The Land of Make Believe is a family amusement park and water park catering mostly to families and children under 13 years of age. It is designed specifically for parents to participate with their children. Opened in 1954, it is in Hope Township, in Warren County, New Jersey, on County Route 611, 2 mi (3.2 km) from exit 12 off of Interstate 80.[1] It centers itself around "Safe and wholesome recreation", with entertaining rides and attractions that are most appropriate for children under the age of thirteen, but also has many attractions for people of all ages.
Ride styles
Some of its most prominent attractions are the civil war train (which loops around most of the park), the Pirate's Wading Pool, largest in America with life size Pirate Ship and the Pirates Escape & Pirates revenge dual racing slides. The Land of Make Believe has many of the standard amusement park rides like a junior sized roller coaster, a Tilt-A-Whirl, Drop & Twist, Tornado, Scream Machine 360, and Pirate's Fury as well as more specialized attractions like an Off Road Safari Adventure and a petting zoo. Some more of the water attractions include the Pirates Plunge, Blackbeard's Pirate Fort, The Sidewinder, Blackbeard's Action River Ride, and eight waterslides.
Train at Land of Make Believe
Initially, the park featured only attractions for small children, adding some water attractions for children in the late 1980s. Beginning in the first decade of the 2000s, the park has begun to add rides that adults can enjoy but yet are not too extreme for children. These included standard intermediate adult flat rides found in carnivals and amusement parks as well as larger waterslides found in major waterparks.
Rides and attractions
Name
Description
Thrill Type
Manufacturer
Notes
Air Balloon 19M
Spinning ride with 8 Gondolas seating a total of 32 people.
A ride where riders ride in miniature airplanes that represented planes used in World War I. The planes can be raised into the air by the riders.
Moderate
Unknown
Dixie Car
A simple ride featuring miniature police cars and race cars. Riders can control the sounds.
Low
Unknown
Carnival Midway
Located by the front entrance. This midway has a lot of boardwalk carnival games to choose from that include great prizes.
Low
N/A
Captain Ricky
The park's official mascot. He is a bear who wears a pilot's uniform.
N/A
N/A
Middle Earth Theater
A Medieval themed-show where guests can participate by dressing up into different costumes and being the stars of the show.
N/A
N/A
On rainy days, a puppet show is given.
Santa's Barn
An enchanted Christmas forest which is Santa Claus' summer home. Guests can tell Santa what they want for Christmas ahead of time and get free cookie cutters. There is also a pizza place (Mama Santa's Pizza), gift shop, and ice cream parlor (Rudolph's Ice Cream) inside.
N/A
N/A
Arcade
An arcade filled with video games where guests can win tickets to redeem for prizes.
N/A
N/A
Haunted House & Cemetery
A haunted house full of scary things inside of it. Next to the haunted house is a cemetery.
N/A
N/A
World War II Airplane Cockpit
Guests can view and play with the controls in a replica World War II Airplane. It is the cockpit of a DC-3.
N/A
N/A
Jenny Jump House
A historic house complete with an audio history about the legend of Jenny Jump.
N/A
N/A
Old MacDonald's Farm
A petting zoo complete with live farm animals.
N/A
N/A
Colonel Corn, Famous Talking Scarecrow
Guests can interact with a talking scarecrow.
N/A
N/A
Maze and Candy Cane Forest
A forest that is full of giant-sized candy canes and a maze that is located next to it. Both are located directly across from Santa's Barn.
N/A
N/A
Family Picnic Grove
An area full of picnic tables where guests eat.
N/A
N/A
Land of Make Believe Mining Company
An attraction in which guests can pay to sift through water and collect various gemstones, rocks, fossils, and other treasures.
A traditional hayride pulled by a tractor that goes around the park.
Low
N/A
Cookie House
The park's gift shop.
N/A
N/A
Water rides and attractions
Name
Description
Thrill Type
Notes
Pirate's Plunge and Pirate's Cannonball
Pirate's Plunge is a water ride where guests are taken down a slide, then down a huge plunge hole. Pirate's Cannonball, on the other hand, is a water slide ride.
High
Tubes are required for Pirate's Plunge, but not for Pirate's Cannonball
Wading Pool
The wading pool is equipped with a pirate ship and small slides.
N/A
N/A
Blackbeard's Action River Ride
A popular lazy river tube rafting ride.
Low
N/A
Pirate's Escape and Pirate's Revenge
Guests are put inside a launch tube and then race down
High
N/A
Sidewinder
Guests slide down a waterspray halfpipe.
High
This is the first Sidewinder water ride in the entire state of New Jersey.
The Black Hole
A tunnel like water slide.
High
Recommended for guests 8 and up.
Water Slides
Other water slides in the park include a blue waterslide and two white waterslides.
High
N/A
Blackbeard's Pirate Fort
Another part of the waterpark that has a water play area and a water bucket.
N/A
N/A
Former rides and attractions
Name
Description
Notes
Magic Dragon
Dragon shaped carts that can be raised into the air by the riders.
Replaced with an eating area
Samba Balloon Ride
empty space as of August 2021
Obstacle Course
A play obstacle course that featured cargo nets and a ball pit.
N/A
Frogger
This moderate ride was replaced by Free Fallin'.
Little Dipper
A former roller coaster in the park.
Worm Ride
Scandals/lawsuits/crimes
In August 2012, police arrested Patrick Deck of Watchung, New Jersey. Deck was an employee of the Land of Make Believe. Deck pleaded guilty with two counts of transporting child pornography. He filmed a child urinating in the restrooms. Some footage was dated between 2002 and 2005. He was previously convicted in 1988 for endangering the welfare of a child. Because of the previous conviction, he faces a minimum of 15 years in state prison.[2]
In 2011, Land of Make Believe was cited for lack of bathrooms and changing stations.
In 2012, former employee Jeremy Carrington sued amusement park director Walter Martowicz III for alleged sexual harassment. He mentioned the director would slap his buttocks, squeeze or push up against him.[3]
In 2016, an ex-employee stole $49,000. The theft began with small purchases and snowballed from there. Tracey Husarenko of East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania was charged with eight counts of theft and six counts of fraud. She turned herself in that week.
In January 2019, James Bolan, an employee of LOMB, sent illicit pictures of himself to someone he thought was a 14-year-old female. He sent them to a Bergen County investigator.
