The day had finally come! We were on our way to Santa’s Village in Bracebridge, Ontario. I don’t know who was more excited, me or our girls. Although, the smile on Bee’s face when we arrived was absolutely priceless. If you haven’t heard of Santa’s Village and you have young children, you are missing out. This is an amazingly fun place to bring the entire family. I find this is one of the few amusement parks made for families with young kids and wow, it excels in this area.
We stayed at Santa’s Whispering Pines Campgrounds. It was a wonderful experience. After being checked in by happy, smiling staff we arrived at our cabin. We rented one of many available cabins (be sure to reserve early in the season as they book fast!). Ours was a four person cabin that included a bunk bed (double over double bed) table, chairs and a light. Our cabin was very clean and spacious, I was pleasantly surprised. Bee, who is just over 3 years old LOVED the cabin, she climbed up the ladder to ‘her’ bed with the biggest smile.
Camping was a blast. We made a fire, roasted marshmallows and made s’mores (Classic s’mores – find the recipe here along with 22 other great combinations you might want to try). Our campsite was a mixture of dirt and pine needles making for soft ground which was perfect for shovels and buckets allowing the girls to play nicely and giving hubby and I some down time.
Off to Santa’s Village!! The highlight of the trip and the girl’s favourite part – going to Santa’s Village. This place has so much to offer young children, Bee’s favourite was the bouncy castle and swan boat ride while WeeBee loved the train. There are 4-5 different rides including a plane ride, carousel and roller coaster. Even at 1.5 years old WeeBee was able to go on most of the rides, which is great because that means that nobody got left out.
After doing the rides we visited the petting zoo where we saw goats, lama’s, ducks and more. Not only that but ‘Santa’s reindeer’ are there to feed and pat also! There is also a splash pad with a small beach to cool down and have a break. Perhaps the biggest attraction in the park is getting to see the big man himself – Santa! You can have breakfast with Santa and Mrs. Claus in the morning before the park opens and after that, Santa is available for a visit in his house.
There is also an area for older children with an amazing climb zone in the trees and zip line. These activities require an addition cost, but well worth the small price. There is also an arcade, gift shop, games to play, and of course everything has a wonderful Christmas theme.
The whole family had an amazing time at Santa’s Village and I look forward to going again next year. This park was designed for small families and you can tell from the moment you get there. Visit Santa’s Village and you might find yourself going back every year too!! Think you might have a long drive? Check out Easy Snacks for Road Trips for Kids for ideas on easy snacks to pack and the containers to keep your car clean!
It has been probably 30 years since we were last at Santa’s village, maybe time to take the grandkids
Thanks for the post. I’d heard of Santa’s Village but not much more. We’re always looking for fun things to do and this is somewhere we will definitely will check out.