Enchanted Forest

You might have guessed at it, but I’m a fan of folklore, fairy-tales, mythical magical whimsy, and all things imaginative… Unicorns, mermaids, wizards, hobbits, and fairies are fixtures of our home. Accordingly, the girls and I were delighted to introduce Little Man (and my youngest niece) to a real life Enchanted Forest of wonderment this week.

A fixture of my hometown, I grew up visiting for school field trips and weekend gallivants– and I’m pretty sure at least one of my cousins was employed there as a teen. I took the girls when they were quite tiny, nostalgic recollections of which flooded me during this recent visit as I recalled that my late Grandma also joined us.

little man was delighted to find that humpty dumpty ALSO moved to Oregon from Montana (a similar statue exists at the Bozeman public library)

A true litmus of childhood bravery: Are you bold enough to venture inside the rabbit hole? I was always too scared as a child and now I usually have at least one of my own who’s too nervous to crawl through to the other side. Pretty sure I’ve only ever made it through once, as a tween. Legend has it my much older sister once got wedged stuck inside on a school field trip with her oldest.

stuff of nightmares

The highlight was the shoe-slide, and I supposed I was the old woman with “so many kids she didn’t know what to do.”

The place itself has changed very little in thirty-some years, as if magically frozen in time. If you ever find yourself in Salem, Oregon, you simply must visit Enchanted Forest– a place of whimsy and magic and delight. Thank you to my friend Dana for passing on a coupon for a discount on admission!

Throwback of Firstborn with Grandma Norah at Enchanted Forest, nine summers ago:


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