An Idlewild and Crazy Adventure: Part 3

Editor's Note: This post is the third in a three-part series covering NPN's recent visit to Idlewild & SoakZone. Be sure to check out Part 1 and Part 2 as well!

In light of everything we've seen so far at Idlewild and SoakZone, there's really only one logical reaction to the sign above: DUH!! Our super sleuth investigation has already proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that this park is well deserving of all the praise it garners in the "family friendly" department. But you ain't seen nothin' yet. We have two areas left to explore, and both are prime examples of what makes Idlewild a quintessential children's park.

Idlewildlife

If you want to succeed as a children's park, you've gotta know children. And if you want to know children, you've gotta do research! The folks at Idlewild are quite good at keeping a finger on the pulse of all things pint-sized, which is surely a contributing factor to the park's enduring success. So what's one thing they've learned through the years? Climbing, sliding, and crawling never go out of style.

Welcome to Jumpin' Jungle, which can best be described as an oversized playground on crack. As I noted in one of my recent Idlewild brochure features, Jumpin' Jungle was the brainchild of Kennywood Entertainment. It was built in 1983 to help bridge the gap between Story Book Forest (spoiler alert!!) and the rest of Idlewild.


Ed elaborated on the appeal of Jumpin' Jungle by telling us about a recent study conducted by the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh. In a survey of children where they were asked what they like to do most, the top three responses were climbing, getting wet, and getting dirty. Note that all of these are "hands on" activities! While none of us would debate the merit of all the wonderful mechanized rides that make their home at Idlewild, there's just something about good old fashioned playground equipment that lights a fire in kids' eyes. The other bonus? No waiting in line! The majority of the attractions in Jumpin' Jungle allow kids to come and go as they please. "That's why Jumpin' Jungle is still so successful," Ed told us. "Kids love the net climb and the ball crawl and all that stuff where they can just run loose."

Is it just me, or does Idlewild's Bigfoot bear a striking resemblance to Captain Caveman?

So what do you get when you cross one Children's Museum of Pittsburgh study with one alleged Bigfoot sighting in the general vicinity of Ligonier? Why, Bigfoot's Mudslide, of course! (And by the way, that's a bona fide Ed Saxton original.) I always enjoy hearing stories about how various rides got their names, and this one was no exception. Ed explained that it actually started out as a joke, but then it just kind of "stuck". Funny how that happens in life!

But hunting down Sasquatch was not my number one priority on this particular trip. The end of our visit drew near, and I had yet to explore the very attraction whose construction I've been covering all through the off-season. At long last, there it was in all its glory: Safari Hut!


Inspiration comes in all shapes and sizes, and often when you're least expecting it. Turns out this one came from Extreme Makeover: Home Edition! Idlewild's General Manager just happened to catch an episode a few years back where they put a structure like this in somebody's yard, and the rest is history.

But wait, you say. What's so special about a treehouse with a couple of slides? I'll tell you, since you asked. Try this one on for size: That's a REAL Eucalyptus tree trunk! No joke! It was trucked the entire way across the country from California, and it has become quite the conversation piece in Jumpin' Jungle. As Ed told us, "You get the constant reaction where there's two guys standing here while their kids are on it, arguing over whether the tree is real or fake." But the real-versus-fake discussion should be put to rest relatively soon, as Idlewild is working on a sign to be placed next to Safari Hut which will detail its history.

"It's real, and it's spectacular."

If we had had more time at Idlewild, you can bet your bottom dollar that a certain conspicuously big blonde "kid" would have made more than a few appearances in these Jumpin' Jungle action shots. But time was of the essence, so I had to settle for an all too brief Safari Hut excursion--sans slides. (One of Idlewild's carpenters found out the hard way that Safari Hut's tube slides don't accommodate "big" kids very well. We considered ourselves forewarned!)

It was around the time that Mike dragged me out of Jumpin' Jungle kicking and screaming (in my imagination, at least) that we came to a disturbing realization: It was LATE! Maybe not for the rest of Idlewild's guests, but we were on a tight schedule. The conversation went something like this. SHOOT!!! [ed.] We really should be on our way to Pittsburgh by now, but we haven't even set foot in one of Idlewild's signature attractions yet! [Refer to my comment in Part 1 about this being the biggest "small" park known to mankind.]


We were speaking, of course, about the legendary Story Book Forest. This attraction, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2006, is a throwback to the many "storybook lands" which dotted the country in the '50s and '60s. Idlewild's was born of a shared dream between then owner C.C. Macdonald and longtime park entertainer Arthur Jennings, who wanted to create an attraction "based on emotion rather than motion". These days, few such attractions still exist, which makes Idlewild's all the more special. "We have one of the last remaining ones intact and it's still all original," Ed noted.

A "live" Captain Candy minds his ship.

Story Book Forest is a land of winding pathways along which you'll find life-size recreations of all your favorite nursery rhymes, from Humpty Dumpty to Jack and Jill. All of the buildings and statues were carefully crafted, and the result is a very lifelike experience. But imagine how much more lifelike it becomes when you realize that some of the statues are not statues at all, but real human beings! A smattering of "live" characters are always present in Story Book Forest. One of the most notable is Mother Goose, who has been played by Beverly Leonatti (General Manager Brandon Leonatti's mother) for well over a decade. She is a very sweet woman indeed!


Of all the attractions at Idlewild, Story Book Forest is often the one that keeps patrons coming back well into their golden years. Ed told us they often see parents and grandparents proudly telling the younger generation that they had their photo taken at one spot or another in Story Book Forest.

This character was crafted to resemble "Happy Dayze", the clown portrayed by Art Jennings for many years at Idlewild.

I'll openly admit to you right here and now that Mike and I barely scratched the surface of Story Book Forest. And I mean barely. There is so much more to see than what appears in our precious few photos!

But instead of viewing this as a downside, we view it as reason to return to Idlewild--soon! "Children's park" or not, we were impressed. And the multitudes of visitors who decide to return to this shady Ligonier refuge in adulthood is testament to its uniqueness. "We realize that we lose kids around the 8 to 10 range," Ed told us, noting that Idlewild's loss often translates into Kennywood's gain. (Hey, at least they stay in the family!) "But we hope we've made enough memories so that when they have kids, they come back again." For the record Ed, Mike and I graduated from that "8 to 10" range quite a few years ago, but you've still got us!

Mike and I would like to sincerely thank Ed Saxton for all the hospitality he showed us during our visit to Idlewild and SoakZone. It made our trip all the more memorable! If you'd like to see even more of this unique not-so-small park, check out our public album on Facebook. Next up in our coverage of NPN's fantastic western PA journey, Mike will take you to Kennywood!