Charleston Circle: A Look Back as We Move Forward

In anticipation of Knott's 2015 announcements, I've decided to do a quick look back at the Charleston Circle and Memory Lane area of the Roaring 20s section of the park, as it may very well be getting a facelift soon. I'm using information and images I've gathered from a quick Google search and have no resources of my own (not even the Knott's Preserved book, which I've unfortunately never read), so please forgive the lack of specifics like dates and modern-day pictures for comparison. I'd also appreciate it if those more privy on the history of Knott's would let me know if I'm getting anything wrong. Thank you!

Coming from Ghost Town and entering in Charleston Circle...

This Magic Shop was to your left.

Another look in the Magic Shop. A Lotsa Palooza currently occupies this space.

Right next to the Magic Shop was the Candy Cottage. Outside of a new paint job and signage, this building remains relatively the same today.

And right next to the Candy Cottage is Cordy's Corner, named after Cordelia Knott. Besides the palm tree being cutdown, this building has remained relatively untouched.

Going back and entering to the right will bring you to this structure. This watchtower/office was torn down and left empty for a little while until it was replaced with a basket ball game and then with the Music on the Boardwalk stage

A little further down right off of Charleston Circle you saw a sign advertising the Bath House, which was just some fancy theming disguising the back of the Calico Mine Ride.

Another look at the Bath House facade sheltering the show building for the Calico Mine Ride. As it stands today, the theming was removed and the whole structure was painted blue. Why this is I couldn't even guess.

This little beauty of a clock could be found infront of the Bath House, back when there was a much more open-park like atmosphere with trees.

Right outside the Bath House we have a couple of flappers occupying a park bench. As far as I know, they're still there, just relocated.

Skipping past the Roaring 20s Airfield exit where we saw the Bath House, you come to Lindy's  Diner.  This was themed to look like a 1920s Penny Arcade. This is currently a Johnny Rocket's sporting a 50s theme.

Located to the left of Lindy's Diner was the famous Knott's Bear-y Tales attraction.

Knott's Bear-y Tales was replaced with Kingdom of the Dinosaurs in 1987 and then abandoned in the early 2000s. In 2015, a new dark ride will adorn this building for the first time in over a decade.

On the left side of the Knott's Bear-y Tales building we come to this. Themed as the fictional The Palms Casino in LA during the 1920s, this building was originally part of the arcade under Knott's Bear-y Tales.

When Kingdom of the Dinosaurs replaced Knott's Bear-y Tales, this section of the arcade was made into  Dinostore Dig,  a dinosaur themed shop built along side the Dinosaur Discovery Center exhibit to compliment the new attraction. Today, Ride Warriors occupies this building.

The Wheeler Dealer Bumper Cars that are right to the left of The Palms Casino sported a very different design back then that perfectly matched the 1920 theme.

Directly across Memory Lane from The Palms Casino we see the The Good Time Theater as it was with it's old paint job (originally, it was yellow). Currently, the entire structure is painted blue.

The Speakeasy, located right under The Good Time Theater. As far as I know, it's still there and ringing the buzzer still one of the many hidden secrets at Knott's.

Heading past the bumper cars, all the way to the end of Memory Lane,
was the Hollywood Beanery. A wonderfully 1920s looking structure. Today, it's a pizza shop called Hollywood Hits.

Also dispersed throughout the area were wonderful details...

...like these park benches that advertised actual areas in the Roaring 20s section.

Trust me, this little article isn't in anyway comprehensive and it most certainly doesn't do what was the Knott's Roaring 20s area justice. It was soo richly detailed and full of authentic props, much like the rest of the park. It really had to be experienced. My goal was to spark some interest in the history of Knott's, and hopefully get you excited for the future at the same time.

Gotta love these restroom signs ;)

Note: If the owner of any of these images object to my use of them, please contact me and I'll remove them immediately.