He comes to me and says, Now, what more do you want? And so Charlie Woods attitude helped me buy more stuff.. Definitely recommend for little kids. 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. Close. Strange and amusing destinations in the US and Canada are our specialty. UPDATE 06/2019: The Magic Forest has been taken over by new owners and is now known as the Lake George Expedition Park. We put an ax in his hands and made him a woodsman.". Close. 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 other is a Happy Halfwit with an Amish beard and hat, holding an ax just opposite the Little Miss Muffet display. 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. Dino Roar Valley is so fun its prehistoric! WebLake George Expedition Park is an amusement park located in Lake George, NY along Route 9. Would have loved to have seen the dinosaurs. She dreams of visiting every state in the U.S. and will always stop for a Muffler Man. The 38-foot-tall Uncle Sam has been returned to its original location in Danbury, Connecticut. The it in questions runs the amusement part gamut, from typical equipment like a heater and a store product stand to any number of stranger things. I was there last week nothing was unsafe it is one of the best children's parks around. A bean pole droops, a gingerbread house caves in, a Humpty Dumpty falls one last time. The rides are very old school, and my kids. Two Muffler Men are particularly disturbing. Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. WebStatues from Magic Forest in Lake George are up for sale. Because they are giant, it feels like they will never leave, but the truth is they are well-traveled for as old as they are. 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? Enjoy free WiFi, free parking, and a 24-hour front desk. Jimmys magic show was the highlight of our visit. Most of them sit at a starting price of $25. 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 That was a bit disturbing to me. 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. But the future doesnt have to be dark for analog attractions like the Magic Forest: I feel like disappearing Americana is not as much a problem as it was just 10 years ago, Baker says. Both are protected with Clear Coat, as are all the statues in the Magic Forest. Contents 1 Magic Forest 2 Dino Roar Valley 3 References 4 External links Magic Forest [ edit] POTUS landmarks, oddities. The theme park reopened in 2019 with a new owner and a new name: Lake George Expedition Park. Stories, reports and tips on tourist attractions and odd sights in New York. Magic Forest is the park of your childhood dreams! Id gladly trade a few more brain cells to take that so-called safari ride again and spend a few more precious moments with the mangy menagerie of animals scattered throughout the woods. Also guarding the minivans and SUVs is a large Santa Claus, reportedly the most popular statue on the property. Magic Forest is one, aided by a combination of prime location and classic clean kid fun. 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. Most hotels are fully refundable. WebMagic Forest - Lake George Expedition Park FUN TO MAKE YOU SOAR Enter a world of nostalgia and wonder Magic Forest is the park of your childhood dreams! Information is subject to change. Learn more about Roadpass accounts here. One, a giant clown, has to be the most remodeled MM in the world. Cookies are used for measurement, ads, and optimization. The pace has slowed, but each week he continues to get inquiries. Gillette sold Magic Forest in Lake George in 2019 and retired. Baker first visited the park in 2012 while he was researching Muffler Men (the park had four). Close. Jimmy Brown the magician is fantastic and I love that they have Santa there. That means the array of memories up for auction come from a variety of other fairs, carnivals and fun lands. The Magic Forest felt like it was from a different time not only physically, but spiritually. He cataloged the items, helped set prices, and listed them on his website. We couldn't find an existing Roadtrippers account using that service. Are you associated with this business? Ruben Ellsworth, owner of Ellsworth & Son Excavating in Fort Ann, purchased the Magic Forest amusement park from the Gillette family, who has operated the park for nearly 60 years. Its fiberglass figures had long ago dug in their collective heelsand hoovesas the world evolved around them. He says that all of the figures lived diverseand sometimes manypast lives before they came to the Magic Forest. WebExperience a journey through time. The park collected hundreds of fiberglass figures through the years, sourced from the Danbury Fair, mini-golf courses, and other amusement parks. Try My Sights, Roadside America app for iPhone, iPad. 7.1/10 A good place to spend half a day for kids. Rides are fun and seeing Santa was really great! Fairies were missing fingers, buttons used to activate animatronics were broken, and, when I put a quarter into a prize machine, I received nothing in return. Since putting those larger fiberglass statues up for sale in 2019, Gillette says hes been impressed over and over by the kindness and care of the interested buyers hes met along the way. Try My Sights, Roadside America app for iPhone, iPad. 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. Old, sad, dingy, dirty. I have no place to store it, he said. This was very nastalgic for us because the rides here were bought from different parks over the years and brought to this one. Copyright 2023 Family Vacation Critic All Rights Reserved. We have an awkward moment -- not uncommon for us -- when we ask a passing manager why the grimacing, Amishized Alfred E. Neuman holds an ax. This park is a cute stop and great for small kids without the meltdowns that come with large parks when theyre beyond exhausted. WebLake George, New York. We got to do and see everything, a few things more than once. Anyone who wants to be one of Gillettes next buyers has a month to do it. 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. Was wondering about parking at magic forest theme park (parking is free) and taking the trolley to great escape. [1] Magic Forest also has a small petting zoo where children can feed the animals. 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. Plan your journey, find amazing places, and take fascinating detours with our app. There is a area with several picnic table just outside a small snack bar. Strange and amusing destinations in the US and Canada are our specialty. Alexandra is the features editor at Roadtrippers Magazine. 10am5pm | Sat & Sun Only Lake George Expedition Park is an amusement park located in Lake George, NY along Route 9. Create and Save Your Own Crazy Road Trip! enchanted forest water safari where the fun never stops is up in old forge, this place was near Lake George. Anyone know if I will be towed for parking there after hours? Embark on a ride that will take you sky high or take the scenic route through the forest on our park train. ", 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. This park is a cute stop and great for small kids without the meltdowns that come with large parks when theyre beyond exhausted. The Dinosaur park is amazing!! Along the shaded trails, attractions feature fairy tale characters like Hansel and Gretel and Paul Bunyan. We are located on the seasonal Greater Glens Falls Transit Trolley route. 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We were there 4 years ago. Love that it is geared for younger kids and that all of the vintage rides have a brief history displayed. After 2 hours our son asked if we could leave & never come back. 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. Soon we will require you to update your account to a Roadpass account as it will be the only way to log in to Roadtrippers. Web1912 State Route 9 Lake George, NY 12845 Visit Site Adirondacks Region Details Since 1963, Magic Forest has entertained young park goers and their families, creating memories for all. Posted by 3 years ago. All the classic cautionary tales are here, displayed in miniature within wooden shelters, or lurking in the woods along serpentine trails. It opened in 2019, and incorporates the Magic Forest, which opened in 1963, along with a new attraction entitled Dino Roar Valley. Our website found buyers who truly have a passion for saving these kinds of things.. Take time to enjoy the rides - the merry-go-round, you-drive car track, sail in the boats, and others. For Military (Vets, Active, Retired) 2 dollars off the price of admission. We could see things in the woods by they are roped off. Santa had been on the Atkins diet and looked as healthy as the animals. A bit dirty, rides seem OLD and somewhat banged up, and the animals are not taken care of very well (they seem well fed but cages are dirty and small). Get a piece of your childhood now! On-route maps, 1,000s of photos, special research targets! Jack Collins is slated to be the General Manager and COO of the new park; he brings experience working as the General Manager of the Great Escape and has also consulted with Santas Workshop in Wilmington. We strive to insure accuracy on Lakegeorge.com however accuracy cannot be guaranteed. And I said, Charles Wood, and he says, okay.'. UPDATE 06/2019: The Magic Forest has been taken over by new owners and is now known as the Lake George Expedition Park. Two Muffler Men are particularly disturbing. $$ - $$$ American Steakhouse Vegetarian Friendly, $$ - $$$ Italian Vegetarian Friendly Vegan Options, $$ - $$$ American Bar Vegetarian Friendly, $ American Diner Vegetarian Friendly, $ American Cafe Vegetarian Friendly, Points of Interest & Landmarks Civic Centres. This is by far the greatest place whether you are old or young. 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. 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. It's perfect. As a separate park, it featured the largest Uncle Sam statue in the world (as of May 9, 2019, the statue has since moved back home to Danbury, CT), a magic show, and cottages and attractions which tell the story of the Three Little Pigs, Jack Sprat, Hansel and Gretel, various princesses, Paul Bunyan, Pecos Bill, the Statue of Liberty, and the Spider Man. Web1912 State Route 9 Lake George, NY 12845 Visit Site Adirondacks Region Details Since 1963, Magic Forest has entertained young park goers and their families, creating memories for all. 8.6 Fabulous 813 reviews Price from 102 per night Check availability Best Western of Lake George Most hotels are fully refundable. Probably nowhere else is the disturbing world of children's' fairy tales brought to life more vividly. Take time to enjoy the rides - the merry-go-round, you-drive car track, sail in the boats, and others. The dark, woodsy allure of classic fairy tales is part of Magic Forest's charm. Posted by 3 years ago. 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.. Amazing! WebMagic Forest - Lake George Expedition Park FUN TO MAKE YOU SOAR Enter a world of nostalgia and wonder Magic Forest is the park of your childhood dreams! Attraction status, hours and prices change without notice; call ahead! "His head is the way we got him. When Gillette came back down to Danbury, intending to pick up the last of what he had already paid for, he caught the seller while he was still in a bad mood from that conversation. No portion of this document may be reproduced, copied or revised without written permission of the authors. These are rides that we as children went on growing up and rides we brought our children to go on when they were little but at different amusement parks. 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. Hes believed to be the largest Uncle Sam statue in the world. Before Chuck E. Cheese, video games, Six Flags, or Disney World, parks like the Magic Forest used to be the place to take your kids. In addition to Danbury Fair and Carson City, other items come from places like Lake Georges own Gaslight Village; Charles R. Woods Story Town; as well as amusement parks with names like Animal Land, Hoffmans Play Land and Land of Make Believe. 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. tourist attractions and odd sights in New York, World's Highest and Longest Pedestrian Bridge. These reviews are the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Dino Roar Valley is so fun its prehistoric! 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. Fun for the kids and nostalgic for us babyboomers! I have no place to store it, he said. Called and wrote many letters to various places asking to end the poor horses use as a diving attraction. I was especially concerned about "Lightening" the diving horse. Get in Touch Things to Know Before Visiting Magic Forest How popular is Magic Forest? I even went as far as Kansas this summer, and everybody I have met has been nice, friendly and very appreciative. All stuff geared towards Christmas which also explains the Christmas songs played in the mix of music. I didnt want to go to six flags or another big park that would take the entire day waiting in lines. WebMagic Forest Address: 1912 U.S. 9, Lake George, NY 12845, USA, United States Magic Forest Contact Number: +1-5186682448 Try the best online travel planner to plan your travel itinerary! This park is a cute stop and great for small kids without the meltdowns that come with large parks when theyre beyond exhausted. The Magic Forest, a storybook amusement park located in Lake George, New York, looked abandoned for years before it officially closed. The park is expected to be open May through October, with tickets going on sale in March. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. All of that was fine. If your child will play baseball or softball this spring, youll need to stock up on appropriate clothing and equipment. Best Western of Lake George 2452 State Route 9N, Lake George, NY, 12845 $77 per night Mar 1 - Mar 2 Stay at this business-friendly hotel in Lake George. Tall tales, trip guides, and the weird and wonderful. In the 1950s, his uncle took that carnival to the Danbury Fair, where it played through the fairs final years. They first went 3 years ago. Climb into a dinosaur nest, dig for hidden fossils, and stand next to what is possibly the world's largest dinosaur ever discovered - the Titanosaurus. The 38-foot-tall Uncle Sam has been returned to its original location in Danbury, Connecticut. 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. Trip Planning Caution: RoadsideAmerica.com offers maps, directions and attraction details as a convenience, providing all information as is. His father and uncle started a carnival together. There is so much potential to this park. For as long as I live, I wont forget how it felt to teeter on the brink of death, slowly ascending on a rickety Ferris wheel that appeared to have been built from the mismatched pieces of a garage sale Erector set. Get a piece of your childhood now! No portion of this document may be reproduced, copied or revised without written permission of the authors. The park's famous Santa Claus overlooks the parking lot. 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. Visit Family Vacation Critic on Facebook! The kids thought the place was greatmy husband and I thought it could be better. Magic Forest (Lake George) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go, Hotels near House of Frankenstein Wax Museum, Hotels near SUNY Adirondack Community College Queensbury, NY, Adrenaline & Extreme Tours in Lake George, Game & Entertainment Centers in Lake George, Points of Interest & Landmarks in Lake George, Maui Nui Luau at the Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa, St Maarten Sailing and Snorkeling to St Barts, Bryce Canyon National Park Self-Driving Audio Tour, Paris Tootbus Discovery Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour, Adirondack Cottage, Escape, Relax, and Enjoy, View all hotels near Magic Forest on Tripadvisor, View all restaurants near Magic Forest on Tripadvisor. Receive emails and newsletters to keep in touch with I LOVE NY. The new park will transport viewers to prehistoric times with animatronic dinosaurs, a Dino-Roar Valley, and more. Get in Touch Things to Know Before Visiting Magic Forest How popular is Magic Forest? For other uses, see, "Dinosaurs coming to Lake George this summer", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lake_George_Expedition_Park&oldid=1074053798, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 26 February 2022, at 04:51. Undeterred, we assured her that we were willing participants in the charade that the park was still a viable tourist destination. This was our first time. Officials ended up tipping Uncle Sam onto a 40-foot flatbed truck, and had to remove one of his hands to avoid it getting torn off by a bridge along the route. Get a piece of your childhood now! Statues from Magic Forest in Lake George are up for sale. 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. We are grandparents of 5 yo and 9 yo boys and went with them and their parents to the park. Copyright 1996-2023 Doug Kirby, Ken Smith, Mike Wilkins. "His head is the way we got him. The Muffler Mena Paul Bunyan, a Mortimer Snerd, a clown, and Pecos Billwere among the first items to sell. Its different, he said. 92% of travelers recommend this experience. Luckily, anyone with the money and means to drive to Lake George can still own a piece of history. 7.1/10 Santa is actually there in an air conditioned log house. No souvenirs though. $$ Photos See all photos Connect with Magic Forest on Facebook Log In or Create new account The park had its first season under new name and ownership in 2021, and that was what pushed Gilette to finally get it done. I hope the utilize this theme in the fall. I was impressed by the amount of original International Fiberglass figures there, Baker says. She doesn't understand our concern, and is probably wondering why grown men traveling without children are in her park in the first place. Embark on a ride that will take you sky high or take the scenic route through the forest on our park train. Many recycled rides from other parks. The food was not too expensive. 51. WebLake George, New York. We put an ax in his hands and made him a woodsman.". All the classic cautionary tales are here, displayed in miniature within wooden shelters, or lurking in the woods along serpentine trails.
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