Enchanted Forest came to life 60 years ago. Over that time, it's evolved from a storybook playland to, according to the Travel Channel, one of the top water parks in the country. Brian Dwyer had the tough assignment of heading to Old Forge and finding out more.
OLD FORGE, N.Y. -- For a tourism business, being named a top anything by the Travel Channel is special. But, for a Water Park in the Upstate New York Adirondacks, Enchanted Forest Water Safari recently named a top water park in all of the country, the honor is thrilling.
"We strive and try hard every year to provide safe, clean, family fun. Getting an accolade for a park in upstate New York, one of the top parks in the country, is very rewarding to us," said Katie Wojdyla, co-owner and marketing manager of the waterpark.
Did you know Water Safari was actually not a water park when it first opened in the 1950's? 'Enchanted Forest of the Adirondacks' was a park based on storybooks and fairy tales. Mechanical rides weren't even introduced until a decade later.
The Noonan family bought the park and in 1984, created a new theme that caused the need to change the name to Enchanted Forest Water Safari.
"We tracked the weather and decided that Upstate New York was a great place for a water park," Wojdyla said.
As you walk in, there's a giant reminder of the history. An 18-foot tall, Paul Bunyan has stood in its spot near the entrance since day one in 1956. He's considered the guardian of the still standing Storybook Land.
"The man that has probably had more pictures taken with him than anybody else I know," Wojdyla said.
The park still has plenty of those mechanical, dry rides, a circus show, a train that takes you through the grounds and a skyride that takes you over the entire grounds. But really, it's now all about the 32 water rides that have been bringing people to Old Forge for the last 30 years.
"We have something for everyone from very small kids, toddlers, one-year-olds, up to grand parents," Wojdyla said.
"We wanted to stop here. Our family does a trip every year to the Adirondacks. We usually stay right in Old Forge, Nick's Lake. We usually spend a day, day and a half at the park," said Binghamton Resident John Hendrick, who brought his family to the park.
"I was just at work one day and somebody just told me about it. They said they'd been coming here since they were little and that it's just so much fun," said California resident Marina Acosta-Saucedo.
Perhaps no ride offers people more fun than Water Safari's most famous ride, well, maybe 'fun' is not the word, at least not on the way up to the top of it. It's aptly named Killermanjaro.
"I think that anxiety mounts by the time they get to the top," Wojdyla said.
"I didn't want to do it and this little kid that's like half my size was like 'Oh, I do this 20 times in one visit,'" Acosta-Saucedo said about her debate whether or not to give it a try.
With a 280-foot drop and speeds that reach 30 miles an hour, the hesitancy is certainly understandable.
"I almost was going to be like, 'Nope, I'm done.' Then I was like, 'Come'on, it's just a slide. Just go.' So I did and it and yeah, I loved it," Acosta-Saucedo said after finally deciding to do it.
"They get to the bottom and it's like, 'Wow, I need to do that again,'" Wojdyla said of most everyone who tries the ride.
That's what the staff here hopes families say about their entire trip. The Travel Channel and it's recognition can help bring them here, but Wojdyla says taking care of them, making their trip memorable, bringing them back is what will make sure this place is here for another 60 years.
New this year at the park are cabanas available for rent. The next door campground offers 'Stay & Play' packages.
The park is open seven days a week until September 5.