Have You Ever Been to StoryLand in New Hampshire?
Disclosure: I received 3 promotional tickets to StoryLand in New Hampshire to facilitate this review, any opinions are my own.
2 years ago, we took our first family trip to StoryLand in New Hampshire which is an amusement park for families, near North Conway in the White Mountains. Gavin was only 20 months at the time of our first visit, but even at such a young age he was able to enjoy several of the play areas and rides. Though I thought at the time he might have been to young, it was one of those first times as a parent when I was so fulfilled at the end of the day, just watching how overjoyed and excited he was experiencing life’s simple things.
Fast forward 2 years later. We didn’t get a chance to make it last summer, but this year beginning in May, Derek and I were talking about how we couldn’t wait to bring Gavin back to Storyland. Then a few weeks later my husband injured his knee and spent the beginning of the summer on crutches, which ruined most of our summer travel plans. He gained mobility and strength through physical therapy, enough to be able to walk without crutches using a brace, but while he awaited surgery, which would put him back on crutches for another 2 months, we decided over Labor Day weekend to make the trip to StoryLand.
Now that Gavin was almost 4-years-old, and several inches taller, we knew he’d be able to really experience what StoryLand has to offer children in their target age range of 2-12. We arrived at the park on the Sunday of Labor Day around 10:30 a.m.. There weren’t any lines at that time to enter the park, and while some areas of the park were more crowded than others at times, we knew since it was Labor Day weekend, we fully expected it to be busy. Some things to consider when purchasing your tickets or planning your trip, first off children under 2 are free. Arrive after 3 p.m. during the month of July & August or 2 p.m. during other months and you’ll receive a ticket to return to the park for the following day, which is great if you plan on spending the weekend in North Conway. All 21 rides, shows, water areas, and attractions are included in the ticket price. You can have your hand stamped any time during the day and are allowed to leave the park and re-enter. Don’t think that 21 rides isn’t a lot either, we had plenty to keep us busy all day long, and we didn’t even get a chance to ride or experience everything in the one day we were there. 
Though children need to be 48 inches to ride alone, at 41 inches, Gavin was able to ride every single ride in the park as long as one of us rode with him. As a family, some of the rides we all enjoyed together included the Bamboo Chutes (log flume), the Polar Coaster, the Antique German Carousel, Farm Tractors, Antique Cars and Dr. Geyser’s Remarkable Raft Ride. Gavin freaked about a bit on the log flume and was really scared coming down the hill, but thankfully most of the adventure rides like that and the Polar Coaster are relatively short, so he moved on pretty quickly afterwards. We carried a backpack in with our expensive camera and belongings and every staff member was helpful and amenable to letting us leave it near them while we enjoyed the ride so it wouldn’t get wet or smooshed.
Gavin had a brief encounter with Cinderella in her castle while he hid behind me the whole time and given that “Jake and the Neverland Pirates” is one of his favorite television shows, he enjoyed rowing the Buccaneer pirate ship and playing in the small playground area adjacent to it. He was also a fan of the new Dig’M Deeper Work Zone where he could sit on a construction vehicle and maneuver 2 levers to scoop and dump sand. Though there was a 5 minute or so wait for a turn, I was impressed that this didn’t have an additional cost attached to it, and other parents ahead of us were mindful of making sure their children went to the back of the line if they wanted another turn.
It was in the 80’s the day we were there and it was hot. There were many ways during the summer months to cool off in the park, aside from several different misting tents, you could ride the Bamboo Chutes, Dr. Geyser’s Remarkable Raft Ride and Splash Battle: Pharaoh’s Reign. In front of Dr. Geyser’s there was a sprinkler area. In the middle of the park there is the Oceans of Fun Sprayground. If you are really looking to get soaked beyond your imagination, then the Splash Battle: Pharaoh’s Reign is a place where you will be very happy you had water shoes and a bathing suit. I didn’t bring my bathing suit and when I saw how soaked people were coming off that ride I begged my husband to take my place in line. You sit inside Egyptian boats in front of water sprayers while other park attendees not on the ride aim back at you with water sprayers from the land. Such a simple concept. The line took a bit to get through, but it was so fun to see how much fun both adults and children had on this ride. We paid $5 for the dryer for my husband and son to dry off, but it honestly wasn’t worth it. It’s such a large dryer other park-goers didn’t really notice the sign that it was paid, and they decided to experience the dryer at our personal expense.
After my son was soaked from Splash Battle, we took him to the bathroom to change his clothes and shoes. Looking back he should have just worn his bathing suit and water shoes in, but we did come into the park prepared with a change of clothes and shoes. There are mens, womens and family restrooms. In addition there are small baby changing and nursing areas. The bathroom we entered that particular day in the late afternoon wreaked of stinky diapers. So much so that my son could not stop commenting on how bad it smelled. It was really late in the afternoon at that point, and not something we had experienced at all of the restroom areas or on our prior trip. But you know, sh$t happens!
We didn’t buy much food at the park. Storyland allows patrons to bring in their own food and drinks, which is awesome when you are traveling with young children who might have allergies or are really picky eaters. I did stand in a line that sold grilled cheese, hot dogs, peanut butter and jelly, as well as chicken and sausage sandwiches. We made a last minute decision to get Dole Whip soft-serve ice cream for a late lunch and figured we’d stop for dinner at restaurant on our way home. I think we paid about $10 for 3 cones, which I thought was pretty reasonable. Though we brought in our drinks, Storyland has options to purchase a large soda that allows for unlimited free refills throughout the day. We aren’t big soda drinkers, but if you are, I’d consider it. While we were discussing that it was an option, a child helping his father carry a smaller soda that wasn’t part of the free refill plan, dropped it right in front of us.
There are opportunities to purchase pictures of you on rides at the Bamboo Chutes and the Farm Tractors. We bought a Christmas ornament picture of ourselves on the Bamboo Chutes and a regular picture at the Farm Tractors, so we could compare it to the one from 4 years ago. Pictures/ornaments were $12 each or 2 for $20. We took a ride on the Huff Puff and Whistle Railroad train which conveniently stopped right in front of the exit to the park, and was a nice easy way to end the day. You do have to exit the park through a candy store but it’s a straight shot through from one side to the other, so we exited pretty quickly.
If you ever make it to North Conway, NH and you have young children, StoryLand is definitely a day of fun your family won’t want to miss. The rides and experiences are perfectly suited for the entire family to experience together, and take advantage of their promotion to enter the park later in the day to receive a free ticket to return to the park the following day.
f you are considering attending StoryLand with a toddler, here’s my review from our experience at StoryLand 2 years ago. If you check the StoryLand website, you can also learn about other events like character breakfasts, find out about the circus schedule, view a map of the park, find out what food is offered and check hours for entrance and ticket prices.
My husband also created a video from that trip which has some awesome images of StoryLand, so I also included that below.