Updated: 2023
Have you heard of SkyPark At Santa's Village? My little family and I have been visiting for the last 3 years and I'm excited to share tons of details and some tips to make the most of your day. Let me start by saying, If you've been indecisive about visiting, trust me when I say It's absolutely worth it. It is the ultimate holiday experience in the mountains. The moment we step foot inside the park the festive holiday cheer immediately takes over. Every holiday season we drive up for the day and open and close the park. There is so much to enjoy! I'm going to share all about our experience and give you an inside look at what to expect once at the park. Plus some helpful tips and tricks and even our review of their all new 2023 VIP pass.
Why You Should Visit SkyPark At Santa's Village
SkyPark at Santa's Village is exactly what they call themselves, a Nostalgic Christmas in the Woods. There are trees, festive decor, and the beautiful sounds of nostalgic holiday music playing all throughout the adventure park. There is something to do for all ages. You can come with the family, friends, or even plan a day date. Makes for a full fun filled day. Everyone is bound to have a great time and you will see exactly why on the next paragraphs. This season they are open through January 7, 2024.
Things To Do At SkyPark At Santa's Village
Im going to start by answering a question many have asked, "Are all the activities included in an admission ticket?". The answer is most are with the exception of a few. I'll highlight down below what has an extra fee. However, the general admission ticket already allows you to do tons of activities so if you rather not pay for any additional add on, you most certainly don't have to.
Santa Visit
You can't visit Santa's Village without visiting everyones favorite guy! We were able to have a private chat with Santa in his beautiful North Pole Cabin. Inside you can tell him what you'd like for Christmas as well as take professional photographs. The picture is an additional fee HOWEVER, they allow you to take your own pictures and will even take them for you. Thats what we did! Right outside the cabin is a mailbox where you can send in your list or write Santa a nice thank you note for last years gifts, so bring that with you ahead of time. There are 3 ways to see Santa, sign up for a reservation upon arrival, use the standby line or purchase a VIP Ticket to make your reservation ahead of time. More on the VIP ticket down below.
TIP: There are lines all day long! If you decide to purchase a general admission ticket make a reservation immediately on arrival. It will save you time. If you don't care for Ziplining, make a reservation with Santa your first stop to make a reservation, If you want to zipline this will be your second stop and I'll tell you why down below.
Ice Skating
Ice Skating was another fun activity we love to do. What else screams winter and holidays like ice skating right?! We enjoy it so much we usually do it during the day and go back for a second time at night. Skate rentals are included and there is no need for reservations. You are free to ice skate for as little or as long as you'd like. The ice is always smooth which makes ice skating a fun and enjoyable experience even for beginners.
TIP: Make sure you bring some thick socks but some are available for purchase.
The Wacko Magic Show
The Wacko Show is a magic show that always leaves us all speechless. He always makes us laugh and is very entertaining. Wacko really gets the audience involved which always adds to the fun of the show. Definitely a good way to rest while having a good laugh. Check mobile app or entertainment QR code on arrival for show schedules and parade information.
Kids Imagine Nation Show
This is a high energy show with tons of dancing, singing and music. Combines fun and laughs with some of our favorite holiday songs. Audience participation is encouraged and the kiddos love to dance and sing along. Check mobile app or entertainment QR code on arrival for show schedules and parade information.
The Village Tree Lighting Parade
The Village Tree Lighting Parade is always another favorite. Right as the sun starts setting all of the fun characters along with Santa walk towards the beautiful Village Christmas tree for the Village Tree lighting ceremony. It's a fun and beautiful celebration.
TIP: Show times can vary so make sure you check your entertainment QR code on arrival. You can find that right at the entrance even before entering the park or download and check toe mobile app.
Characters
Northwoods Characters roam around the park throughout the day and are always very friendly and happy to chat and take pictures. Alexias favorite is always Arrow and we have even brought a toy stuffed Arrow home. Why Arrow you ask? Well if you know my daughter, you know she loves dogs so her attention immediately went to this character. We got this awesome picture by the tree with most of the characters during one of our visits.
Northwoods Express Train
The Northwoods Express Train ride is the perfect way to explore the the Land of Sweets. We saw visitors riding the train all times of the day, specially the smaller little visitors or those train fanatics. Closed toed shoes are required to ride the train.
Ziplining
We all love to add a little adventure to our festive day, and what better way to do that then with ziplining 30 feet above the forest floor! We do it every year and absolutely love it. It was a first for all 3 of us during our first visit and always feel completely safe with all the precautions they take. It's such a great experience. Harnesses are provided for full safety of all age groups. If you are a thrill seeker this is a MUST. Requirements: you must weigh 60-250 pounds and have closed toe shoes.
TIP: This is known to be the FIRST thing that fills up at the park. Immediately on arrival head straight to make your reservations. Per SkyPark employees, reservations have been known to fill up for the whole day within 30 minutes of the park opening. On arrival we walked straight to make these reservations and it worked out perfectly.
Royal Games
Right after Ziplining we like to head straight to Ax throwing, Archery and to do some shooting. It a great way to follow our adventurous zip lining and keep the adrenaline going. Ax throwing is for ages 12 and up, Archery 6 and up and shooting is 3-8 accompanied by an adult. It's always tons of fun!
Rock Climbing
This is another favorite of my daughters. They have an indoor area (Magic Tree Bouldering Room) or this rock climbing wall. Another great and adventurous experience to enjoy.
Arrows Adventure
We also love to hop into a pedal car to zoom through the ice cave to continue being adventurous. For this, helmets are provided and as with most of the park activities, closed toe shoes are required.
Think this is already a lot to do? Well there's more. Yes, theres actually other activities and shows included in a general admission ticket. Told you there's tons of things to do! I'll list them down below but you can read more about them over at SkyPark At Santas Village Website .
-Balance Trail
-B-rail (coming soon)
-Meadowlands Trail
-Discovery Playscape
-Skypark Puppet Theater
Nominal Fee Activities
The following activities are for a nominal fee. We loved including 2 from the list below in our visit and if you have the option to, I highly recommend it.
Cookie Decorating
This is an additional $7 for 2 cookies, frosting and sprinkles. It's the perfect way to do a fun activity and enjoy a sweet treat.
Toy Decorating
This cost an additional $12 to $15 per toy. You get to choose your toy and paint it right inside Santas Workshop. Makes for a good souvenir, holiday decorations or activity to continue at home.
Gemstone Mining
This one we've yet to try since it's in water and during this time of years it's too chilly for us to do but if you've hot a gemstone enthusiast it can definitely be a fun option.
Food & Drinks
Of course all these fun activities always make us hungry and there's no lack of delicious food, snacks, or drinks. I'll share what we've had and some of the other options available. w
The Gingerbread House Bakery & Sweet Shoppe: This is usually our first treat stop. We have had gingerbread man cookies, chocolate chip and our latest cookie was the chocolate cookie with candy cane bits. Cookies are always crunchy on the outside but gooey on the inside. Our favorite so far is the chocolate candy cane cookie. We also love the drinks here! We have tasted the gingerbread hot chocolate, peppermint hot chocolate and the traditional apple cider. You can't go wrong with any of these choices but we all agreed that the peppermint has been our favorite.
Billy's BBQ House: is great for an early dinner and it is delicious. We are all BBQ fans so the moment we smell the BBQ and see a tray of perfectly cooked brisket, we all know this is where we should be eating. Meat is always tender and the BBQ sauce is very savory. My daughter LOVES the mashed potatoes too.
St Nicks Patio and Grille : This restaurant has such awesome outdoor patio seating and we've relaxed with a pizza and some drinks around the firepit.
The Pedal Pub: 21 and over listen up! This is an indoor outdoor pub with crafts brews and specialty drinks. We ordered from the holiday inspired menu and went with a Merry Mule , Santas Sangria, and a Jack Daniels with hot apple cider. All were tasty but both hubby and I agreed that the Nightcap (Jack Daniels/hot apple cider) was our favorite. That is by no means my usual drink of choice but the hot apple cider made a world of a difference. Perfect for our chilly evening.
The Lunch Box: has great handcrafted sandwiches, paninis and ice cream. We've had a quick lunch here on several occasions and we always enjoy their sandwiches. Great place for a quick and easy lunch.
Kringles coffee: is your stop for caffeinated beverages for a morning or late evening pick me up. They also have non caffeinated specialty beverages or morning sandwiches. Think of it like the Starbucks of Skypark at Santas Village.
New VIP Package 2023
Unfortunately this package is no longer available for the season, however I think it's important for me to review it for those interested in purchasing it for next years Holiday Season.
The Holidays are the busiest time of the year and they created this experience to make everyone's visit extra magical before even stepping foot inside the park.
With this package not only did we get to enjoy everyday park activities, entertainment show and bike park but we got to experience the nostalgia of Santa's Village and the additional holiday offerings.
With this package we received and exclusive gift box shipped directly to our home containing:
Day pass wristband
Parking pass
Adventure passport
Santa's Village Sticker
Parchment for writing a letter to Santa
Ornament
Magnet
Postcard
Magic snow
Arrow reading book
Letter from Santa
Cookie decorating during visit
Toy decorating during visit
Securing your reservation to visit with Santa in advance
Skip the main line entrance
The last few items on the list were the BIG ones for me. No more worrying if reservations to visit with Santa would fill up due to high demand or wasting time in line waiting. Another big one, we didn't need to rush up the mountain in the morning to be first in line even before they opened. We were able to walk right in through the VIP line and went straight to the ziplining sign up since we already had our Santa reservation. Plus we loved the additional goodies we got in the box that made for great souvenirs as well as pre holiday fun activities.
Purchasing the box actually helps save money as opposed to purchasing it all separately. Plus you get all the awesome perks I mentioned above.
Is the box worth it? It absolutely is. It's so convenient. Can you still enjoy the park with a general admission ticket? You absolutely can. We've visited with both options and our visits have been equally magical so don't be discouraged if you are not ready for a VIP experience box or missed it this year (2023)
Things To Know Before You Visit
Some tips I have already mentioned above but are all worth mentioning again in this section. These have all helped make our visits go super smooth, with no wait times or delays of any kind. Im sharing them in hopes that you will find them helpful and help answer some questions you might have.
Arrive 30 minutes before opening time. We arrived at 9:30, park was opening at 10am and there was already a decent line. This will help guarantee some reservations.
Everyone entering the park requires a waiver. Make sure you do them online before arrival otherwise you will need to make a separate line in the morning before entering the park.
Purchase tickets online ahead of time. Days do sell out, in fact some already have, so if you have a date in mind don't wait and book now
On arrival if you want to zipline go straight to make that reservations FIRST. Right after that go make your Santa Reservations SECOND.
If you plan to purchase or want to see any of the professional Santa Pictures taken, DO NOT wait until the end when everyone else wants to see them. Save some time and go look at them in the middle of the day to avoid any lines at the end of the day.
This is an all day visit. There is tons to do. Get your moneys worth and plan to spend the whole day at this outdoor festive adventures park.
Most activities required closed toe shoes so save yourself a headache and just wear closed toe shoes on the day of your visit.
During this time of year it is very chilly in the morning and at nights. Wear layers and come dressed for chilly nights and lots of walking.
Download the FREE mobile app to get access to: Park hours, Attractions, Entertainment Schedule, Interactive Map, Shops & Restaurants, Historical Tour, Park Info, Special Offers. Available in the App Store and Google Play.
Purchase Tickets/ Address
Parking fee $10.00
Address: 28950 California 18, Skyforest, CA 92385
In Conclusion
This has definitely become a yearly tradition for our family. We highly recommend it. It made for the perfect festive and adventurous day. In addition to all the fun I mentioned, the park was spotless and every single employee we came across was so nice and happy to answer any questions. We really cant ask for a better experience. Hope you will get the opportunity to visit this season!
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Talk to you later!
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