Santa’s Village was a destination I visited as a child with my family 3 times. I remember each time fairly well, even now… 25+ (ahem) years later. I remember having fun with my sister and brothers on the rides. I remember getting a photo with my sister in the igloo (which is still there!). I remember the train going around the park. I remember sitting on the iconic Santa’s Village Santa Sleigh and feeling giddy that THIS was Santa’s sleigh. I remember feeling safe at Santa’s Village, tucked into the beauty and wonder of New Hampshire. Santa’s Village has always brought beautiful memories to mind for me throughout my life. It was a magical place, a place where Christmas lived year round.
I was honored when Santa’s Village reached out to me this year to be part of their #SantaSquad this summer.
We took a trip 8 years ago to Santa’s Village with my entire family. William was 2 1/2, Alex was 1 1/2 and Benjamin was around 8 months old. Bringing them back now meant the world to me because I knew that the boys would remember it… and, the best part – all of my kids are here now! 🙂
From the second we arrived there was Christmas magic in the air, even on a 90 degree day in July! My kids were dazzled by the Christmas music, the ringing of the bells, the sound of the train and just the excitement in the air! There’s truly something special about Santa’s Village. You feel wrapped in a warm blanket when you arrive, like there’s no other cares in the world. It’s a safe haven of fun and wonder for kids big and small!
We went immediately to ELF University to collect our Elfabet cards. There are 26 Elf Stations throughout the park – Elfs from A to Z – and at each station your child can punch their ticket for that designated letter. My kids LOVED this idea and really go into it throughout the day. The goal is to punch your full ticket and if you do, you get a diploma and goody from ELF University!
First order of business for the day?
Essential Snowman photo opp!
And we found Santa’s house! The boys quickly got a photo in his rocking chair before he arrived!
Next order of business for the kids??
RIDES! My kids love RIDES! They aren’t afraid of anything, even Victoria! It was like we were literally off and running! What I really loved around Santa’s Village was how easy the layout was to follow with the map. The park isn’t gigantic, so you don’t feel overwhelmed. It’s VERY doable to get everything in that you want to get done! I had ONE request from my family, I wanted to do Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree first!
Then off to Rudy’s Rapid Transit Coaster for the boys! This is MY kinda coaster! Plus – I loved how the man working the coaster told everyone ahead of time that they would go around 2x, but if anyone was scared, just show him a thumb’s down. So smart! I loved hearing that he was doing that for the riders!
And Hot Shots Fire Brigade (which the boys did 3 times!)! You get the fires out with actual water out of the hose! It was a blast for them, especially on the hot day!
Since the Park wasn’t too busy around 10:45AM, one of the workers there suggested we do the water park before it got too busy! She saw we had 5 kids and since it was getting hot… it made perfect sense! So we did walked over to the amazing Ho Ho H2o Water Park for some WATER and COOL DOWN FUN!
As you know, water is in our DNA… it was PERFECTION for us!
My kids couldn’t get enough of the Joy Ride Slides and the Splash Area! It was the perfect way to cool down and enjoy some summer fun. We got SO lucky because we were basically one of 5 families over there till about 12PM! We had this incredible water park to ourselves! The boys (and me!) went on the Joy Rides at least a dozen times! Victoria played in the water area for an hour! It was such a peaceful and incredible hour to just relax and be together!
And I have to add, we ate lunch and changed at the Elfs Lodge right next to the Water Park. It was the cleanest and most organized place! I was beyond impressed at how CLEAN everything was over there! It was absolutely wonderful! And the staff! The staff was INCREDIBLE! Every person said hello and welcomed you. I was truly impressed BIG TIME!
After lunch – we got a great family photo with the bunny!
And then! Back to the rides!
We wanted to do something with Victoria right away, so the Polar Espresso!
And – of course – the Yule Log Flume!
Between every ride, there’s room for photo opps at Santa’s Village!
I love how there are photo opps that I KNOW my parents have of me with my siblings back in the 80’s! I need to see if my mom can find them!
All my Henry wanted to do was go on the Poogee Penguin’s Spin Out! He got his wish! His laughter on it was priceless! I loved it!
And the Christmas Ferris Wheel! Always a favorite! The kids couldn’t wait to get up on it! The views were SPECTACULAR! We had a perfect weather day, no breeze! It was so fun to see all the beauty of New Hampshire on the Ferris Wheel!
We went on everything. Every ride is catered for kids and just a blast for them to enjoy!
Perhaps the most magical part of the day was seeing the reindeer. The magic of Christmas is alive and well in the McClelland household, but knowing that a have a few children who truly believe in the magic of Christmas and Santa to its core, it made it just THAT much more special.
I love that Santa’s Village is perfect for kids of any age! There’s truly something for everyone. My sons had such a wonderful time! My daughter? She fell in love with every Elfabet ELF!
It was magical to the core.
I had some fun capturing a video of our day, too!
And!
For the record – they all graduated from ELF University!!!
Thank you Santa’s Village for the amazing day!
If you live in the area, take the time to visit this treasure!
You will have such a wonderful time!
Disclosure: Partnership with Santa’s Village. Tickets provided for my family. All opinions are 100% my own.
