The [Magic] has been stripped from the Magic Forest

After checking out the new gravity group goodness down the street….. I decided to stop into a park that I had stumbled upon years ago.

For those of you who haven’t heard of magic forest, it’s a small storybook style theme park in Lake George, New York. This park was well known for its quirky yet historic fiberglass statues that once littered the park. Jack Gilette, the former owner of the park, collected some very interesting and rare pieces for his park throughout the years. The majority of his collection originated at the great Danbury fair….. a legendary festival that no longer occurs. In 2019, Jack sold the park and soon…a drastic amount of his collection was sold off.

I hadn’t heard many updates on how the park was doing since the sale, so I decided to see for myself. Unfortunately, a lot of what made the park special is no more. The park now goes under the generic name of “Lake George Expedition Park”. Instead of being greeted by a massive Paul Bunyan and Uncle Sam, you now see a bland sign that could be mistaken for a doctor’s office.

Entering the park, you can immediately notice the lack of attractions and things to look at. The right side of the park is almost completely blocked off. What was once a charming storybook section was now mostly empty.

Magic Forest was also known for having one of the last diving-horse shows left in the country. It was an absolute spectacle to see and definitely the biggest attraction they had. The stage and pool for the diving show still stands, however, the park does not offer any entertainment offerings at the location anymore. The left side fared better, however almost all the figurines were gone.

On the positive side, the park is making some capital improvements to their walkways and even added a new roller coaster.

The Great Escape wasn’t the only park to receive a new coaster in Lake George for 2024. “Caldwell’s Krazy Coaster” is a brand new SBF spinner that took the former spot of the reindeer stables. Originally, the park was home to the Allan Herschell kiddie coaster that formally operated at Canobie Lake Park.

The park is now split into two themes. “The Forest” and the Dinosaur Expedition Trail. The dinosaur park is located in the former home of the wild safari ride. It is a very similar experience to what you would find at the Cedar fair parks, however the location is absolutely breathtaking and makes it a must do attraction if you’re at the park.

Walking down to see the dinosaurs, you will notice a completely abandoned section of the park. The once popular Storybook Trail is now completely gutted and abandoned. This section of park was Home to some incredibly vintage scenes that were loved by many…even if they were a tad unsettling. One of those walk-through attractions was the Snow White House, which was made by Disney for the 1939 World’s Fair. A very neat gem for the forest!

While walking around, I couldn’t help but feel a little bittersweet. I am so happy that this park is still going and is actually seeing some attendance. Fortunately, most of the original rides are still in operation. The only casualties were the Allan Herschell roller coaster, the wild safari ride and the tilt-a-whirl. Although the train has yet to reopen.

This park seems to have major identity crisis under the new owners. I truly hope that they find their footing and keep this property open. No longer seeing the Old Lady in the Shoe nor the hundreds….if not thousands of crazy figurines that once resided here, definitely is a bummer. Magic Forest was once one of the best Roadside America attractions. Although it has seen better days, it’s still a total gem of a park and deserves a visit if you’re in the area. I highly recommend reading up on the history of this place, it’s a very fascinating park.