The Enchanted Forest is a seasonal (closed from October to spring break)

theme park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, as well as other events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central ...

located in

Turner, Oregon Turner is a city in Marion County, Oregon, United States. The population was 1,854 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Salem Metropolitan Statistical Area. The community was incorporated by the Oregon Legislative Assembly on February 10, 1905. ...

, on a small patch of hilly wooded land next to

Interstate 5 Interstate 5 (I-5) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the West Coast of the United States, running largely parallel to the Pacific coast of the contiguous U.S. from Mexico to Canada. It travels through the states of Califor ...

, just south of

Salem, Oregon Salem ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County, Oregon, Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river ...

. The park was created and hand built by Roger Tofte over a period of seven years in the late 1960s. The park first opened to the public in 1971. Early success led to many expansions over the last half-century, mostly built again by Tofte by hand. The Tofte family still owns and operates the park, with three generations of the family involved in the day to day operations. The park sees an average of 100,000 guests a year during the normal six-month-long season.

History

In 2006, the ''Challenge of Mondor'' ride was opened featuring dragons and monsters. The original 1971

Humpty Dumpty Humpty Dumpty is a character in an English nursery rhyme, probably originally a riddle and one of the best known in the English-speaking world. He is typically portrayed as an anthropomorphic egg, though he is not explicitly described as such. ...

display was damaged in July 2014 and was replaced in August 2014 with a new sculpture of the character.

Attractions

The park is divided into various districts that the Toftes classify as 'Attractions". Initially opening with just the Storybook Lane in 1971, the Tofteville Western Town and Old European Village were added in later expansions. The Haunted House attraction was opened in 1974. Enchanted Forest also features a "Summer Comedy Theater", which showcases original musical plays based on classic fairy tales, written by Susan Vaslev.

Rides

Augmenting the park are attractions such as the Ice Mountain Bobsleds roller coaster, the Haunted House, and the Big Timber

log ride Log flumes (colloquially known as log rides) are amusement rides consisting of a water flume and (artificial) hollow logs or boats. Passengers sit in the logs, which are propelled along the flume by the flow of water. The ride usually culminat ...

, the largest of its kind in the

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (sometimes Cascadia, or simply abbreviated as PNW) is a geographic region in western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though ...

. The ''Challenge of Mondor'' is an

ETF Ride Systems ETF Ride Systems is a Dutch manufacturer of amusement ride systems. It was founded in 1999 and is owned by the ETF Group. The company has manufactured both tracked and trackless systems for both dark and outdoor rides. History ETF Ride Systems ...

indoor trackless interactive ride featuring dragons and monsters.

Park schedule

The park is open on a seasonal schedule: opening in late March, weekends only in April, daily from May to

Labor Day Labor Day is a federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday in September to honor and recognize the American labor movement and the works and contributions of laborers to the development and achievements of the United St ...

, and then weekends only through September. Due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

, the park did not adhere to its usual schedule for the 2020 season. The park was able to open daily with reduced capacity beginning June 26 with COVID-19 safety practices in place.

Notes

References

External links

*
The Best of Enchanted Forest
- ''Portland Mercury''
Forty Years of Enchanted Forest
- "Think Out Loud" on Oregon Public Broadcasting * *{{HALS , survey=OR-4 , id=or0603 , title=Enchanted Forest, 8462 Enchanted Way SE, Turner, Marion, OR , data=11 1971 establishments in Oregon Amusement parks in Oregon Companies based in Marion County, Oregon Historic American Landscapes Survey in Oregon Tourist attractions in Marion County, Oregon Turner, Oregon