La Mer de sable, Amusement park in Ermenonville Forest, France.
La Mer de sable is an amusement park in Ermenonville Forest, France, covering roughly 18 hectares. The park offers western-themed rides, water areas and attractions for families within a natural woodland setting of pine trees and sandy soil.
The site's sandy ground comes from the Stampian Sea, which left islets, lagoons and sandbanks. In 1875 Rosa-Augusta Hainguerlot enlarged the sand pit and sold the heather topsoil for the Paris market. Actor Jean Richard leased the land from the Institut de France and opened the park on 6 June 1963, with public access from 8 June.
The park sits within Ermenonville Forest and pairs wooden western buildings with paths through pine trees and sand dunes. Visitors can explore water areas during summer or join Halloween events during autumn.
The park sits roughly 45 minutes from Paris and opens daily at half past ten in the morning until six in the evening during the season. Visitors should bring comfortable shoes for sandy paths and remember sunscreen during sunny days.
The sand comes from the Stampian Sea, a geological episode that left islets, lagoons and sandbanks on the site. Under the Second Empire, botanists from the Muséum national d'histoire naturelle planted conifers here as an experimental field. In 1875 Rosa-Augusta Hainguerlot enlarged the sand pit and sold the heather topsoil to supply the Paris market.
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