1950s Storyland park in Arlington?

[Wacca Pilatka]

Anyone have any memories of this?  This is the first I've heard of it.

http://www.lostparks.com/storylnd.html

[duvaldude08]

Now this one got lost in the shuffle. Never heard of it either.

[Ocklawaha]

YES! YES! YES! THANKS SO MUCH FOR POSTING THIS.  I'm not crazy after all. When we started doing story's on lost Jacksonville I told the MJ staff that I remembered the Oriental Gardens (Though the park had apparently already closed), I also remember climbing around inside a giant shoe with my niece and nephew (we're all about the same age). As I recall it was under oaks or a mixed canopy similar to Boone Park.

The place as I remember it was more like a greatly enhanced playground rather then a 'theme park.' Though Disney spent billions on their 'World', after Walt died, they lost their heart and soul to the almighty dollar. Storybook Land and the early Disney (California, I was there when it opened) was much more like the little theme parks of Florida's past then it was the monster that ate Central Florida.

Somewhere we had family photos of the place but around 1970... my hippie sister and her hippie husband split up, he was a professional photographer and had 'borrowed' the photos from my parents to 'enhance them'. When he moved up to San Francisco, he either took them or tossed them, in any case nobody thought about it for a year or so until we all wanted to break out the slide projector. I should have recruited my girlfriends dad as a leader of the Fresno chapter of the Hell's Angels to go and get them back. Don't know if the photos would have survived but the entertainment value would have been priceless.

I always suspected that some of those structures ended up down on Beach Blvd. at the home of the last surviving dinosaur, but I could be wrong about that.

LAKELANDER! I've been vindicated!

[duvaldude08]

YES! YES! YES! THANKS SO MUCH FOR POSTING THIS.  I'm not crazy after all. When we started doing story's on lost Jacksonville I told the MJ staff that I remembered the Oriental Gardens (Though the park had apparently already closed), I also remember climbing around inside a giant shoe with my niece and nephew (we're all about the same age). As I recall it was under oaks or a mixed canopy similar to Boone Park.

The place as I remember it was more like a greatly enhanced playground rather then a 'theme park.' Though Disney spent billions on their 'World', after Walt died, they lost their heart and soul to the almighty dollar. Storybook Land and the early Disney (California, I was there when it opened) was much more like the little theme parks of Florida's past then it was the monster that ate Central Florida.

Somewhere we had family photos of the place but around 1970... my hippie sister and her hippie husband split up, he was a professional photographer and had 'borrowed' the photos from my parents to 'enhance them'. When he moved up to San Francisco, he either took them or tossed them, in any case nobody thought about it for a year or so until we all wanted to break out the slide projector. I should have recruited my girlfriends dad as a leader of the Fresno chapter of the Hell's Angels to go and get them back. Don't know if the photos would have survived but the entertainment value would have been priceless.

I always suspected that some of those structures ended up down on Beach Blvd. at the home of the last surviving dinosaur, but I could be wrong about that.

LAKELANDER! I've been vindicated!

Wait, so is that dinosaur from there? Ive always wonder as a child where that thing came from

[sandyshoes]

nah, he was from Goony Golf (out on Beach Blvd. somewhere, I think)

[Wacca Pilatka]

nah, he was from Goony Golf (out on Beach Blvd. somewhere, I think)

Yes - I have a friend who writes books on lost southeastern roadside attractions and he confirmed that this is where the dinosaur came from

[civil42806]

nah, he was from Goony Golf (out on Beach Blvd. somewhere, I think)

Yes - I have a friend who writes books on lost southeastern roadside attractions and he confirmed that this is where the dinosaur came from

well if so then the dinosaur relocated from storybook land to goony golf.  I remeber seeing it at goony golf for years

[Mike D]

I do remember Storyland in Arlington!  It must have been short-lived, because I remember going one time and that was it.  It was located between the Arlington Expressway and the Arlington River (although I'm not sure there was an expressway then...maybe just the road it displaced).  I don't remember the rides, which surprises me, just the big shoe and other fairy tale-type settings.  As I recall you just wandered around and looked at the stuff...it wasn't very interactive.  I also recall in the same vicinity a Planter's Peanut shop with a huge Mr. Peanut (or whatever their mascot was called) sign alongside the highway.  Does anyone else remember that?

[Know Growth]

This calls for my recall of Willie Mick. Arlington self described 70's era Arlington pioneer developer.

I sold his boat in the 90's as he was retiring from it all.Willie was so proud.

I coiuld editorialize here,go quickly to Towne Centre players however something tells me delete last sentance and leave as is.

Willie would have none of it.

[DDC]

I do remember Storyland in Arlington!  It must have been short-lived, because I remember going one time and that was it.  It was located between the Arlington Expressway and the Arlington River (although I'm not sure there was an expressway then...maybe just the road it displaced).  I don't remember the rides, which surprises me, just the big shoe and other fairy tale-type settings.  As I recall you just wandered around and looked at the stuff...it wasn't very interactive.  I also recall in the same vicinity a Planter's Peanut shop with a huge Mr. Peanut (or whatever their mascot was called) sign alongside the highway.  Does anyone else remember that?

I don't remember it but on a Facebook page someone posted a picture of the building with the Mr Peanut. The building is still there minus the peanut. It is a car lot/mechanic now. If you google 6500 Arlington Expresway and look at the street view you can see the building.

Also, as I remember, the shopping center where T-Rex is located is the old location of Goony Golf. It was part of the course, one of the obstacles you had to putt around. When Goony Golf closed, I think a group from old FCCJ took it and restored it and then it was installed in front of the new shopping center.

[rcmmngs]

I have a scan of an old brochure from Storyland on the Arlington Expressway.  It appears to have been in about the 6000 block of the Expressway on the south side, right about Cesery Blvd., although the brochure does not have a street address on it.  Perhaps at that point, there were no street addresses.  Apparently built shortly after the Matthews Bridge was built in 1953, and didn't last very long.

[rcmmngs]

OK, well that didn't post well.  I do have better images, and will be happy to send them to anyone who knows better how to post them. 

[AshleyLauren]

nah, he was from Goony Golf (out on Beach Blvd. somewhere, I think)

Yes!! But, it was on the Westside. Off 103rd its a lawn care place now.

[Ocklawaha]

No Ashley, Gooney Golf was on Beach, and there was the, hum? Uh? Par 3 driving range with an amusement park and 'Putt Putt' Golf Course. There were also some places called 'Goofy Golf', which might be what you have in mind.

I didn't say the dinosaur came from Storybook Land, merely that I 'suspected' some of the Gooney Golf or Par 3, structures MIGHT have come from there.

MIKE-D, like you I don't remember much about the rides, only that they had a train (of course that got my attention). I think the train went to 'Miss Muffet Land' or 'Kiddyland,' which WAS on the west side just south and east of where Wesconnet and Blanding rejoin each other heading southward, more or less near the current Kia dealer lot. At that location I did visit the train many times, living in Ortega made such things possible. It was actually a small steam locomotive and I've never seen cars quite so well designed, maybe 'Sandley Locomotive Works,' Products.


This is a page from the original 'Sandley Locomotive Works' catalog, it describes cars very much as I remember these.

Yeah, the Planters stores were around touristy places throughout the state. The one in Daytona Beach might have been one of the last still in business in this area. The guy was indeed 'MR. PEANUT' and the sign/statue was freaking 3 stories high, you weren't real likely to miss them.

[Starbuck]

There are more pictures at http://www.flickr.com/photos/51945854@N00/sets/72157603228182066/