tons of steel to complete. It was also the first attraction with a "hidden" themed queue that snakes upward to the loading station, out of sight of onlookers. The design preserves the impressive forced perspective of the mountain range, based on the sites in the authentic ghost town at Calico in California's Mojave Desert.

Knott's will close the Calico Mine Ride in January 2014, so the attraction can undergo a complete restoration by Knott's Berry Farm's design and production team. Garner Holt Productions (GHP), the team that brought the award-winning enhancements to the Timber Mountain Log Ride in 2013 will be partnering with Knott's for this latest project.

"It is our company's top priority to preserve and enhance the original story of a working gold mine deep in the heart of the Old West" said Garner Holt, GHP's founder and president. "The Calico Mine Ride will be filled with lifelike sounds and motion, while maintaining the uniquely authentic feel of the attraction as designed by Knott's and industry legend Bud Hurlbut."

The renovation of the iconic attraction includes the addition of over 50 new state-of-the-art animatronic figures, all new audio and theme lighting system, and special effects that will capture the imagination of would-be miners as they journey deep into the winding caverns of the attraction.

For more information, visit www.knotts.com.