Storytown U.S.A. - My Great Escapades
Written: Apr 19 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: excellent area for small children, Desperado Plunge water ride
Cons: some rides can be unexpectedly physically wearing
The Bottom Line: Some of my favorite childhood memories are tied to this park and rides like the Desperado Plunge.
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| quasar's Full Review: The Great Escape and Splashwater Kingdom |
I am about to break one of the great patterns of my life. Every five years I've made a visit to Lake George, New York. I went when I was 3, when I was 8, when I was 13, when I was 18, and when I was 23. In four months I will turn 29 without having paid another visit to Lake George. Every great streak has to end some time, I guess.
At Three
One of my very first memories is of taking a ride in Cinderella's Coach at Storytown, U.S.A. when I was three years old. The coach seemed awfully big at that age, and I remember looking at my dad for approval before climbing in. I was rewarded for my bravery by a long ride in the Sky Cars sitting on my dad's lap. Looking down at the whole park, it sure felt like flying to me.
At Eight
When I was eight we went back to Lake George for a few days and paid the requisite visit to Storytown. I remember walking through Storyland, composed of a series of building from fairy tales such as the old lady's shoe and thinking how small everything looked. Cinderella's Coach came by and it too looked small. It's amazing how my perspective changed in five years. The park itself seemed so much larger, I think because we skipped much of the park aimed at adults when I was little.
That day was one of the most memorable of my life. My dad took me into the arcade and taught me how to play Skee Ball. It is a game I have a natural aptitude for, and I managed to beat him within a few tries and win him a large stuffed animal (which he so graciously let me choose and keep).
It also marked the very first time I ever went on a scary thrill ride, Magical Mystery Tour. A variation of one of my alltime favorite rides The Scrambler, Magical Mystery Tour lives inside a big dome. Inside it is pitch black. After everyone is seated and secured, the scrambler starts very slowly. It gains speed throughout the entire ride, all the while accompanied by scary music and randomly flashed lights. By the time the ride is over, the person on the inside is crushed. Make sure to put the heaviest person in your group on the inside of the car.
That visit when I was eight also marked my very first time on a water ride. Against my mom's protests, my dad took my younger sister and I on the Desperado Plunge. The name must be said with great flair and drama, so read it that way. The wait for the ride was excessive. It took almost 40 minutes to work our way up to the top of this large wooden structure that in many ways resembled a multitiered hangman's platform. It definitely fit the western theme. Finally we got in a hollowed out log and started along the ride. After a minute or so, the ride enters a dark cave complete with ghosts and the appropriate sound effects. As soon as you exit the cave, you are plunged downward. It feels like you fall straight down, although in reality you fall at a safe angle of about 40 degrees. At the bottom you are suddenly straightened out, causing a huge splash. Everyone gets soaked at this point. The whole ride is over in about two minutes, but they are a fun and exciting two minutes. I immediately wanted to do it again.
At Thirteen
When I was 13 my family took a weeklong vacation to Lake George and Lake Placid. Lake George was an old familiar friend at this point. We had most of the week planned out including spending most of our second day at Storytown. We passed by Storytown on our way to our motel and did a double take. Storytown as we knew it was gone. We were greeted with a big sign "Welcome to the Great Escape." We asked at our hotel and were told that Storytown had closed a few years earlier and the Great Escape had opened in its place. The hotel worker assured us that it really was the same park, and we decided to stick with our plan to go to the park.
As we walked around I encountered many old favorites. The arcade we played Skee Ball in was there, as were the Sky Cars, the Magical Mystery Tour (which I avoided, having learned my lesson the previous time), and the Desperado Plunge. Cinderella's Coach still gave rides to the little ones. Storyland had been renamed Storytown in tribute to the old park, I assume. There didn't seem to be anything new at the park, which we found odd given the ownership change. It was a fun day, and I'm glad we went, but it didn't have the magic of the previous trip.
At Eighteen
By the time I was 18 my parents had moved to Woodstock, NY and I was in college. I was officially an adult. But when my dad asked me if I wanted to go up to Lake George for the day, I jumped at the chance and knew I needed to take just one more whirl at childhood fun before officially growing up. I told him I wanted to go to the Great Escape. He looked at me like I was from Mars but agreed. So off we went, father and daughter, to rekindle my childhood.
When we reached Lake George, The Great Escape was closed. It wasn't clear if it was closed for good or just for the day, but it was clear we weren't going to spend our day there. My dad seemed somewhat relieved - I think he thought that he had successfully navigated through the years when he had to deal with amusement parks and just wasn't ready to reassess that. We ended up at a water park down the road. Fun was had by all, but I don't remember too much about the park. It was hardly the memorable day I had been anticipating.
At Twenty-Three
Finished with college and graduate school and a year of working life behind me, I had just moved to Boston from New Mexico. My baby sister who was nine when I left for college had herself just left for college. I took a few days off and spent five days at my parents house in Woodstock. We decided to go up to Lake George for the day. We drove past the Great Escape and dutifully pointed at it and exclaimed "oh look, there's Storytown, I mean the Great Escape." We still thought of it as Storytown, you see. We got lost in the memories for a few minutes. But none of us suggested going into the park.
The Park Today
Today, The Great Escape is part of the Six Flags group of parks. It also has its own water park, Splashwater Kingdom. There are all sorts of new rides. But all of my favorites are still there. My cousin recently went to the park and he told me all about his trip, and boy did it bring the memories rushing back. Storytown and its miniature town of fairy tale inspired buildings is still there, and Cinderella's Coach still clip-clops around the square. Every year kids are getting soaked on the Desperado Plunge. The Sky Cars still offer a bird's eye view of the whole park. Magical Mystery Tour is still giving folks sore bones while scaring them half to death, and I'm sure you can find kids playing Skee Ball in the arcade.
Why I Wrote This Review
I know it is presumptuous of me to write a review of a park I haven't laid eyes on in five years and haven't actually been inside in almost fifteen. But the rides that made the park so special to me are still there. I still think back on that magical day twenty years ago and smile. I hope this review helps other children have similar days that will make them think back and smile for the rest of their lives.
Recommended:
Yes
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