Salem - Turner, Oregon - Enchanted Forest

Wear comfortable shoes and be ready to hike uphill. This is a terrific place to take children ages 5 to 12. Younger children might be frightened by the witch and the caves. Older kids might not find it exciting enough. Since my kids have grown up with our summer visits there, even my 14 yr old daughter still enjoys it, but wishes there were more coasters. One nice thing is that you can bring in your own food which is a money saver if you have a large family like we do. The ice cream is great. The gift shops are a little silly. The log ride is great and the bobsleds are bumpy. The haunted house is spooky and all in all it's a great experience. We love this strange enchanted park. [kkraterman, 08/28/2009]

The Enchanted Forest, south of Salem, OR, is an amazingly weird and homegrown "theme park" off the highway. As a kid I remember being scared of the weird plastic gnomes and mushrooms, as a college student I had fun in the "tilted house," and my friend remembers getting trapped in the underground crawl-through tunnels that were supposed to be "fun." A truly strange place, filled with creepy statues, fun rides, even a fountain "light" show -- it's sort of like Disneyland, only much much smaller, and created by a local family over the years. [Kristin Kolberg, 03/05/2002]

[RA: We featured the Enchanted Forest in the "Fantasy Worlds" section of the first Roadside America, and recall it fondly. You could crawl around inside the huge witch's head, listen to her maniacal laughter, and peer our of her eyes. But tunnels in other parts of the park suddenly became claustrophobic nightmares, or endless mazes. Still promoted in their literature: "Explore Fort Fearless and the Indian Caves, with underground tunnels and secret passageways..." ]