Just an hour away from Portland, right off Interstate 5 but hidden by trees, is Oregon’s (much smaller) answer to Disneyland: Enchanted Forest.
Robert Tofte opened Enchanted Forest in 1971, and it’s been entertaining visitors to the mid- Willamette Valley ever since.
It may be small compared to big, corporate theme parks, but Enchanted Forest was recently voted “the best family-owned amusement park in the country” by Newsweek readers.
Was it nostalgia that won that contest, or did Enchanted Forest really deserve the accolade? Oregonians are certainly split on the question.
If they last visited as little kids, they might remember a magical dreamland of slides and stories. If they were teens, they might instead associate the park with cringe-worthy animatronics or weird handmade sculptures of Mary and her little lamb and Miss Muffet and her tuffet.
As a born-in- Oregon type, I have a mix of both – good, if hazy, feelings about the place created in a time I don’t recall, alongside teen memories of it being somewhat juvenile and outdated.
But now I am a parent to a born-in- Oregon type and so, with the announcement of the big win, I figured it was time for me to give my child some of those memories and also assess the park with the eyes of an adult.
I should add that I have a somewhat embarrassing love for Disneyland, a place I didn’t visit until my mid-30s. Due to that love, my daughter, Nona, has been to Disneyland three times in the roughly five years she’s been alive.
All this is to say: We aren’t theme park novices or rubes easily entranced by gimmicks. Or, who knows, maybe we are.
Either way, on a day with no school or summer camps, not long after Enchanted Forest opened on weekdays for the season, we got in the car and took the freeway down south.
The park, in Turner, opens at 10:30 a.m. and In-N-Out in Keizer 20 minutes north also opens at 10:30 a.m.
Keizer’s In-N-Out opened in 2019 and has been slammed ever since. But if you’re trying to simulate the California experience, why not add In-N-Out to the mix? Plus, one of us is 4 so we can always eat lunch at 10:35 a.m.
We arrived at In-N-Out just as it was opening and walked right up to an open register. We quickly got our food and went to sit in the sun outside. The entire time we were there, until about 11 a.m., there were never more than two cars in the drive-thru.
After an animal-style burger for me and a bun and cheese for Nona, we took the quick drive to Enchanted Forest.
The main bit of the theme park that you see from the interstate is its parking lot, which is a major asset. Parking is easy, free and mostly very close to the entrance. This is especially useful since many people bring picnic lunches along with them and if you do this, you can leave your cooler in the car and then just grab it at lunchtime.
We snagged a spot feet from the entrance and then waited roughly 60 seconds in line to pay our entry fee – $27 for adults and $24 for kids and seniors. Kids 2 and under are free.
We also bought 10 tickets for $10 for rides. You can purchase tickets in different places and any you don’t use can be returned for a refund.
Here’s a way that Enchanted Forest hasn’t caught up to Disneyland or even 7-Eleven: You will be paying with cash or a credit card. No tapping your phone on a machine and moving on. Expect to sign a bunch of receipts and bring some dollar bills for the few things that don’t take cards at all, including a photo booth and some carnival games.
Immediately upon entering the park, I was struck by how wrong my teenage opinion of the place was.
The last time I visited, when I was 18, was a dreary day. When I took Nona it was bright and summery. As an Oregonian, I know how weather changes everyone’s opinion about everything, so that could be part of my teenage impression of the place. That and as an 18-year-old I was visiting the park the same way I did everything: Ironically.
But the first thing you see when you walk up the path is a castle. Sure, it’s no Disney castle but it’s still a castle that you can walk through and this one even has a dungeon.
Enchanted Forest really is in a forest, which means shade. Because of the shade, even on a hot day, the park is inviting and rarely do you find yourself baking in the sun. The path through the fairytale stories is dark and cool, much like the forest you might imagine Hansel and Gretel or Little Red Riding Hood (all featured here in sculpture) walking through.
As an adult, I didn’t find the sculptures cheesy or too old-timey. Retro, maybe, but still fun. And Nona liked them, too.
What she really loved though were the things you could walk through or crawl through or slide down.
At Disneyland, one of Nona’s favorite attractions is Tom Sawyer’s Island, a little island accessible by boat with caves to explore and treasure to discover.
Enchanted Forest has its own caves to clamber through, inside Tofteville Western Town.
The caves aren’t the only highlight of the village. There is also a long slide, a place to pan for “gold” and pretend storefronts to check out. And on the day we were there, a weekday, a live band played twangy tunes.
From the Western village, you can either go towards the rides or towards the old European village. Both are great options.
The rides range from a teeny kiddie train to a log flume for the braver and the bigger. Nona enjoyed the kids’ bumper boats, the carousel and the train. The only real line we saw was for the mountain rollercoaster, which we didn’t attempt. There is also a haunted house that apparently is quite scary. We also opted not to try that one.
The European village has even more places to explore. You can climb the stairs to Pinocchio’s Playhouse, watch animatronic blackbirds sing in a pie or enjoy the classic Fantasy Fountains water and light show.
Here we also found our second live musical act of the day – an engaging Irish band playing to a happy crowd.
At this point, we needed a snack and I smelled a cinnamon-y scent. I looked around and found someone selling churros so I bought myself one: a warm, crunchy pastry with a nice gooey center. It may not have had that Disney magic – no wild dipping sauces or flavors – but it was a decent churro nonetheless and it was only $2.75.
Nona opted for a small scoop of chocolate ice cream on a cake cone. Another reasonable purchase at $3.50.
The other food options were standard carnival foods like pizza and pulled pork sandwiches. But many people brought their own food to enjoy on the tables under the trees. The picnic area is a perfect extension of the fairytale vibe, with ample picnic tables and plenty of places to feast like a princess.
On the day we went, the park was busy but not crowded. There were plenty of families with young kids and some pre-teens and teens. After this visit, it’s clear to me that Enchanted Forest is ideal for kids ages about 3 to maybe 10. Older kids will definitely have fun but younger kids can lose themselves in the fantasy, and fit better in the caves.
The staff was young but professional and plentiful. They swept walkways, helped kids go down slides, loaded them onto rides or painted their faces and generally did it all cheerfully and well.
We spent several hours at Enchanted Forest and could have easily stayed longer. We didn’t get to every ride or see every show or try every treat.
Which is fine, because we will definitely be back.
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