Enchanted Forest Water Safari

What Enchanted Forest Water Safari does

Enchanted Forest Water Safari is a family water theme park located in Old Forge, New York, in the Adirondack region. Founded in 1956 as Enchanted Forest of the Adirondacks and re-branded with the addition of its water park section in 1988, the park has operated continuously for 70 years and is currently celebrating its 2026 anniversary season. It is operated by Old Forge Properties, Inc., a New York corporation managed under Innovative Attraction Management (IAM), and is part of Enchanted Parks, described as the third-largest privately held regional park operator in the United States with eight properties nationwide. The park bills itself as New York's largest water theme park, with over 50 rides and attractions, 33 heated water rides, and signature attractions including Paul Bunyan's Log Haul family roller coaster (2026), the Mamba Strike, Serengeti Stampede, and Killermanjaro's Revenge water slides (2020), and live Royal Hanneford Circus performances.

The core technology is physical amusement and water-ride infrastructure: fiberglass water slides featuring Skybox trapdoor floor drops, SBF Visa-manufactured spinning ride cars, and a 19-foot Paul Bunyan statue dating to the park's founding. The park operates as an integrated resort alongside three adjacent properties: Water's Edge Inn (a year-round lakefront hotel), Old Forge Camping Resort (year-round cabins, cottages, RV sites, and tent sites), and Calypso's Cove Family Fun Park (go-karts, mini-golf, arcade, zipline, batting cages). The park's business model is direct-to-consumer with multi-stream revenue: day admission tickets, tiered annual season passes ($99.99–$129.99), premium private cabana rentals (up to 10 guests), on-site food and beverage (including the 'Dack Shack adult beverage outlet), retail/gift shop sales, lodging revenue from hotel and camping properties, and a closed-loop Vacation Splash Cash prepaid card usable across the resort. Distribution is through the official website, third-party ticketing platform (ticketspice.com), on-site box office, and authorized agents, with seasonal operations typically spanning June through Labor Day and off-season event programming at the lodging properties.

The company serves families with children as its primary segment, with secondary segments including corporate and school groups, scout troops, and nonprofit organizations. Marketing channels center on social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube), an eClub email newsletter, the official website, press releases, and a 2026 feature on the national "World's Greatest!" television series. The company has no disclosed funding rounds, is privately held, and has an estimated 51–100 employees with seasonal hiring including international students and team-member housing programs.

Name

Enchanted Forest Water Safari

Legal name

Old Forge Properties, Inc

Website

https://watersafari.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1956

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Enchanted Forest Water Safari is a privately held family water theme park in Old Forge, New York, operating since 1956 as New York's largest water park with 50+ rides and 33 heated water attractions. It serves families and tourists as part of an integrated resort including a hotel, campground, and adjacent family entertainment center.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Theme Park / Amusement Park

NAICS

Amusement and Theme Parks (713110), Amusement and Theme Parks (71311), RV (Recreational Vehicle) Parks and Recreational Camps (7212)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Water Parks (Outdoor/Indoor, Wave Pools & Slides) (THAJAEAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Outdoor Water Parks (Wave Pools, Lazy Rivers, Slides) (THAAABAA), Indoor Water Parks (Resort-Integrated, Year-Round Facilities) (THAAABAB), Resort/Hotel-Integrated Parks (On-Property Theme/Water Parks) (THAJAEAF)

Keywords

• Water theme park
• Family amusement park
• Water rides attractions
• Adirondack resort
• Lodging vacation packages

Headquarters

HQ city

Old Forge

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Park Admission Tickets: Day passes for park entry, sold at gate and online. Primary revenue driver for the water theme park.
2. Season Passes: Annual passes providing unlimited entry throughout the season. Offered at tiered pricing with various perks including free parking, priority entrance, and discounts.
3. Cabana Rentals: Premium private cabana rentals accommodating up to 10 guests, including tables, chairs, lounge chairs, bottled water, and locker storage. Premium cabanas include food/beverage credit and attendant service.
4. Food and Beverage: On-site dining including Boardwalk Fries, 'Dack Shack (adult beverages), Carousel Cafe, and Tropical Treats. Revenue from food service operations throughout the park.
5. Retail/Gift Shop: Gift shop selling souvenirs including tie-dye t-shirts and other merchandise.
6. Lodging Operations: Revenue from Water's Edge Inn hotel and Old Forge Camping Resort. Stay 'N Play packages bundle lodging with discounted park admission.
7. Calypso's Cove Family Fun Park: Adjacent family entertainment center with go-karts, mini-golf, zipline, arcade, and food. Separate admission.
8. Vacation Splash Cash: Prepaid card system that can be used year-round for lodging, dining, and attractions across Water Safari Resort properties.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Enchanted Forest Water Safari operates New York's largest water theme park featuring over 50 rides and attractions, including 33 heated water rides, classic amusement rides, live circus performances, private cabanas, on-site dining, gift shop retail, and integrated resort lodging (hotel, cabins, RV/camping). The park sells day admission tickets, season passes, vacation packages, and lodging stays primarily to families visiting the Adirondack region.

Product overview

Enchanted Forest Water Safari is a family water theme park resort operated by Enchanted Parks (parent company) offering a multi-property vacation destination. The core product is Enchanted Forest Water Safari, New York's largest water theme park with over 50 rides and attractions including 33 heated water rides and classic amusement rides. The resort portfolio includes three related properties: Calypso's Cove Family Fun Park (go-karts, arcade, mini-golf), Old Forge Camping Resort (year-round camping with cabins and RV sites), and Water's Edge Inn ( lakefront hotel). The park offers add-on experiences including private cabana rentals, Stay 'N Play vacation packages combining lodging with admission, and season passes with perks. Major attractions include the new Paul Bunyan's Log Haul spinning roller coaster (2026), the Mamba Strike, Serengeti Stampede, and Killermanjaro's Revenge water slides (2020), and the Royal Hanneford Circus live show. The resort positions itself as an Adirondack vacation destination with events like Autumn Adventure and Hotel Transylvania weekends at Water's Edge Inn.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Enchanted Forest Water Safari (Park Admission) New York's largest water theme park featuring over 50 rides and attractions including 33 heated water rides, classic amusement rides, live circus shows, private cabanas, dining, shopping, and entertainment; targeted at families and tourists visiting Old Forge, NY in the Adirondacks.
• Calypso's Cove Family Fun Park Separate-admission family entertainment center featuring go-karts, kiddie go-karts, bumper boats, batting cages, mini-golf, zipline, rock climbing wall, arcade with over 40 games, and family-friendly food including pizza and wings.
• Old Forge Camping Resort Year-round Adirondack campground with heated one-room cabins, two-room cottages with kitchenette and private bathroom, individual RV hook-up sites, and tent sites; offers seasonal themed events including Girl Scouts Spring Fling.
• Water's Edge Inn Premier lakefront Adirondack hotel located across from Water Safari, open year-round with guest rooms, luxury suites, heated indoor pool, sauna, free continental breakfast, and Wi-Fi; hosts themed events such as Hotel Transylvania Halloween weekends and Breakfast with Santa.
• Private Cabana Rentals Premium private cabana rentals accommodating up to 10 guests with table and chairs, lounge chairs, bottled water in a souvenir bucket with ice, and lockable storage cabinet; premium cabanas include a $20 food and beverage credit and attendant service.
• Stay 'N Play Vacation Packages Bundle offering discounted Water Safari admission combined with lodging at Old Forge Camping Resort or Water's Edge Inn, available June 9 through September 6.
• Season Passes Annual season pass offering unlimited park access with perks including free parking, priority entrance 15 minutes before opening, cooler per family, 50% off friend ticket, 50% off Calypso's Cove 2-hour wristband, and 10% off POS outlets; prices from $99.99 (early season) up to $129.99 (in-season).
• Paul Bunyan's Log Haul Roller Coaster Spinning family roller coaster with independently rotating ride cars moving around a figure-eight track; manufactured by SBF Visa Group, seats up to 4 guests per car with up to 16 riders per cycle; themed around Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox; 36-inch height minimum with companion or 48-inch alone.
• Mamba Strike Water Slide 285 ft enclosed fiberglass body slide featuring Skybox trapdoor floor technology where the floor unexpectedly opens and drops riders onto the slide; minimum 48-inch height, maximum 300 lb weight limit.
• Serengeti Stampede Water Slide 293 ft four-lane mat racer water slide with a 42-inch minimum height requirement; no weight restriction; themed after African Serengeti animal stampedes.
• Killermanjaro's Revenge Water Slide 207 ft speed slide featuring Skybox trapdoor floor technology that drops guests through the floor into the slide; minimum 48-inch height, maximum 300 lb weight limit.
• Royal Hanneford Circus Live Show Live twice-daily family circus show featuring Miss Jamie's Performing Dogs, Cokillo the Clown, Cali Duo Pole Acrobatics, Aerial Cradle by Solis Duo, and Motorcycle Madness on the Highwire by Zuluaga Duo.
• Vacation Splash Cash Stored-Value Card Prepaid stored-value card usable year-round across Water Safari Resort properties including lodging, food, and attractions; purchase $200 yields $20 bonus ($220 total).

Quantifiable outcome

• TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice Attractions award - ranked #4 water park in US (2019)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• SBF Visa GroupcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2026Global amusement ride manufacturer that manufactured Paul Bunyan's Log Haul family roller coaster. The ride seats up to 4 guests at a time in themed ride cars, with each ride cycle accommodating up to 16 riders.
• Royal Hanneford CircuscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Provides live circus performances twice daily at the park. Acts include Miss Jamie's Performing Dogs, Cokillo the Clown, Cali Duo Pole Acrobatics, Aerial Cradle act by Solis Duo, and Motorcycle Madness on the Highwire by Zuluaga Duo.
• Enchanted ParkscoreOthers · 1 January 2026Parent company. A leading owner and operator in entertainment and leisure industry. Third largest privately held regional park operator in US, operating eight properties nationwide including amusement parks, water parks, and destination attractions.
• Innovative Attraction Management (IAM)coreOthers · 1 January 2025Management company that operates Water Safari Resort and recently added Diggerland USA to the family of attractions. Leading provider of creative attraction experiences.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Six Flags Entertainment Corporation: National regional theme park chain with multiple water park and family park properties. Enchanted Parks' parent platform positions Enchanted Forest Water Safari as a regional peer to Six Flags' portfolio of family parks.
• Water Country USA: Large water theme park in Williamsburg, VA operated by Anheuser-Busch Entertainment/Parques Reunidos. Comparable as a large-scale water theme park destination with hotel partnerships, though at significantly larger scale.
• Cedar Fair (now Six Flags): Largest publicly traded regional theme park operator in North America with a portfolio of parks combining water rides and amusement rides. Comparable as a multi-property operator with integrated water and dry attractions, though at vastly larger scale.

Direct peers

• Kalahari Resorts & Conventions: Operates large-scale water park resorts with integrated lodging, convention space, and indoor water park attractions across multiple US locations. Comparable as a multi-property water park resort operator with bundled lodging and attraction offerings.
• Waldameer Park: Family-owned amusement and water park in Erie, PA operating since 1896. Comparable as a long-history, multi-generational regional park combining water rides and amusement rides for families.
• Great Wolf Lodge: Indoor water park resort chain with on-site lodging, family entertainment, and dining. Comparable resort-style water park business model, although primarily indoor and national in scale vs. Enchanted Forest's outdoor, single-site model.
• Zoom Flume Water Park: Family-owned water park in the Catskills region of New York. Comparable as a regional, single-location New York water park serving the family/upstate tourist segment.
• Splish Splash: Long Island, NY-based water park with 30+ water rides, also operating seasonally. Most direct regional water park competitor in New York State, sharing the same Northeast family demographic and seasonal revenue profile.
• Quassy Amusement & Waterpark: Family-owned amusement and water park in Connecticut operating since 1908. Comparable as a long-running Northeast family park with both water and dry attractions serving regional visitors.

Others

• Diggerland USA: Construction-themed adventure park in West Berlin, NJ, recently added to the Innovative Attraction Management (IAM) family of attractions alongside Enchanted Forest Water Safari. Closely comparable via shared management company IAM and similar family-adventure park positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/WaterSafari
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/EFWS1956
• Facebookfacebook.com/WaterSafari
• Instagraminstagram.com/WaterSafari

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Enchanted Forest Water Safari