The famous apple tunnel espalier on the grounds of Cair Paravel, formed of heirloom fruit trees
Here is where everything else about Narniaworld goes… lodging, amenities, and non-ride attractions, all of which add to a park’s appeal. In making up this list, I put in what I’d like to see in a theme park. You can think of this as tying everything else together… lodging and services for guests, what guests can do when they’re not inside the park, and so on.
Narniaworld Non-ride Attractions and Amenities
The Apple Orchard
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Comprising two acres, the apple orchard lies next to and slightly below Cair Paravel castle and grows heritage varieties of the fruits that were popular in Britain before the 20th century. Park guests can observe workers using ancient and organic husbandry techniques to fertilize, nurture, and pick the fruits. The apples are offered for sale to guests and also used in the park’s kitchens. In addition to apples there are heritage pear, quince, and walnut trees. Tours of the orchard are given on the weekends and must be reserved.
After the spring Waking the Trees parade there is a ceremony here with Pomona blessing the trees. In Autumn there are apple cider making demonstrations.
Next to the apple orchard is the castle’s kitchen garden which is similarly cultivated and provides food and herbs for the park. A tour of it is included with the one of the orchard. |
| Beaversdam |
A hotel on the grounds of the park and the only hotel at present. Themed to the rustic, cottage décor of Mr. and Mrs. Beaver’s den. It can be considered a small resort. There is a heated outdoor pool, an indoor pool with sauna, and an outdoor children’s play area with a woodland theme. Off the lobby is a small grocer’s / souvenir shop and a restaurant, The Marmalade Roll, which offers a family afternoon tea. Puddleglum’s Place, which sells fishing and other outdoor supplies, is also located here. Hotels outside the park have begun to offer shuttle service to Narniaworld, so if you can’t find a place in Beaversdam or Beruna (they fill up quickly) don’t worry. |
| Beruna Campgrounds |
A large fully serviced campground with tent and RV hookup spaces by the river a short distance from the park. There are showers, picnic tables, and pavilions available. Guests can either walk or take the shuttle service to the park’s main entrance. During summer nights, the nearby Dancing Lawn picnic area is lit up with bonfires and character actors sing, dance, and swordfight. (All shows are improvised and never the same twice.) |
| Bicycle Rentals |
Available at both Beaversdam (The Jill) and Beruna (The Polly) by the hour or by the day. Paved bicycle trails run all around the park grounds and are also used by park employees to get around. |
| Charging Stations |
There are places to charge phones and other devices throughout Narniaworld park. All are free to use and have attendants.
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| Coriakin’s Mansion |
A supervised play area for young children inside the park where they can wander from room to room examining the fallen star’s belongings and magic tricks and even play dress-up. Outside is a hedge maze to get lost in, topiary animals, and a small water park with a fountain and water sprayers for hot summer days. |
| Fishing Lakes |
There are two lakes near Beaversdam hotel where guests may fish: Tarva Lake and Alambil Lake. No boats permitted but there are piers.
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| Garden of the Silver Apples |
A shady garden inside the park for guests to take a break in. Plantings are seasonal, there is water available, benches, and tables. In the center is the huge (but not living) tree of the silver apples with colorful animatronic bird guardians who talk and sing. |
| Nature Trails |
Narniaworld comprises a lot of land and much of it is yet undeveloped. More than ten miles of nature trails stretch through this area including a trek to the top of a small hill where, some nights, Dr. Cornelius sets up his telescope to look at the stars and an estuary where one can observe protected species of birds.
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| The Professor’s Study |
An educational exhibit about Narnia and its creator C. S. Lewis inside the park. Includes artifacts, artwork, original manuscripts, and interactive displays.
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| Swanwhite’s Boats |
Swan paddle boats are available for rent to use in the bay. The rental pier is located down the hill from Cair Paravel inside the park. |
| The Talking Hound |
A place for people to board their pets while they visit the park (fee is extra.) Grooming services available. It lies between Beaversdam and Beruna. |
Knowing what I do now about the park, the infrastructure just wrote itself.
A word about schedules. Theme park destinations, like the Disney parks, Seaworld, and some others are open year-round to catch the vacation crowd. Most of the time, they have their own resorts and are located in tropical or semitropical climes to avoid the cold (avoiding blistering heat and humidity is another matter.) Disneyworld in Florida attracts a lot of vacationers from South America via special deals in their “off” season, that is when American families have children still in school. But in equitable climes parks like Six Flags in Mexico City remain open year-round.
“Traditional” American and Canadian parks above the 30º latitude used to be open only in the summer, between Labor and Memorial Day, as the Jersey Shore piers and attractions still are. But in recent decades, there’s a trend for parks to open on weekends before and after this period and on special occasions like the very lucrative Halloween fright season.
For Narniaworld, hours will be full time mid-May to the end of September; four-day weekends (Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday) until Halloween, then weekends until New Year’s. The park then takes a hiatus for maintenance and upkeep until mid-April when the four-day weekend schedule begins again. There would be plenty of specialty events over those weekends to attract crowds, like music festivals and the like.
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