Here is his write up
ENCHANTED LAKE AMUSEMENT PARK Version: February, 2017
Enchanted Lake Amusement Park is a small family theme park situated on 15 acres, plus parking. While larger parks, such as Disneyland, were designed and built with an initial guest capacity of more than 60,000 guests (1955), Enchanted Lake will be limited to 8,000 guests at one time.
The Numbers
23 attractions, rides and shows
7 retail shops and 4-8 souvenir carts
6 dining outlets and 4-8 food carts
4 restroom facilities
Theoretical Hourly Capacity (THC) of all attractions, food outlets and retail points total 9,936.
Average guest visit length: 4-7 hours.
Expect 4,000-7,000 guests on an average summer day with average attraction wait-time between 8 and 16 minutes.
Located in the Midwest, the operating season would begin with weekends in May (weekdays available for corporate, school, church groups), daily operation Memorial Day through Labor Day, weekends in September (again, weekdays for corporate, school, church groups), and weekends in October with Halloween theming and events. Average annual total days open: 120.
A Boutique Park
As a “Boutique Park,” a higher admission, compared to other regional parks, will be charged. Some of the small details to create a premium guest experience include:
All attractions and shows included in each “per person” admission
Free parking
Strict attention to limiting admission, to avoid crowding. Advanced ticket purchase will be advised.
Free ponchos will be distributed in rainy weather
Free fruit-infused water available in iced jugs throughput the park with free paper cups or souvenir sports and sipper cups available for sale.
All signage will be hand-lettered.
Overall attention to detail will be evident throughout the park.
Admission
Current Disney parks charge up to $110 for a 1-day admission. Regional parks (Six Flags) are currently charging a $45 admission, with up to 25% discounts available through product sponsors. An Enchanted Lake 1-day admission would be around $60. By consciously keeping the guest count to a manageable level, guests will have less waiting in lines and a less-crowded, more premium experience.
The Theme
Adventure, wonder and mystery surround each and every attraction, restaurant and retail point at Enchanted Lake. The backstory:
“Enchanted Lake was founded in 1888 as a vacation community for magicians, wizards and sorcerers. Homes were built in and around the hills and trees surrounding the lake. Soon, pixies, fairies, elves and other mystical creatures came to live here, as well. Now Enchanted Lake is open for the public to enjoy.”
The three key emotional elements to Enchanted Lake are:
Fantasy
Nostalgia
Mystery
Upon entering the amusement park, guests walk down a wooded path, Wonder Way. A waterfall with soft music comes into view. As it is passed, voices are faintly heard, saying “Welcome,” in several languages. Guests continue down the path, finally seeing the lake before them. As they exit the wooded path, guests find themselves in the Plaza Del Sol where pavers form a decorative Sun on the ground. In the center of the plaza is an 18-foot-tall post sculpted to look like a tree trunk supporting a large glass “Sun.” This glass Sun glows with interior lighting in the evening. Beyond the plaza, in the center of the lake is Treehouse Island.
Enchanted Way
Guests use a paver stone-look (stamped concrete) walkway around the lake to visit the different areas of the amusement park. Autos from the 1940s through the mid-1950s are staged near the “shops” area of the park, as set decoration. Music of that same era is pumped throughout Enchanted Lake. This softly sets a time period of the late 1950s.
The following “shops” are facades as part of two large buildings.
Blackstone’s Ice Cream & Soda Shop
Reproduction posters of the famous magician decorate this 1930’s-style soda shop. Limited inside seating is available, along with an outside walk-up window.
Lakeside Souvenirs
Toys, mugs, plush, magic sets, fairy wings, magic wands, and other branded and similarly-themed merchandise are available.
Enchanted Fashions
T-shirts, sweatshirts, purses and other branded clothing, along with similarly-themed clothing and accessories. This store has its own door, storefront and signage, but shares the same interior space as the souvenir shop.
Enchanted Lake Magicians’ Supplies
This is an old-fashioned magic shop with a small stage for demonstrations. In addition to magic tricks, books and supplies, there are practical jokes and costumes for sale.
Village Joke and Costume Shop
The joke shop has its own door, storefront and signage, but shares the same interior space as the magic shop.
Magic Pizza
This walk-up window offers pizza-by-the-slice, calzones and Italian beef sandwiches.
Lucky Lemon
Lemonade, strawberry/lemonade and other slush drinks are sold at the same window as Magic Pizza. They each have separate signage, but share the same kitchen.
Café De Magique
This small shop serves gourmet coffee and teas, fresh pastries, pies and cookies. The shop is decorated with old magicians’ posters, props, and an animatronic bunny in a top hat. There is limited indoor seating available along with an outdoor covered patio that seats 80.
Sideshow Sal’s Oddities & Curiosities Shoppe
“A place to find the unexpected.” A large selection of 1-of-a-kind items priced high enough to seldom sell (hand-made ventriloquist’s figure, antique items, etc.) along with low-cost, unusual novelty items (rubber shrunken heads, baby alien in a jar, etc.). The shop is made with narrow aisles and packed with lots of merchandise to give it a “been-here-a-long-time” feel.
Enchanted Plush
All sizes of plush wizards, unicorns, elves, gnomes, trolls, etc. are available for purchase in half of this shop.
The Puppet Palace
This shop sells various marionettes and hand puppets. It has its own door, storefront and signage, but shares the same interior space as Enchanted Plush.
The Secret Theatre
Guests enter what appears to be a dry cleaners. The employee brings guests to a sliding panel to let them enter the Secret Theatre with seating for 72. A 20-minute close-up magic show is performed every half hour, by 3 alternating performers.
Enchanted Swan Boats
Guests can pedal a 2-person Swan Boat on Enchanted Lake, around Tree House Island.
Tree House Island
The island holds six tree houses connected by rope bridges and accessible by stairs which wind around two of the trees. While real trees populate the island, the ones supporting the tree houses are steel structures. One “tree” hides an elevator, for older and wheelchair-bound guests. Each house is designed in a different style. Many of the tree houses have secret doors and passages. Passage between treehouses is provided by suspension bridges. The island is in the middle of Enchanted Lake and is accessible by a bridge.
Mystic Carousel
A classic Merry-Go-Round with unusual, mythical creatures to ride under an elaborately painted wooden gazebo.
Dinosaur River
Four-person peddle boats take guests on an outdoor river adventure past feeding grounds, nesting areas and through a dinosaur cave. Animatronic dinosaurs, lighting and sound effects add to the fun. The attraction que winds through an archeologist’s tent with replica dinosaur bones on display.
“Explore an ancient world aboard a boat that YOU drive down a mysterious river, through a cave and into Prehistoric times! Come face to face with dinosaurs of all kinds! Learn the fate of recent explorers to the area! See baby Raptors hatching! Avoid the angry T-Rex, if you can!”
Merlin’s Mystery Castle
This 3,600 square-foot walk-through features a mirror labyrinth, typical funhouse gags, walk-thru giant kaleidoscope, as well as one-way glass effects combined with animatronics, video and audio.
Fire Fighter Rescue Mission
Guest “fire fighters” climb aboard an antique fire truck fitted with individual water nozzles and are called on to extinguish several small fires in Elf Village and save the day!
Enchanted Lake Diner
A classic diner-style building used as order point and kitchen, along with an outside covered dining area.
Lakeside Bandstand
A Performance Gazebo situated near the Diner, this 30-ft. diameter stage hosts concerts and variety entertainment throughout the day.
Drive the USA
Children can drive miniature cars through beautiful landscaping and famous US landmarks in reproduced in miniature, such as the Statue of Liberty, Mt. Rushmore, the Grand Canyon, Hollywood, New York, Chicago and even a miniature Enchanted Lake.
Magic Gardens
This walk-through garden will charm adults and children with tiny faeries and gnomes in small homes throughout its rolling hills. Real trees and flowers abound, as well as giant colorful singing faux flowers, giant butterflies, etc. “Hobbit-style” houses are found in one area, while elf and fairy homes made from logs, gourds and other natural elements populate another. Fog rolls through one area of the gardens. The attraction also includes a beautiful waterfall and babbling brook. Animatronics and digital video effects bring the inhabitants of Enchanted Gardens to life. As guests are about to exit the gardens, a cast member invites them to enjoy peppermint tea and butter cookies at a small garden dining area.
Games of Skill and Chance
Six carnival-style games (with a magic or mystery theme) with prizes.
Sorcerer’s Rage
A spinning “Wild Mouse”-type roller coaster with a dark tunnel, fog, special lighting and sound effects.
Bumper Boat Bayou
Behind Treehouse Island is a natural-style lagoon with peddle bumper boats. Floating rubber alligators act as obstacles while Weeping Willow and River Birch trees provide shade.
Mystical Musical Garden
A shaded area where guests can play more than two dozen different types of xylophone, drum, string and bell instruments.
Wonder Wheel
A large Ferris Wheel with programmable light show.
Rainbow Falls
A 12-foot-tall waterfall off of rock outcroppings on Treehouse Island terminates in the lake. In the evening, colored lighting highlights the waterfall.
Professor Midnight’s Mansion
A 7,200 square foot building houses this dark ride haunted attraction. The que winds through a graveyard filled with subtle animatronics and sound effects. Lightning and thunder effects surround the exterior of the house in the evening.
Gypsy Arts Camp
Several wooden-wheeled gypsy wagons are used as decoration while “gypsy” charcoal artists, hair braiding, palm reader, fortune teller, etc. work. Another wagon has a stage for an occasional dancing, singing, puppet or magic show. An additional wagon sells food and drinks: wraps, juices, etc. Another wagon sells souvenirs.
Journey to the Bottom of the Lake*
Dark Ride featuring “4-person submarines that explore deep below ground, through the underwater caverns miles below Enchanted Lake.” The que features a fake documentary about mysterious underground caverns and some of the unusual creatures featured within. This is a “dry-for-wet” attraction.
Meteorite
Tilt-A-Whirl finished in blacklight-reactive paint, housed in a dome-shaped building. A sound system, ultraviolet lighting, lasers, video projections and LED lighting effects complete the attraction. The que winds behind the structure, among a field of smaller “meteorites” imbedded in the ground, still smoking.
Kayak Mystery Explorers
This is a lazy river-type of adventure where guests paddle single-person kayaks along a winding natural waterway, past foliage, rockwork and animated displays. The que is filled with aged fake “warning” signs regarding the mysterious journey ahead.
“Paddle through canyons, forests and jungles! Watch out for the giant school of Piranhas! See Chimp Village! Beware of hungry alligators! Witness the beauty of Mystic Cave and Rainbow Falls! Travel through the mysterious ruins of a Pirate ship! Always an exciting adventure!”
Sky Climbers*
An outdoor, elevated ropes course that winds over Kayak Mystery Explorers.
Melodic Fountains
A water feature where each water jet is synced to a bell tone and a lighting fixture. Melodies are played as each water jet triggers.
Park Lighting
As part of the accent lighting, trees throughout the park, along with building façade roof lines, waterfalls, fountains, attraction sign edges, bridges, etc. will be decorated with small LED lights. At various times during the evening, the normally low-volume background music swells as lighting begins to change colors, in waves, across the park. Bursts of colors erupt here and there, flashes, chases, etc. and all choreographed to the music.
* = 2nd phase addition