|
|
Post by Bud Parsley on May 16, 2008 20:32:57 GMT -8
I'm excited for this trip. Not because I'm looking to do some serious coasters but because I've never been before. It will be my first trackless darkride ever. I heard the Haunted House is great. I love the looks of the log flume. And the Ice Mountain coaster - even though I hear it is pretty silly - has me very curious.
Mostly, I'm looking forward to taking my 5 and 2 year olds. I hear the place is pretty good for kids.
TR will be posted in the next few days...
|
|
|
|
Post by skinnyguy on May 16, 2008 20:46:05 GMT -8
I think you'll be pleasantly surprised, but I'm still very curious as to what your reaction will be. The Log Flume is awesome, Challenge of Mondor is amazing, and everything else is pretty fun too, though not as impressive. Hope you're in good shape though - the park is set on the side of a hill, and when I was there I kept thinking of how awful it would be to be pushing a stroller around that place. But hey, what do I know, right?
Awaiting the TR....
|
|
|
|
Post by Bud Parsley on May 19, 2008 9:09:57 GMT -8
Well, the EF trip was a blast...can I just say that I think this is the best kept secret in the entire Northwest???
OK, so I'm a HUGE Disney fan...so to me theming and such are far more important than having 15 mega-coasters. I went to EF not expecting to ride thrilling rides but instead to find a nice little kids park...maybe something along the lines of Wild Waves' kiddie section?
Of course, as those who have been know, what I found was FAR superior in about every way I could imagine. I dare say the theming and environment of this park is right up there with Disney. There is so much to explore and watch and see and do. I was just fascinated! Around ever corner a new room to explore, new things to watch for, and wonderfully themed areas! A very clean park too! I personally saw an employee hand washing windows multiple times throughout the day in the little European Village area of the park. Very impressive!
Ride-wise, well, again, I wasn't expecting Silverwood. The log flume is very fun, fast, and thrilling. Challenge of Mondor was GREAT fun; I rode it over and over again and am now 100% convinced that Silverwood needs a trackless dark ride. Ice Mountain was also fun...but there HAS to be a way to fix the trains. Maybe a steel wire cage over your head instead of the plastic? I also enjoyed the Haunted House, though a couple of the gags weren't working. But it was still a long, impressive, well-done attraction.
Again though, where they really impressed me at this park was with the theming. The Storybook walk was just great and the caves to explore, slides to ride, and buildings to climb through were great. We also watched a rehearsal of the summer "Cinderella" play which wasn't too bad, and ate lunch in the building with the free water fountain show. For a true "kid at heart" like myself, I found that I probably enjoyed the park as much as my kids.
Overall, I loved it, and I plan to try to make this a yearly destination going forward. This to me seems like exactly the kind of park Disney would love to gobble up to get a presence in the Northwest, however, it would probably end up killing the charm so I'd say leave it alone and let the current owner keep improving on it. He obviously knows what he's doing.
|
|
|
|
Post by 65skylark on May 19, 2008 20:17:18 GMT -8
I'm glad to hear you enjoyed my home park, Bud. I am always curious to hear what others think of EF when they visit. I was raised going to that park every year and have seen it evolve from a very small park into what it is now (still small, but with much more to offer than when I was a small child). All of the walk through attractions and the theming are really what makes the park so unique. Even the three large attractions are very unique rides in their own respect. I plan on taking my family in the next few weeks!
|
|
|
|
Post by skinnyguy on Jun 2, 2008 14:16:26 GMT -8
I'm also glad to hear that you enjoyed EF. I completely agree that the park is quite a nice little secret in the NW. I hope they continue to go in the direction they're headed because they're definitely doing something right. I have to admit that I find it interesting that a couple of the parks up here in the NW are so far out of the way of big cities. Both SW and EF are just in very strange locations.
Too bad you didn't get to ride the coaster next door. Looks like ThrillVille is closed for good now, according to their website. Should have got the credit when I was there a couple summers ago! ;D
|
|
|
|
Post by Bud Parsley on Jul 18, 2008 19:27:03 GMT -8
Just thought I'd follow up...I sent EF a letter following our visit to compliment them on such a great park and I received no less than a hand-written thank you letter with these words:
"I want to thank you for the wonderful letter and most inspiring message. We had many of our workers and especially our maintenance crew read the letter; it was very rewarding that you enjoyed our park and appreciated the details. It inspires us to constantly improve Enchanted Forest. Things like this make all our hard work worth it.
Thank you very much.
Sincerely,
Roger Tofte"
|
|
|
|
Post by 65skylark on Jul 18, 2008 21:19:53 GMT -8
Very cool, Bud! I love that Roger is still involved in the daily opperation of his park after all these years. We went on Fathers Day (which has kind of started to become a tradition for our family) and are going again on July 27th. I just realised I have a video of EF some of you may be interested in. It covers most all of the park and gives you a pretty good idea of what EF is all about. youtube.com/watch?v=HRDL_CjG2uQ |
|
