Santa in summer? What a brilliant idea! We recently visited Santa’s Village in Ontario cottage country and it was a thoroughly entertaining day for the kids and a pleasantly relaxing day for the parents.
This amusement park has the perfect combination of rides (for all ages), animals (reindeer and petting zoo), and waterpark (splash pad and beach) all set to the backdrop of the beautiful Muskoka woodland.
Here were some of our favourite parts of the day:
Touring Santa’s Village on the miniature train ride at the start of the day. It gave us the perfect preview of all the activities and the amazing day that we were about to embark on.
Watching the girls ride the Merry-Go-Round countless times with huge grins on their faces. Likewise with the Ferris Wheel and Airplane ride. No line-ups for rides = pure joy for parents and kids alike!
Watching the kids play and bounce in the Elves Island playground: A chance to burn off some energy, exercise gross motor skills, bounce and slide!
There’s a separate bouncy castle for the kids 4 and under which made it safer and more enjoyable for our young daughters.
A leisurely ride in the Swan Paddle Boat: I had nostalgic moment re-living my childhood while the rest of the family soaked in the scenic surroundings. So peaceful and serene! Leah loved watching the zip-liners flying by overhead.
Quality time with Santa. The kids had far more time to chat and bond with Santa in a less-rushed environment compared to malls during Christmas time. Plus free elf hats for everyone!
An entertaining and refreshing boat cruise down the Muskoka River in Santa’s Summer Sleigh (jet-boat). Our hilarious captain Tom the Terrible kept us laughing and at the edge of our seats!
Winding down at the end of the day at Mrs. Claus’ bake shop with a free coffee and decadent pecan tart while the kids decorated and devoured their gingerbread man cookie.
Know Before You Go
Santa’s Village
1624 Golden Beach Road
Bracebridge, Ontario
P1L 1W8
705-645-2512
1. Bring your swimsuit and towel so you can take advantage of the newly improved mini beach and splash pad. They have a basic change room available and Muskoka chairs for lounging so the whole family can enjoy.
2. Visit Elf Island during non-peak sun hours of the day since there is minimal shade for the playgrounds. During noon hours, the slides tend to get warm and the bouncy castle gets a tad stuffy.
3. You can bring your lunch, there is plenty of seating available for a scenic break, or enjoy some of the yummy options available on site. If you arrive earlier in the day, you can have breakfast with Santa for only $4.95 between 9:30AM and 10:30AM every morning outside of Kris Kringle’s Kitchen
4. Join the Santa’s NICE list (mailing list), buy your tickets online or check with your school– there are discounts available to make this an affordable experience for everyone.
5. If you want to make an overnight trip out of your visit, there’s Santa’s Whispering Pines Campground just across the street and right next to the beautiful Muskoka River.
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Visiting Santa in the summer? Awesomeness!! Looks like a fun place to take the younger kids.
Not sure we need Santa in summer but this looks like a lot of fun
omg! HOW FUN! I’ve never been and I think i will take my daughters! THey would love it! 😀 Great blog post!
santa’s village such a fun place for the whole family
Awesome! I think seeing Santa is a pretty good deal any time of year 🙂
Does anyone have the original recipe that they had displayed at Saint’s Village, Bracebridge?
It’s an excellent recipe & my grandchildren will love it.
My children did.
Thanks, Sandy Conners