Lake George Expedition Park

Lake George Expedition Park is a family amusement park on Route 9 in Lake George, New York. The park opened in 2019 as a combined attraction built around two distinct experiences: the longstanding Magic Forest and the newer Dino Roar Valley. Its operating concept links traditional roadside storybook attractions with a contemporary prehistoric theme, giving visitors access to both classic children's entertainment and large animatronic dinosaur displays. The park's historical foundation is Magic Forest, which first opened in 1963 under the direction of Arthur Gillette. Before becoming part of Lake George Expedition Park, Magic Forest operated as a separate attraction and developed a distinctly nostalgic identity. Its features included storybook settings and installations based on tales and characters such as the Three Little Pigs, Jack Sprat, Hansel and Gretel, various princesses, Paul Bunyan, Pecos Bill, the Statue of Liberty, and Spider-Man. The attraction also included a magic show, cottages, a small petting zoo where children could feed animals, and a prominent Santa Claus figure overlooking the parking area. Magic Forest was also associated with a large Uncle Sam statue that was described as the world's largest at the time. The statue later returned to Danbury, Connecticut, and was no longer part of the park's collection by May 2019. This change illustrates the transitional period surrounding the creation of Lake George Expedition Park, when some of Magic Forest's legacy elements remained while others were relocated or retired. The park's second major component, Dino Roar Valley, opened in 2019 alongside the formation of Lake George Expedition Park. It uses animatronic dinosaurs as its central attraction, providing a more modern, immersive theme in contrast to Magic Forest's fairytale and Americana installations. The dinosaur experience broadens the park's appeal beyond the historic attraction and gives the overall venue a combined heritage-and-novelty proposition. Lake George Expedition Park is oriented toward family day visits and seasonal leisure travel in the Lake George area. Its offerings are primarily experiential rather than product-based: themed walks and displays, children's attractions, animal interaction, and entertainment associated with the park's storybook and dinosaur environments. Public reference material does not identify a publicly traded parent, a separate corporate group, or named current executives. The available sources also do not provide detailed financial information, attendance figures, or a confirmed ownership structure.

The history of Lake George Expedition Park is rooted in Magic Forest, a children's amusement attraction established in 1963 in Lake George, New York. Magic Forest was created by Arthur Gillette and operated for decades as a separate park. Its identity was based on accessible, highly visual attractions drawn from children's stories, folklore, American cultural imagery, and familiar fictional characters. Rather than relying on a single thrill-ride concept, it presented visitors with a collection of themed settings, cottages, figures, performances, and family activities. Among the attraction's documented features were installations representing the Three Little Pigs, Jack Sprat, Hansel and Gretel, princesses, Paul Bunyan, Pecos Bill, the Statue of Liberty, and Spider-Man. Magic Forest also offered a magic show and maintained a small petting zoo where children could feed animals. A large Santa Claus figure overlooking the parking area became one of the site's recognizable visual markers. The attraction's combination of roadside Americana, fairytale scenes, and low-intensity children's entertainment gave it a nostalgic character within the Lake George tourism market. Magic Forest was additionally known for a very large Uncle Sam statue, described in reference material as the world's largest as of an earlier period. By May 2019, the statue had moved back to Danbury, Connecticut, its home location. The relocation occurred around the same period in which the park was being incorporated into a new broader operating concept, and the statue is therefore part of the site's historical legacy rather than a confirmed current feature of Lake George Expedition Park. Lake George Expedition Park opened in 2019. Its creation brought the historic Magic Forest into a larger park framework and added Dino Roar Valley as a new attraction. Dino Roar Valley introduced a prehistoric theme centered on animatronic dinosaurs, creating a contrast with Magic Forest's storybook scenes and traditional family attractions. The combined park consequently spans two different eras of amusement design: the classic roadside children's attraction represented by Magic Forest and the newer themed-display model represented by Dino Roar Valley. The resulting venue is located along Route 9 in Lake George and serves the regional family-tourism market. Its historical significance lies less in large-scale thrill rides or corporate expansion than in the preservation and reconfiguration of a longstanding local attraction. By placing Magic Forest alongside a newly developed dinosaur experience, the park connects an established Lake George entertainment tradition with a theme intended to provide a more contemporary draw. Publicly available reference material for this entry is limited. It confirms the opening dates and principal attractions but does not establish the park's detailed ownership history, corporate structure, attendance, financial performance, management roster, or subsequent expansion record. Those areas should be researched further before being added to the encyclopedia.

• 2019

  Lake George Expedition Park opens

  [1]Lake George Expedition Parken.wikipedia.org

  Lake George Expedition Park begins operation along Route 9, incorporating Magic Forest and adding the new Dino Roar Valley attraction.

• 2019

  Dino Roar Valley debuts

  [1]Lake George Expedition Parken.wikipedia.org

  Dino Roar Valley opens as the park's dinosaur-themed section, featuring animatronic dinosaurs.

• 2019

  Uncle Sam statue returns to Danbury

  [1]Lake George Expedition Parken.wikipedia.org

  The large Uncle Sam statue historically associated with Magic Forest is reported to have moved back to Danbury, Connecticut, by May 9, 2019.

• 1963

  Magic Forest opens

  [1]Lake George Expedition Parken.wikipedia.org

  Arthur Gillette opens Magic Forest in Lake George, New York, establishing the storybook-themed attraction that later becomes part of Lake George Expedition Park.

A family-oriented regional amusement destination that combines the nostalgia of a historic storybook park with a modern animatronic dinosaur attraction.

• Storybook family attraction · 1963

  Magic Forest

  Magic Forest is the historic component of Lake George Expedition Park. It originated as a separate attraction in 1963 and presents a collection of storybook, folklore, and Americana-themed scenes. Documented installations include the Three Little Pigs, Jack Sprat, Hansel and Gretel, princesses, Paul Bunyan, Pecos Bill, the Statue of Liberty, and Spider-Man. The area has also included a magic show, cottages, a Santa Claus figure, and a small petting zoo where children can feed animals.

• Dinosaur-themed attraction · 2019

  Dino Roar Valley

  Dino Roar Valley is the newer major section of Lake George Expedition Park. It opened in 2019 and is centered on animatronic dinosaur displays. The attraction adds a prehistoric theme and a more contemporary visual experience to the park, complementing rather than replacing Magic Forest's traditional storybook setting.

• Animal interaction

  Petting zoo

  Magic Forest has included a small petting zoo where children can feed animals. It forms part of the park's low-intensity, family-oriented offering, although the available reference material does not specify the current animal collection or operating schedule.

1. 1Lake George Expedition Parken.wikipedia.org
2. 2Lake George Expedition Park official websitelgepark.com