This Rare Footage Of Maryland's Enchanted Forest Amusement Park Will Have You Longing For The Good Old Days
Jamie Alvarenga
Author
From 1955 until the 1990s, The Enchanted Forest in Maryland delighted children (and adults) with a fairy tale world come to life. Visitors could explore charming woodland cottages, zoom down the slide through the Old Woman’s Shoe, ride on a whimsical boat, and more.
The Enchanted Forest opened just a year after Disneyland in California, and it shared the same kind of fairy tale themes. In its earliest days, adults paid just one dollar in admission fees while the kiddos cost a mere 50 cents. Visitors poured into the amusement park during the summer season. Some say, in fact, that more than 300,000 guests walked through the turnstiles at the park during the height of The Enchanted Forest’s popularity.
Take a look at the following scenes captured during the park’s heyday. It’s sure to fuel your nostalgia.
Today, select structures from the park have been restored and transferred to Clark’s Elioak Farm in Ellicott City. Billing itself as a destination where “the enchantment never ends,” the farm offers plenty for the entire family to do. Stroll through the fairy forest that really will make you feel as though you’ve stepped into an old-fashioned fairy tale.
If you and the kiddos love animals, you’re in luck. The farm also boasts a petting zoo, where you can meet and pet a variety of animals, including pigs, ducks, donkeys, goats, turkeys, and rabbits.
To read our previous article all about The Enchanted Forest’s past and present, click here.
What do you remember about the Enchanted Forest in Maryland? What was your favorite ride? Feel free to share below! Remember the good old days of spending Friday and Saturday evenings hanging out at the mall? This drone footage of the remains of Frederick Towne Mall, in Frederick, might just stir some warm memories (and make you a bit sad as to the mall’s ultimate fate.)
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the enchanted forest in maryland
What are the most popular foods in Maryland?
If you’re craving a little nostalgia and live or are far from home, try some of the most popular foods in Maryland. It’s pretty obvious that steamed crabs top the list of the most popular foods, but what would you vote for number two? How about Smith Island Cake, a delicious dessert that features 10 taste-tantalizing layers and is even more scrumptious with a helping of fresh strawberries? When summertime rolls around, you just can’t go wrong with a tasty bucket of The Original Thrasher’s French Fries, a Maryland staple since 1929.
Can I visit any abandoned places in Maryland?
Finding abandoned places in Maryland is pretty easy. If you’re an avid or even a novice hiker, you might want to check out Alberton Rocks Trailhead in Windsor Mill. Wear sturdy shoes for the hike that will take you right along the Patapsco River. (The trail is predominately dirt and can get pretty muddy after a rainfall.) During your hike, you’ll run across a series of abandoned and crumbling ruins of a long gone ghost town, including an old church, a decaying car jutting out of the ground, and even inconspicuous crumbling walls.
What are the creepiest cemeteries in Maryland?
Finding haunted places in Maryland really is pretty easy. Now, if you’re interested in finding the creepiest cemeteries in Maryland, look no further than Westminster Hall and Burying Ground in Baltimore. The famous cemetery is home to writer Edgar Allan Poe. Literature lovers often visit the burying ground just to pay homage to Poe. However, the burying ground also boasts a sordid history. Local lure tells of grave robbers who would open the tombs and steal the bodies. The grave robber would then sell the body parts to medical students who needed them for research. Those who have had their final resting spot disturbed are said to haunt the cemetery to this day.