This Fairytale Theme Park Has Been Making New Hampshire Children’s Dreams Come True Since 1954

Story Land in New Hampshire

Before Disney dominated family entertainment, small theme parks like Story Land carved out their own magic in New Hampshire’s mountains. This 35-acre park, opened in 1954 by Bob and Ruth Morrell, turned nursery rhymes into reality for generations of New England kids.

Here’s why this White Mountain institution still draws families nearly 70 years later.

The Founding Story of Story Land

Story Land was founded by Bob and Ruth Morrell after they acquired 25 handmade dolls based on children’s book characters while stationed in Germany with the U.S. Army in the early 1950s.

Local artist and art teacher Arlene “Topsy” Samuelson was hired to design the theme park, including all buildings and attractions around these dolls. When the park first opened in 1954, it was called “Story Town” and had only one ride: an old fire truck called “Freddie the Fire Engine.”

The name was changed to Story Land after the first year due to similarity with Storytown USA in New York. During its first year, the park welcomed 15,343 visitors who paid 85 cents each. In 2024, Story Land celebrated its 70th anniversary.

Trivia: Story Land’s Unique Origin with German Dolls

The German doll maker who sparked the idea for Story Land sold her handcrafted storybook character dolls door-to-door in Baumholder, Germany, where she met Bob Morrell in 1953. She personally shared her dream of creating a make-believe village centered around these character dolls.

The exact number of dolls the Morrells brought back to the United States was 25, all representing specific characters from classic children’s books. Their German tour guide, Frau Von Arps, had originally suggested building only a small village to display the collection.

The park was constructed on a former sawmill site. The original character installations included Humpty Dumpty, the Old Woman in the Shoe, the Three Little Pigs, and Peter Rabbit – characters that continue to inhabit the park today, 70 years later.

The Unique “Voyage to the Moon” Ride

In 1981, Story Land built a state-of-the-art dark ride housed in a fabric-covered dome measuring precisely 50 feet tall and 124 feet wide. Bob Morrell discovered the dome concept after seeing a similar structure in a Florida cow field and became determined to replicate it for Story Land.

The interior of the white fabric roof was painted entirely black to create the proper dark ride atmosphere. Two artisans who had worked on the Heritage New Hampshire attraction, Peter Stone and David Norton, were specifically hired to create the storyline and scenes inside the dome.

The central feature was a giant cannon structure completed in winter 1982. Originally named “Space Fantasy” before being renamed “Voyage To The Moon,” the ride opened in June 1983 after nearly 3 years of construction.

The attraction featured bullet-shaped cars specifically manufactured by Bradley and Kaye of California, and then-Governor John Sununu rode with Bob Morrell on the inaugural journey.

Cinderella’s Castle and Pumpkin Coach

Cinderella’s Castle sits at the top of a hill in the park and serves as one of Story Land’s most iconic landmarks. The Pumpkin Coach ride transports visitors up to (or down from) the castle, traveling through a wooded section of the park.

The Pumpkin Coach specifically operates only during daylight hours and closes at dusk during special events like Nostalgia Nights. The coach is a traditional fairytale pumpkin design pulled by horses, allowing visitors to recreate Cinderella’s famous journey. The castle features a throne room inside where Cinderella herself meets with visitors.

Roar-O-Saurus Wooden Roller Coaster

The Roar-O-Saurus, added in 2014, is the only wooden roller coaster of its kind in New Hampshire and is considered “the most intense ride at Story Land.” It was designed and built by American wooden coaster firm The Gravity Group and is located in the dinosaur-themed section at the back of the park.

The coaster features very specific technical specifications: a 40-foot-tall chain lift hill, a 38-foot drop, a top speed of 33 mph (53 km/h), and a total track length of 1,240 feet. One of its most notable features is that it contains 12 points of airtime along the course, including one inside an artificial tunnel.

The lead car is themed to look like “Rory,” a triceratops, which is the character the entire ride is named after.

Antique Cars and Farm Experience

The Antique Cars attraction features guest-operated mini cars built by Chance Rides. The original cars were built in the early 1970s using John Deere tractor parts and lasted 30 years, traveling more than 75,000 miles around the same track before being replaced.

The current Antique Cars are the third generation of the attraction, upgraded to electric-powered vehicles in the early 2000s. Two locations for these cars exist in the park: the main track and a second track located in the farm-themed area on the hill.

A curious feature of the Antique Cars area is that Bob Morrell planted walnut trees nearby, which attract squirrels that historically chewed through the electrical wiring under the cars. Park staff leave candy corn in Freddie the Fire Engine’s garage to keep squirrels from breaking into the nearby candy shop.

Swan Boats and Water Attractions

The Swan Boats allow visitors to pilot their own boat through the park’s water features. Interestingly, these boats were originally a fleet of Whale Boats when purchased in 1967, but were converted to Swans in 1969 to better match the castle area’s theme.

For 2025, Story Land introduced the all-new Moo Lagoon water play area, featuring a 28-foot-tall slide tower with three different body water slides named Cob Cruiser, Silk Slider, and Husk Runner. This represents the largest single investment in the park’s 70-year history.

The Moo Lagoon area includes a farm-themed interactive water playground with squirting flowers, a water-spouting tractor, dump buckets, and multiple splash zones.

Alice’s Tea Cups and Classic Rides

Alice’s Tea Cups was added to the park in 1982 and represents one of the classic spinning rides that has remained largely unchanged over decades. The ride features oversized teacups that spin on a circular platform, themed after the Mad Hatter’s tea party.

The park’s carousel is actually an antique German carousel purchased by Bob Morrell in 1967. Originally steam-powered in the late 1800s, it toured the Bavarian countryside before being acquired for Story Land. One tub was removed to make it wheelchair accessible.

The Polar Coaster (originally called the Iceberg Coaster) has a 36-inch height restriction and features a gradual sloping hill design specifically created to be less intimidating than typical roller coasters.

Daniel Tiger and Live Entertainment

Daniel Tiger appears as a character at Story Land in 2025, alongside Cinderella and Duke the Dragon. The park features a specific interactive performance where Daniel Tiger and Katerina Kittycat present a “feel-good interactive performance” for visitors.

The park’s live entertainment includes the “Kind Pirate Code” show featuring Peter Pan and Tinkerbell, and the Farm Follies Show starring Scarecrow. These shows are performed multiple times throughout the day at specific locations around the park.

For 2025, Story Land offers a “Fairy Tale Wake-Up breakfast” event where visitors can start their day early with breakfast and special character experiences before regular park hours begin.

Story Land Railroad

The Story Land train ride is a 20-inch narrow-gauge ridable miniature railroad that serves both as an attraction and as shuttle service through the park. Story Land has four C.P. Huntington locomotives numbered #2, #4, #18, and #47, with #18 serving as a backup to give the other engines a break when needed.

The trains run in three distinct sets of six cars each, color-coded as red, green and blue. Locomotive #2 pulls the red trainset, #4 pulls the blue trainset, and #47 pulls the green trainset.

The C.P. Huntington trains are manufactured by Chance Rides as scaled replicas of an authentic 1863 locomotive. Each trainset features brass or chrome trim details and can comfortably carry over 100 passengers. The trains run on a 24-inch gauge platform and include features like real brass bells and whistles.

Plan Your Visit

Story Land opens for the 2025 season on Saturday, May 24, with what they’re marketing as their “longest and best season ever” running through September 14.

For 2025, all admission includes access to over 50 attractions consisting of rides, play areas and shows.

• Address: 850 Route 16, Glen, NH
• Phone: 603-383-4186