Question: is it worth going to places like Disneyland or Knotts Berry Farm if you don't ride the rides? Thanks.

Do you mean no rides at all, or just none of the scary/ fast ones? If you actually mean no rides at all, then no, it probably isn't worth it. But both parks have very gentle rides geared to young children and things like boats and 'experiences' which aren't actual rides that are also fun for adults.

Disneyland does not have many what I would call "thrill rides", they are mostly pretty tame and mostly in Tomorrowland like Space Mountain. California Adventure has a few more although I think they closed Tower of Terror.
Plenty of nice tame rides like Jungle Cruise, Peter Pan, Dumbo etc. Also the Disneyland Railroad when they reopen.
If you mean no rides at ALL, then I would say no, the parades and fireworks and all are nice but not $90+ nice.

Disneyland is like 98% story rides- as in rides that have a plot line and aren't made to make you lose your lunch. It also has a lot of shows. And of course shopping. So it's "worth it" if you have a Disney fetish and/or just really enjoy well done theme parks. I had severe motion sickness as a kid and I loved DL merely because I didn't feel left out. I went a few years ago solo as a good break from a road trip and thoroughly enjoyed myself.

Only you know if spending the money is worth it. It's a very expensive day and generally not worth it if you're not into the cult of Disney.

If you have not been to these places before and you really mean no rides at all -- including the train rides around both parks and the horse drawn rides, perhaps not.

Having said that, I have been to Disneyland so many times growing up and as an adult, I remember 2 separate times I did not go on any rides and thoroughly enjoyed myself. The first time, me and a friend, as young adults, decided to just walk the park and go in and out of shops and go to all of the shows put on. For that outing, I'd say the only "ride" we went on is the raft that took us to and from Tom Sawyer's island, and I don't think that counts as a "ride", but more like transportation. We spent a lot of time that day on TS Island, and there's surprisingly a lot to do.

The second time, I was about 7 months pregnant, so other than the old carousel and a few others, there were not many rides that I actually could go on.

Knotts Berry Farm was, back in 1960, a very different theme park than it is today. It's actually fun doing the only things you could do back in 1960, which would include taking the Calico train. You could also take in the petting zoo . . . which I still like as an adult (don't know what it is about goats, but they are so cute!). And feast on boysenberry pie, boysenberries being the original "crop" grown on the farm, and sold (along with preserves) from a stand. Indeed, I have some of the heirloom original Knotts boysenberry plantings, as those could also be purchased from the farm 80 years ago. The berries we get each year still are perfect!

I 'discovered' boysenberries at Knotts Berry Farm in 1963 when I was 12, and I've loved their boysenberry preserves ever since! Back then, we spent the day at Disneyland, left to have the famous chicken dinner at Knott's, and returned to Disneyland for the evening. P.S. I like amusement/theme parks even though I don't like thrill rides, although I doubt I would choose to go without other people who were into the rides (my kids and husband, for instance).