I received tickets in exchange for sharing my honest opinion.
While it may seem like Santa’s Village has only been open for 10 years now, they have actually been a family destination since 1959, closing for a short period before re-opening. I actually went a lot when I was little and have memories of the famous slide.
Last week I got the chance to visit Santa’s Village with my kids, nephew and sister. It was so great having so many generations going and watching them all enjoy Santa’s Village.
One of the newest attractions is the waterpark and honestly, it was a hit with all of us – ranging from ages 4 to 40 years old – including my teens! There are two bigger slides and then a splash area with slides and water play for younger kids. There is not a pool but plenty to do and I enjoyed the slides as well as just sitting in the low water cooling off.
Mining was actually the one thing my 4-year-old asked for! He remembered going when he was 2-years-old and was so excited to do it again. I was so surprised too with all the treasures they got!
While Santa’s Village is geared more towards younger kids, ages 2-8 years old, there are rides for older kids as well; including a roller coaster, bumper cars and Xtreme Elevation drop ride. Oh and a new blue ride that even goes upside down and spins!
There are animals! There are tons of animals to feed and view.
Dining is affordable for a family but if you decide to bring your own food in, you can bring in a small cooler worth for $5. Check the dining policy to read more about it. There is even a Dining Pass you can purchase for multiple visits.
The park is just the right size. We tackled the park in about five hours. We could have spent longer but definitely needed at least five hours. I like how it wasn’t overwhelming to do everything we wanted to do. We could have spent more time there and will definitely go again to re-do our favorites.
Usually I don’t let my kids play games as they can get expensive and you don’t win anything. These games were $5 or less and you got great prizes!
I always usually avoid the arcade because we are there for the rides but for a break from the heat we hit up the arcade. Here you buy a card that loads credits and your tickets always get loaded onto the card. My kids won a jackpot prize of 1,000 tickets and were able to get so much for those tickets. Definitely a better value of prizes than anywhere else we have been!
Your ticket price of around $27.99 includes all rides, animals and water park. You can also upgrade your ticket to $56.99 and include mining, games, arcade and more. I actually would recommend the Ultimate Experience as it is a great savings if you want to do it all. Parking is free. Oh and the bracelet you get has a spot to write your phone number in case your child gets seperated from you which is genius!
As I mentioned, Santa’s Village has been around for quite some time (opened in 1959 until 2006 and then re-opened in 2011) so it is a great place to re-live old memories and create new ones. While a lot has changed, some have stayed the same. My favorite is the slide which I wish I could find the photos of me on the slide from when I was little. There are also a few rides from KiddieLand which was an amusement park in Melrose Park that closed down – I had been there too as a child and love that there are rides from there that I am sure I went on now that my own kids can enjoy. Now that my kids are getting older they have memories of going and can not reminisce.
Honestly, we all had a blast at Santa’s Village. It was fun being able to ride rides and see animals all in one day. I loved too that it is close enough to drive to for the day, being located in East Dundee, IL. I highly recommend if you have a child ages 2-8 years old to bring them especially as they will have a blast with all the kid-sized rides – older siblings will have fun as well but probably not as much as the younger ones will!
Plan your trip to Santa’s Village in East Dundee, Illinois.
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Darn this sounded like a fun place for my niece to take her daughter. But Illinois is way to far for that. Wish there was something closer
We’ve never been to the waterpark and think it would make for a great family day of fun!
I was there when I was 5 years old still have a picture somewhere meeting Santa than went a few year's ago with my little niece
I have such fond memories of going here as a child and LOVE the idea of bringing my girls and experiencing it through their eyes!
We try to go every year!
Love this post! Can’t wait to bring my kids this summer!
I went to Santa's Village when I was a child, took my kids many times when they were little and now my grandson loves to go. We live about 15 minutes from there - it's such a fun family outing and small enough to visit in a few hours plus rides for all ages and animals.
One of the old spinning snowball ride cars is now at a local ice cream place called the Milk House - cool nostalgia.
I've never been there before.