In New Jersey, painter John Fricano built Jack and Jill’s Hill and the Three Bears’ house for his kids in 1955; Storybook Land grew to 20 acres, with 19 rides

Storybook Land is a family-owned children’s amusement park in southern New Jersey, on a highway that was once the main route for families heading to the shore. The park is built around fairy tales and nursery rhymes, with small cottages, storybook characters, shaded paths and rides sized for young children. Unlike the large theme parks built around big rides, it was designed for very young visitors. It began as the project of a local house painter, who built its first attractions himself and it is still run by his family across several generations.Five wooded acres in Egg Harbor Township and a founding in 1955John Fricano, an Army veteran and house painter and his wife Esther established Storybook Land on a five-acre wooded lot in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey and the park’s website dates its founding to 1955. The Philadelphia Inquirer places the opening in July of that year and reports that admission was 75 cents, with two simple rides for visitors. Some of the attractions Fricano built himself include Little Red Schoolhouse, Old Woman’s Shoe and Jack and Jill’s Hill. NJ Monthly also lists the Three Bears House among the attractions. In a 2015 interview with The Philadelphia Inquirer, their granddaughter Jessica Fricano said her grandparents saw that there was little for children to do and that the park began as a luncheonette.From 20 acres and 14 rides in 2015 to 19 rides on the park’s website todayThe park later grew from its original five acres to 20 acres, WPG Talk Radio reported. Fricano died in 2009, Roadtrippers notes. By 2015, the park had 14 rides, including Bubbles the Coaster and a miniature train ride called the J&J Railroad, the Inquirer reported. The park’s website now lists 19 rides, including the Cinderoller Coaster, a pumpkin-coach ride introduced for the 2025 season.The same 2015 Inquirer report said Jessica Fricano was running the park with her father, John Fricano Jr., her brother and her aunt. A long-time staff member told NJ Monthly the park is designed for children between ages 1 and 8.The Little Red Schoolhouse as the last original structure and a new attraction each yearLittle of the park’s original construction remains, but its approach has stayed largely the same. In an earlier feature, Roadtrippers reported that the Little Red Schoolhouse is the only original structure still standing and that the family adds at least one new attraction a year while occasionally feeling pressure to chase the latest ride. Among the additions it described was a Robin Hood statue brought from a park in New York and restored for Storybook Land. The park’s website says it operates from spring through December, with ticketed events at Halloween and Christmas toward the end of the year.You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.