Stories, reports and tips on tourist attractions and odd sights in New York. Today, many roar obliviously north on the interstate, but enough families exit to keep MF hopping, under the management of Arthur's successor, Jack Gillette, since 1988. Staff is great rides are safe & fun for any child or adult. Former Magic Forest decorations have also made their way to California, Oregon and Texas. Located on the seasonal Greater Glens Falls Transit Trolley route. Start here.Use RoadsideAmerica.com's Attraction Maps to plan your next road trip. Mixed among the dioramas are giant statues of American icons, several of them reworked Muffler Men: Pecos Bill, Paul Bunyan, Smokey Bear, the Statue of Liberty, a big Indian, a couple of space-walking astronauts. June 27 - Sept. 5 WebLake George, New York. The majority of the items have now sold and most of the well-known, larger items are gonelike the big animals and Muffler Menbut there are still plenty of items online for those that are interested.. About 20 dioramas -- accompanied by audio at the push of a button -- bring to life the Three Little Pigs, Jack Sprat, Hansel & Gretel, assorted princesses and woodsmen Magic Forest opened in 1963, the brainchild of Arthur Gillette, who wisely built his fairyland along a major highway (Route 9) and just south of the town of Lake George, a magnet for summertime and weekend crowds from New York City. Since 1963, Magic Forest has entertained young park goers and their families, creating memories for all. 10am5pm | 7 Days a Week The stable and manger are not in use. The only thing that I was disappointed in is the fact that the dinosaur are on a section that you have to walk done a steep section and up again therefore my sister and I couldn't go down. Our website found buyers who truly have a passion for saving these kinds of things.. Most of these giants had already stood at a handful of locations before coming here so it is not surprising they are on the move again, Having worked with these giants for almost 10 years now, I know that nothing ever stays the same, he says. WebMagic Forest (Gone) Lake George, New York The theme park reopened in 2019 with a new owner and a new name: Lake George Expedition Park. Tall tales, trip guides, and the weird and wonderful. Get in Touch Things to Know Before Visiting Magic Forest How popular is Magic Forest? For what he does for them, that poor guy is not taken care of very well in return (matted mane, hooves not properly trimmed, SMALL paddock that he is just put back into after his dive, soken wet), and he doesn't seem to enjoy what he's made to do. We couldn't find an existing Roadtrippers account using that service. We took our almost 3 year old and she loved it. A very well run park. Most fairy tale theme parks eventually suffer the fate of a fabled cursed kingdom. The magic finally ran out last year when longtime owner Jack Gillette sold the park to a local contractor, Ruben Ellsworth. Love that it is geared for younger kids and that all of the vintage rides have a brief history displayed. enchanted forest water safari where the fun never stops is up in old forge, this place was near Lake George. But then there is a whole dinosaur park with animatronic dinosaurs throughout the forest. We did go early in the season. 92% of travelers recommend this experience. Undeterred, we assured her that we were willing participants in the charade that the park was still a viable tourist destination. We spot their blistered, sagging entry gates on lonely back roads, or squeezed between the Amusements of the Month in some overdeveloped Mecca. Hundreds of fiberglass figures strewn about the heavily-wooded park were faded by decades of sun and exposure to the elements, covered in spider webs and other forest detritus. It wasn't the least bit crowded and they would run the rides for just our two granddaughters. A lion-head drinking fountain (and lion-head trash can), a caveman family, Ma and Pa Kettle, an Esso tiger, a 15-foot Santa, a one-hump camel, a skull, and several other pieces are still up for sale. A great park. "Magic Forest" redirects here. I didnt want to go to six flags or another big park that would take the entire day waiting in lines. Loved the nostalgia of this park, the "dated" that everyone seems to be talking about. No, I would say age 8 max. Anything you purchase through links on our site may earn us a commission. Tripadvisor checks reviews for fraud. Enjoy free WiFi, free parking, and a 24-hour front desk. Fear not, Magic Forest lovers the new Lake George Expedition Park will be adding onto the Magic Forest park along Route 9 between Lake George and Queensbury. The former Magic Forest amusement park, located at the corner of Route 9 and Bloody Pond Road, has since shed the towering fiberglass giants that once loomed over its parking lot. Dino Roar Valley is so fun its prehistoric! This park is a cute stop and great for small kids without the meltdowns that come with large parks when theyre beyond exhausted. Simple fun and a great day. WebMagic Forest 3.5 461 #10 of 27 things to do in Lake George Amusement & Theme Parks Closed now 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM Visit website Call Write a review About A family fun park, in the Adirondacks, that features 25 amusement rides, including the Safari Ride, plus live animal performances, magic shows and the ever-popular "Rex the Diving Horse." Are you associated with this business? For just $12,000, you can literally be the old lady who lived in a (20-foot-tall) shoeold lady and five fiberglass children included. Close. Explore the unknown as you traverse the Dino Nest and uncover the world sleeping beneath our feet as you excavate colossal dinosaurs in the Fossil Dig Site. Enjoy the 20 minute train ride to watch the life-size animal statues with kids. Enjoy free WiFi, free parking, and a 24-hour front desk. this was our first year visiting but well be back for sure next year! Trip Planning Caution: RoadsideAmerica.com offers maps, directions and attraction details as a convenience, providing all information as is. When the Fair went out of business, Jack Gillette bought him in April 1982 (along with dozens of other statues) and stood him in the Magic Forest parking lot. Read on to find out the details. Still gives me creeps every night to look back on it. $$ Photos See all photos Connect with Magic Forest on Facebook Log In or Create new account WebMagic Forest Route 9, Lake George, NY Best For: Infants 0-2 Little Kids 3-6 Big Kids 7-9 Tweens 10-12 Teens 13-17 Best suited for the very young, or anyone with a penchant for quirky roadside attractions, this small amusement park opened in Magic Forest is the park of your childhood dreams! Went there with 3 toddlers and spent almost 4 hours. But its hard not to become despondent and dig in your heels when it feels as if the world you love is rapidly disappearing. Most hotels are fully refundable. There are plenty of unnerving fairy tale statues along the wooded trails of Magic Forest -- an impressive collection of contorted bodies, asymmetrical faces, weird leers, and bulging eyes. Contents 1 Magic Forest 2 Dino Roar Valley 3 References 4 External links Magic Forest [ edit] 51. Animals and astronauts are headed to a campground in Iowa, and Story Land in New Jersey purchased a castle, a Robin Hood figure, and several animals. We were there 4 years ago. live santa only comes out when the weather isn't too hot. But we bet this up close encounter will come back in someone's nightmares. Uncle Sam is 38 feet tall and formerly stood at the Danbury Fairgrounds in Connecticut. Our team of parents and travel experts chooses each product and service we recommend. Gillette sold Magic Forest in Lake George in 2019 and retired. WebMagic Forest (Gone) Lake George, New York The theme park reopened in 2019 with a new owner and a new name: Lake George Expedition Park. Also guarding the minivans and SUVs is a large Santa Claus, reportedly the most popular statue on the property. 95% of travelers recommend this experience. After 2 hours our son asked if we could leave & never come back. The former Magic Forest amusement park, located at the corner of Route 9 and Bloody Pond Road, has since shed the towering fiberglass giants that once loomed over its parking lot. more, A family fun park, in the Adirondacks, that features 25 amusement rides, including the Safari Ride, plus live animal performances, magic shows and the ever-popular "Rex the Diving Horse. We left & renamed it "bizzaro world". The former safari area will see the most changes. And I said, Charles Wood, and he says, okay.'. I am very grateful to the Magic Forest for essentially saving all this original fiberglass all these years, and also for calling us rather than an auction house who could care less about anything other than the money, says Baker. We are located on the seasonal Greater Glens Falls Transit Trolley route. Fun for the kids and nostalgic for us babyboomers! In fact, kids seem oblivious to the creepiness of this place, and so do the adults, for that matter. But in fact, hes actually returned home. No computerized rides here! We are hoping to go back again We got there around 2 and stayed until close. Almost all of the quirky attractions of Magic Forest described below -- including the diving horse, the gigantic Uncle Sam, and the Muffler Men -- have been removed. Park is small enough to walk and not get too tired out. Amazing! It still happens, but I feel that awareness is growing about the importance of saving and restoring these piecesI like to think that today it is more about relocating Americana rather than disappearing Americana.. WebLake George, New York. Explore the unknown as you traverse the Dino Nest and uncover the world sleeping beneath our feet as you excavate colossal dinosaurs in the Fossil Dig Site. Get in Touch Things to Know Before Visiting Magic Forest How popular is Magic Forest? Website Design by Trampoline Advertising & Design Co. | Web Site Development & Hosting by Nolee-O Web Design, Web Site Development & Hosting by Nolee-O Web Design. That was a bit disturbing to me. Then there are the fairy tale worlds blessed with good fortune, as if every child who ever visited used up a secret wish on its behalf. Keep exploring with the Roadtrippers mobile apps. The former Magic Forest amusement park, located at the corner of Route 9 and Bloody Pond Road, has since shed the towering fiberglass giants that once loomed over its parking lot. Three of the four fiberglass giants were purchased by Atlantis Plumbing in Dallas, Georgia. Credits, Media/Business Inquiries 100% of travelers recommend this experience. By continuing to use our site you agree to ourprivacy policy. Mixed among the dioramas are giant statues of American icons, several of them reworked Muffler Men: Pecos Bill, Paul Bunyan, Smokey Bear, the Statue of Liberty, a big Indian, a couple of space-walking astronauts. The new park will transport viewers to prehistoric times with animatronic dinosaurs, a Dino-Roar Valley, and more. ", Hudson River Sightseeing Cruise from Albany, Central Troy Historic District Walking Food Tour, Albany Scavenger Hunt: Empire State Of Mind, 2 Hour Private Forest Immersion Retreat in Woodland Sanctuary, 3 Day Reiki Certification Retreat in Vermont, Lake George Regional Chamber of Commerce & CVB. The park is open every day, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. from late June June through Labor Day. LAKE GEORGE, N.Y. (NEWS10) Up until just a couple years ago, a drive up Route 9 toward the village of Lake George would take visitors past, among other things, Paul Bunyan and Uncle Sam. WebLake George Expedition Park is an amusement park located in Lake George, NY along Route 9. Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information. Dino Roar Valley is so fun its prehistoric! Sign up for our newsletter & stay up to date. Almost all of the quirky attractions of Magic Forest described below -- including the diving horse, the gigantic Uncle Sam, and the Muffler Men -- have been removed. Alexandra is the features editor at Roadtrippers Magazine. The women at the snack bar were putting together a puzzle in between filling orders, and when we found that the gift shop had closed before the park did, they allowed us to come back the next day (for free) to shop for souvenirs. Almost all of the quirky attractions of Magic Forest described below -- including the diving horse, the gigantic Uncle Sam, and the Muffler Men -- have been removed. The Spider Man is a creepy top-hatted arachnid, maybe not so scary in a world of chest-bursting aliens and zombies. Gilette was something of a collector, amassing his estimated over 700 items over decades while running Magic Forest, which first opened in 1963. Theyve added Dino valley and are working on updates around magic forest. My guess is that you can, but I'd ask at the entrance. There are also a petting zoo, magic shows, and stunt shows with the last remaining diving horse, Lightning. Please try signing in with another option or create a new account with Roadpass. Actually, that helps to explain a lot about this place. The Dinosaur park is amazing!! Santa had been on the Atkins diet and looked as healthy as the animals. The park's famous Santa Claus overlooks the parking lot. It's perfect. She doesn't understand our concern, and is probably wondering why grown men traveling without children are in her park in the first place. The use of the diving horse is not nor should it be an attraction for children or adults. 3. The theme park reopened in 2019 with a new owner and a new name: Lake George Expedition Park. The dark, woodsy allure of classic fairy tales is part of Magic Forest's charm. After Ellsworth decided to take the park in a different direction, Gillette contacted Joel Baker, owner of the Muffler Man restoration company American Giants, to help facilitate the sale of all of those fiberglass figures. Close. The train ride was quite fun. Take time to enjoy the rides - the merry-go-round, you-drive car track, sail in the boats, and others. The worlds largest Uncle Sam statue greets you in the parking lot. Get a piece of your childhood now! Rides were available for all ages and the Dino roar exhibits were entertaining as much as they were informative. tourist attractions and odd sights in New York, World's Highest and Longest Pedestrian Bridge. Old, sad, dingy, dirty. On-route maps, 1,000s of photos, special research targets! When sorting through his collection, Gillette knew that those items, in particular, should be auctioned. Pass on this one. The park is expected to be open May through October, with tickets going on sale in March. In fact, kids seem oblivious to the creepiness of this place, and so do the adults, for that matter. This was our first time. You may have heard about a new, dinosaur-themed park coming to Lake George, but do you know whats happened to the iconic Uncle Sam statue? WebLake George (0.7 miles from Magic Forest) Situated off Interstate 87 and set in the heart of the Adirondack Park Preserve, this Holiday Inn Resort Lake George offers indoor and outdoor pools and an on-site restaurant and lounge. The Magic Forest, a storybook amusement park located in Lake George, New York, looked abandoned for years before it officially closed. Jimmy Brown's magic show was great. The train ride was a Diesel engine that kept throwing black smoke in our faces, and at the end of it the animation & recording say that they are going to blow the train up, which really scared our 5 year old son. The best animatronic dinosaurs Ive ever seen, better than the Bronx zoo and several other parks weve been too. It opened in 2019, and incorporates the Magic Forest, which opened in 1963, along with a new attraction entitled Dino Roar Valley. We need your email address to send you trip itineraries and other updates. Get a piece of your childhood now! By proceeding, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. They include paint-chipped animals, old theme park legends, and quite a few broken fae folk. Attraction status, hours and prices change without notice; call ahead! His father and uncle started a carnival together. UPDATE 06/2019: The Magic Forest has been taken over by new owners and is now known as the Lake George Expedition Park.
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