The Enchanted Forest
The Enchanted Forest is a place which every Oregonian seems to look back on with both nostalgia and mild embarrassment for being nostalgic. But avoid the inevitable Floridian/Californian comparisons and suspend your disbelief and I suspect you'll have just as much fun as they once did. PS. umm, you're right, it's not in Portland.
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It's complicated. See Opening Hours.
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Pros
- Don’t listen to the haters! If you’re between, say, four and nine, or have children in that age range, or you simply enjoy kitsch, the Enchanted Forest is actually kind of awesome.
- Beyond the fairytale / nursery rhyme exhibits (if that’s the right word) on Storybook Lane, there are a number of fun rides including an excellent log flume. The Western Town is very well done, and the haunted house is legendary (many coworkers claim it gave them nightmares as children, through, for whatever reason, my own child was nonplussed).
- You can definitely spend the best part of a day there and not get bored.
Cons
- It’s an hour’s drive from Portland (though it’s a straight shot down I-5).
- Ends up costing $35/each including the semi-obligatory unlimited ride bracelets.
- The food is not great – but neither is it expensive, which is nice considering they have a captive audience.
- It’s seen better days. Then again, haven’t we all?
- Teenagers will definitely consider it lame. What else is new?
if you like this…
To revel in more nostalgic pleasures, take a trip down to Oak’s Park. For a gentle amble around a little forest which may actually be enchanted, try Leach Botanical Gardens.
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First posted: July 5, 2013; last updated: January 30, 2015.
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If you find any factual innaccuracies in this post, please email me via richard at thingstodoinportland dot org so I can fix it for everyone. Thanks in advance!
8462 Enchanted Way SE Turner, OR 97392 [Google map].
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The good people of Yelp have posted 159 reviews of The Enchanted Forest with an average rating of 4.5 out of 5.
