A Day of Fantasy at Story Land

We wrote our own tale of adventure with a day at Story Land in Glen, New Hampshire. Story Land is not your average amusement park. To be honest it felt like a wonderland for parents of young children. There are attractions for toddlers, preschoolers and elementary school age kids. The rollercoasters and rides are just the right level of excitement for young riders. The youngest (or shortest) riders can ride many of the rides with a responsible rider 16 years or older. The attendants are very accommodating of families when parents need to ride with more than one child. Our mini Adventure buddies vary in their thrill seeking levels so it was so enjoyable to find an amusement park that amused us all.

When we pulled into the almost full parking lot we were pretty convinced our day would be spent waiting in lines and frantically trying not to loose one of our kids in the crowds. We were pleasantly surprised to find that the park easily accommodates the large summer crowds without feeling like sardines. The park is expansive, but the walking between rides is not unbearable. The bathrooms were never too far away and the lines were either short or moved quickly. The employees were helpful and kind. You can rent or bring a stroller to keep kids moving along faster. We also recommend packing a lunch or snacks to eat while you walk or wait. We didn’t spend any time just sitting and eating and yet our whole cooler of food was empty as we pulled out of the parking lot. We spent 5 hours at Story Land and were able to do all the rides and attractions our kids were interested in. We could have stayed longer in some areas or revisited certain rides, but our youngest is only 2 so we try not to push her limits to the breaking point. This could easily be made into a longer day, but probably not much shorter than 4 hours to see most of the park.

We especially loved all the non-ride entertainment and attractions available. For many of the bigger kid rides there were areas or ways for younger kids to entertain themselves. By the Pirate Ship ride there is a Buccaneer play area where younger children can climb and slide around a ship, peak through telescopes or shoot water guns at the passing ship. By the Roar-O-Saurus roller coaster there is an Allosaurus Dig Pit where kids can dig away sand to find dinosaur bones. The Splash Battle ride allows guests to stand along the perimeter of the ride and shoot water at boats as they go by. The boats are equipped with water guns to shoot back. We didn’t feel like waiting in line for the ride, but enjoyed cooling off with a little water battle of our own from the side. Speaking of water, there are several attractions that involve water to varying degrees. The guests getting off Dr. Geyser’s Remarkable Raft Ride and the Splash Battle were more often than not drenched. We didn’t wear suits and didn’t see many people wearing them, with the exception of some children in the Oceans of Fun Sprayground and Mini Geyser’s water play. There are lockers at both of the wettest rides if you do want to change.

Our kids really loved the Story Book Characters and Nursery Rhyme Play Area to the right as you walk in. They are interactive play areas based on Story characters or nursery rhymes. There is even a story time at Mother Goose Manor. I think for some children, like mine, this was a good warm up. They got playing and running around and excited so by the time we got to the tea cups they were stoked. We have been to other amusement parks, closer to home, that don’t have any play areas and our kids always take a long time to warm up to the rides. In addition to the Story Book Characters and Nursery Rhyme Play Area, some attractions our family loved that were unique include the Loopy Lab, Dig Deeper Play Area, Splash Battle, Oceans of Fun Sprayground and Buccaneer Playground. The Cherry on top for our kids was the free Daniel Tiger show (that ran 3 times throughout the day). Daniel Tiger and Katerina Kittycat navigate feelings, sharing, trying new things, using imagination and the songs that along! After the show kids can meet the characters and take pictures. The other shows include Camp Fairy Tale, It’s Magic, Cinderella’s Royal Celebration and Farm Follies Show: Vegetable Spectacular. In addition to the free shows there are character dinners with Cinderella, Duke the Dragon, Humpty Dumpty, Rory the Dinosaur and more. Cinderella and her friends will visit you and your children during a Buffet dinner at Around the World Pavilion to pose for pictures, sign autographs, and have FUN! Each child receives crayons and a Story Land coloring book with plenty of room for autographs.

Story Land has been creating fun family memories since 1954 and has over 30 kid-friendly attractions. We loved that many of the interactive play areas and even some of the rides still had a 1950’s feel. We also love the literary focus of the attractions. It wasn’t all movie characters, loud noises and flashing light everywhere. Story Land offers a unique amusement park experience for families with young children.

Purchase your Story Land Day Pass Tickets online for $30.99.  All tickets are ages 3 & up. Ages 1 & 2 are admitted free.

Save up to $9 off gate price when you Use Promo Code: blogger18
Type the promo code directly into the online store to receive the discount.

Coming soon right next door is Living Shores Aquarium, an indoor walk through experience with over 32,000 square feet of interactive tide pools, exhibits, and activities. There is no firm opening date yet, but they seem optimistic it will be before the end of 2018. Follow @LivingShoresNH on social media for updates.

Story Land
850 NH Route 16
Glen, NH 03838
www.storylandnh.com
(603) 383-4186

For more New Hampshire Adventures:

Mount Washington Cog Railway
Squam Lakes Natural Science Center