The Enchanted Forest

I have wonderful childhood memories of The Enchanted Forest and  equally wonderful memories of taking my own kids there.  For the past few summers, Teenage Daughter and I have been planning a trip, but life kept getting in the way. I didn't dare try those steep paths while my knee was still iffy, and last summer was taken up by the new roof...

 

This summer didn't look much better, but my girl took it upon herself to make a date to meet a friend there.  At the time, I wasn't that enthused, but if we hadn't gone ahead with her plan, we'd have missed out for another year. And I really did want to get some pictures of the place with my new  camera.

 

The witch slide is my absolute favorite part of the park. You go in through her mouth, up a few steps past an animatronic witch stirring her cauldron...

 

 

and slide out the back through her hair. (Or, if you're a cheater like me and it's raining and you don't want to get your butt wet, you walk down the ramp.)

There's another animatronic witch in the gingerbread house, calling for Gretel to come closer while Hansel sits in a wooden cage behind her.

 

 

 

I think this is the first time I've skipped the rabbit hole. Does that mean I'm getting old?

 

When I was a kid, you could see the roof of the haunted house from I-5. The trees have grown up and hidden it from view, but I still catch myself looking for it sometimes. 

I have memories of going through that haunted house with my face buried in the back of my mother's jacket, afraid to even open my eyes.  During one of my sister's birthday parties, a whole pack of little girls froze just inside the door, all wanting to go right back out the entrance. All except for the one who insisted that our mom had paid for it and we should keep going. I think she made it three steps further before changing her mind.

 

By the time I was dating Hubby, I was a little braver, but it gave me a wonderful excuse for clinging to his arm.

 

And my absolute favorite memory of the Enchanted Forest haunted house is of going with a friend and her two boys.  My daughter had raced ahead of the rest of us, so brave that nothing was going to stop her.  Until she reached the exit door that looks like a dead end. Then the poor little thing panicked!  I'm a totally mean mommy for laughing, but it was such an amazing transformation.

 

They've turned up the lights, I think. Going through with Teenage Son and the little guys was a completely different experience than I've had before. We stopped and stood in front of every single display while they discussed the details.

 

What I want to know is what kind of treadle sewing machine that is...

 

We were in the park for three hours before it started to pour. Then I stood on one of the walkways in the western town and kept dry while the boys chased each other around in the Indian caves. I remember when those were brand new and didn't have any moss growing on them. And when my oldest two were young enough that I worried about losing track of them in there.

This post is linked to Time Travel Thursday, Treasure Hunt Thursday, Vintage Thingie Thursday, Share Your Cup, and Ivy and Elephants.