Turner, Oregon - The Enchanted Forest

The Enchanted Forest is open again.

Yes, there are changes. Tickets need to be bought in advance, in three hour segments separated by 15-minute intervals to help control traffic. Masks and social distancing are required.

But that icon of so many Oregonians' childhoods is still there. You can still enter through the castle.

Then, just as I started thinking that the moat was a lot smaller than I remembered, I saw that the alligator and the turtles were still there!

I am not even sure that they are exactly the same; I just know I was happy to see them.

And nostalgia is a big part of the attraction for me. I haven't been there for a long time, but the memories are still there.

Humpty Dumpty!

So there is certainly a level where some of it can look kind of cheesy to me.

There is an even bigger level where I can see that a lot of the passages are built very narrow, and with poor lighting, where it probably wouldn't have been done that way if it were built later.

I also forgot - though it should be obvious just looking at the site from the highway - how noticeably uphill everything is. Like, it could be easy to go forward, turn back a bit, and have the difference in slope affect your balance.

I do see mobility scooters making their way through the park, but I know it is not completely accessible.

Timing out the groups worked well. Even with groups with small children tending to move more slowly, we generally had plenty of space and time to see what we wanted to see and move at our own pace.

Obviously some things are closed, especially those that involve more enclosed spaces. That includes the rabbit hole, Crooked Man's house, shoe slide, Fort Fearless slide, the Indian caves, and the Challenge of Mondor.

The maze is still open.

Traffic is one-way, but that takes you on a very logical route through the park where you come upon everything in order.

Even a little trash can has a chance to be whimsical.

You do still have the option to go through all of the Snow White attractions, including the dwarfs' mine and the dungeon, and the witch's slide is the one slide you can still take.

(And we did, though it is clearly meant for shorter, younger bodies.)

Here was a chance to see that some things were expanded, and added to...

although other things look exactly the same.

Not being able to go into the Crooked Man's house reminded me of the Ghost Adventures episode and the supposed portal. For the record, I was not impressed. I loved seeing the park, but replaying the same fuzzy recording over and over again and freaking out over it does not convince. I do not detect any haunting, but I also have very low sensitivity to ghosts. Your mileage may vary.

After a few more fairy tale and nursery rhyme staples, we found our way to Tofteville Western Town. I remember that tooth pulling!

I do not remember the carousel, but it had been many years since my last trip, before the log ride was added. I do remember that I had gotten too tall for the rabbit hole.

A few attractions are ticketed (passes are not being sold while the Covid-19 restrictions are in place, as you might not get full value with a three hour limit). The only tickets we bought were for the Haunted House. I had been in it before, but I did not remember much.

I am afraid I still don't. The overly low lighting combined poorly with the mask making my glasses fog up. There were definitely some shadows and noises, and I remember those mean-eyed paintings from before, but otherwise I really didn't see much. I was more scared of tripping than anything else, and I am sure that is not the desired effect.

The museum was fixed up pretty nicely. I think this is newer.

There was also some live music playing, with that area closed off for safety.

There are two other new (to me) attractions that are partially indoors, but are not completely enclosed and can still be done. One is an animatronic flock of blackbirds singing from their position of being baked in a pie. This was pretty fun.

There is also the Fantasy Fountains Water-Light show at the Jolly Roger Inn, where you can also grab some food to enjoy while watching the show.

We enjoyed both of these. I have recently read their history, The Enchanted Forest and Its Family, which gave some nice insight into the background and the innovation that has gone into this Oregon treasure.

I like having that context. This may not be the most impartial review, because the Enchanted Forest is an old friend. I am glad it is still around, and glad for the space it takes in my memories.

Let's keep them supported and strong.

https://www.enchantedforest.com/