The Enchanted Forest — Water Safari (originally known as The Enchanted Forest of the Adirondacks and often called the Enchanted Forest and Water Safari) is an
amusement 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 ...
/
water park
A water park (or waterpark, water world) is an amusement park that features water play areas such as swimming pools, water slides, splash pads, water playgrounds, and lazy rivers, as well as areas for floating, bathing, swimming, and other baref ...
. It is the largest water park in New York and is located within
Old Forge, in the
Adirondack region
The Adirondack Mountains (; a-də-RÄN-dak) form a massif in northeastern New York with boundaries that correspond roughly to those of Adirondack Park. They cover about 5,000 square miles (13,000 km2). The mountains form a roughly circular d ...
.
It has been rated the number four waterpark in the US.
History
The park was opened as The Enchanted Forest of the Adirondacks in 1956 by A. Richard Cohen, a hardware store owner and commissioner for the Adirondack Authority in charge of the development of ski centres on
Whiteface and
Gore
Gore may refer to:
Places Australia
* Gore, Queensland
* Gore Creek (New South Wales)
* Gore Island (Queensland)
Canada
* Gore, Nova Scotia, a rural community
* Gore, Quebec, a township municipality
* Gore Bay, Ontario, a township on Manitouli ...
mountains. When opened, it had 35 employees and encompassed of swampland. Admission was $1 for adults and 25¢ for children. Over time, the park expanded in size to its present .
The design for the park, incorporating a large circus tent and a series of houses with themes from children's nursery rhymes and fairy tales, was based upon research by Cohen's daughter and wife, whom he sent to several amusement parks across the country to study how they worked. Concept watercolor paintings for the park were done by
Russell Patterson
Russell Patterson (December 26, 1893 – March 17, 1977) was an American cartoonist, illustrator and scenic designer. Patterson's art deco magazine illustrations helped develop and promote the idea of the 1920s and 1930s fashion style known as t ...
, who also worked on the designs of the several individual fairy tale houses in the park.
The only mechanical ride at the park in 1956 was a train, the Enchanted Forest Express, that traveled around the park. However, this changed during the 1960s when more rides were introduced to the park.
In 1977, Cohen sold the park to the Noonan family. In 1988, the park's name was changed to Enchanted Forest Water Safari, after a major expansion that added numerous waterslides to the park. Following the success of Wild Waters (two
waterslide
A water slide (also referred to as a flume, or water chute) is a type of Playground slide, slide designed for warm-weather or indoor recreational use at water parks. Water slides differ in their riding method and therefore size. Some slides re ...
s) that had been added in 1984. Leading to opening Raging rapids water slide and the tadpole hole kid's water area in 1986.
In 1999 a further expansion titled Adirondack Expedition added 8 more water rides to the park along with another kiddy play area called the Sawmill.
Rides and attractions
Water rides
*Amazon - A family tube ride through jungle scenery.
*Black River - A double tube slide that is completely dark, except for a few sections that have air-holes in the slide.
*Bombay Blasters - Two fully enclosed body slides, one a bit taller than the other, that end with a splash in Lake Nakura.
*Cascade Falls - A family tube ride that's full of twists and turns, and ends in a pool at the bottom.
*Curse of the Silverback - A "toilet-bowl" type double-tube ride that starts with a fully enclosed drop, and then emerges to spiral around a bowl, before exiting the bowl and ending in a small pool.
*Kid Wash - A car-wash themed walk-through ride for small children.
*Killermanjaro's Revenge - Added in 2020, opened in June 2021 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 ...
.
*Lake Nakura - A safari-themed area featuring a small free-swim swimming pool and a second pool where swimmers test their strength crossing a ropes course to the other side. The third pool is the splash zone for the Bombay Blasters and Nairobi Narrows.
*Log Jammer - A lazy river type ride that includes a mini-wavepool.
*Mamba Strike - Added in 2020, opened in June 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
*Nairobi Narrows - Two parallel short but steep body slides that end in Lake Nakura.
*Pygmy Pond - A children's area featuring small slides and some swings; also three slides for small children.
*Raging Rapids - A fast and bumpy single-tube ride down with caves and waterfalls.
*Rondaxe Run - Another double-tube slide featuring a number of enclosed and open sections with loads of waterfalls and banked turns in between.
*Safari River Expedition - A lazy river type ride with a few waterfalls and water spouts
*Sawmill - A small area for families where children can climb up towers and go down several different slides. The sawmill features two slides for children, a slightly more intense one, and at the top, a very curvy slide. At the bottom of the sawmill, there are jets and water spouts to play with. Every so often a log at the top of the sawmill will dump water over everyone in the splash zone.
*Serengeti Stampede - Added in 2020, opened in June 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
*The Shadow - Two fully enclosed, transparent and speedy slides ending in a pool.
*Tidal Wave Pool - A 1/4 acre wave pool with waves up to four feet tall.
*Walter's Wild Slide - Only for children, it is similar to the Serengeti Surf Hill, but without the mat. Children sit down and race each other to the bottom.
Amusement rides
*Boats
*Bumper Cars
*Carousel - A carousel built in 1920 that debuted in 1975.
*Enchanted Forest Express - A
ridable miniature railway
A ridable miniature railway (US: riding railroad or grand scale railroad) is a large scale, usually ground-level railway that hauls passengers using locomotives that are often models of full-sized railway locomotives (powered by diesel or petrol ...
that offers views of parts of the park.
*Ferris Wheel - A classic
Ferris wheel
A Ferris wheel (also called a Giant Wheel or an observation wheel) is an amusement ride consisting of a rotating upright wheel with multiple passenger-carrying components (commonly referred to as passenger cars, cabins, tubs, gondolas, capsules ...
that fits up to two people per car.
*Flivver Cars - Kiddie cars that take guests around the back of the park.
*Helicopters - A helicopter ride where participants can choose how high they want to go.
*Rock-o-planes - A
Ferris wheel
A Ferris wheel (also called a Giant Wheel or an observation wheel) is an amusement ride consisting of a rotating upright wheel with multiple passenger-carrying components (commonly referred to as passenger cars, cabins, tubs, gondolas, capsules ...
with seats that flip upside down. On most of the cars guests can control the position.
*Round-up - A classic ride where guests stand inside a spinning wheel, and are pushed against the sides by centrifugal force, while the ride tilts.
*Scrambler
*Sky Ride - A
chairlift
An elevated passenger ropeway, or chairlift, is a type of aerial lift, which consists of a continuously circulating steel wire rope loop strung between two end terminals and usually over intermediate towers, carrying a series of chairs. They ...
that goes slowly across the park and back.
*Tilt-a-whirl
Former rides
Water rides
*Serengeti Surf Hill - A speedy race where performed on mats, where up to four participants race.
*Killermanjaro - A fast speed slide featuring a drop (consisting of a pre-drop and then a second drop) that reaches speeds near .
*Wild Waters - Two
waterslide
A water slide (also referred to as a flume, or water chute) is a type of Playground slide, slide designed for warm-weather or indoor recreational use at water parks. Water slides differ in their riding method and therefore size. Some slides re ...
s that operated between 1984 and 2001 later replaced by The Shadow in 2002. This was the first and oldest water slide in the park.
Calypso's Cove
Adjoining the park is Calypso's Cove, a small amusement park which includes an arcade, go-karts, rock climbing, mini-golf, batting cages, bumper boats, and a zip line.
Campgrounds
Additionally, the park adjoins to campgrounds with classic cabins in Adirondack style, as well as RV accommodations. A pond with row and peddle boats, as well as several rec rooms and shower/restroom facilities are also included.
Other information
In addition to the water and amusement rides, the park also has two daily circus shows (at noon and at 4 pm), a petting zoo, a small
museum
A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make these ...
dedicated to the park, and multiple video game arcades and side show games throughout the park. The park has a no smoking policy, but areas are designated for those who wish to smoke. Dogs on leashes are allowed in the park.
The "White Arch" located in the parking lot was brought to Old Forge in 1967 and first placed at the park in 1968. It is one of eleven white arches that was originally used at the
1964 New York World's Fair
The 1964–1965 New York World's Fair was a world's fair that held over 140 pavilions and 110 restaurants, representing 80 nations (hosted by 37), 24 US states, and over 45 corporations with the goal and the final result of building exhibits or ...
.
The park also has an area in the back dedicated to circus performances such as acrobatics and animal shows.
Incidents
* On September 14th, 2013, a pair of volunteer fire fighters from the Sodus Point Volunteer Fire Department were arrested for breaking into the park off-season, stealing food, damaging arcade games, and an animated band, as well as defecating on the floor.
* On July 29, 2017, police received a report of a couple having sex in their pickup truck in the parking lot of Water Safari. When police arrived, 29-year-old Kristin Rogers attempted to flee the parking lot and assaulted an officer on apprehension; a 30 year old male was apprehended without incident. Both were ticketed with public lewdness, while Rogers was additionally charged for resisting arrest, harassment, and disorderly conduct.
* On July 18th, 2021, a 23-year old female suffered a fatal
asthma attack
Asthma is a long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wheezing, cou ...
leading to
cardiac arrest
Cardiac arrest is when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. It is a medical emergency that, without immediate medical intervention, will result in sudden cardiac death within minutes. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and possib ...
after climbing an incline and riding a water slide.
References
Further reading
*
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Amusement parks in New York (state)
1956 establishments in New York (state)
Amusement parks opened in 1956
Buildings and structures in Herkimer County, New York
Water parks in New York (state)