Adventures in the Adirondacks: Santa's Workshop

Who would have ever thought that there is a North Pole in New York? And Santa has a house there…inside the Santa’s Workshop theme park. A theme park in the middle of the Adirondack Mountains! Who would have thought!

Our son had already gotten a glimpse of Santa’s Workshop the previous day (when it was close), so the excitement level was not that high, and it was not high in the first place because at age seven, the fascination for Santa Claus had simmered down.  Add the fact that it was in the middle of summer and the last thing on anybody’s mind was Christmas and all things associated with the Yuletide season – cold weather, snow, hot chocolate, fireplaces, etc.

At that moment, what we were wishing for amidst the sweltering heat were a cool breeze, a tall glass of iced tea, and a tub of ice cream! But since this is apparently a popular attraction in this area, we just had to see what it’s all about.

Santa’s Workshop has been in operation in the North Pole hamlet of Wilmington, New York since 1949 and was one of the first theme parks in the United States. That was an interesting piece of information for us. The idea originated from a Lake Placid businessman who made a promise to take his daughter to Santa’s summer house. The concept and design were done by a local artist, and the site was built by another local who also owned it and managed its promotion.

 The theme park has not changed much since the 1950s (and the owners want to keep it that way), so going there is not only like stepping into another world, but also stepping back in time to catch a glimpse of how tourism was like in the olden days before the rise of the giant Disney-type theme parks (in fact, planners of the Disney park came here in the 1950s to study how this park, established with no feasibility studies, no marketing plans, not even blueprints came to be so popular).  And unlike Disneyland, the guests were mostly locals or tourists like us who were spending some down time in the Lake Placid area, so you won’t get much of that highly commercialized vibe. It felt more like a bigger version of the neighborhood fair grounds.

As we entered, we were greeted by elves enthusiastically saying, “Merry Christmas!” Christmas music filled the air as we came upon a storybook village with small buildings painted white, green and red, looking like gingerbread houses with their candy decorations.

On one side was the Mother Hubbard’s Restaurant and a mini stage that looks like a 1920s gazebo called Sam and Sandy’s Showplace. We saw a man and a woman dressed like ragdolls, so we assumed they must be Sam and Sandy doing their ragtime routine.

On the other side, there were various kiddie rides. Our son was not interested in seeing the show but wanted to go on the rides. They had fancy Christmas names, but really, they are rides just like the ones you see at the town fair – Bobsleds, Santa’s Sleigh Coaster, Christmas Tree Ride, Kiddie Ferris Wheel, Christmas Carousel, and the Candy Cane Express Train. Some of the rides have a height and weight limit, clearly for toddlers and smaller children, but there were some that could carry adults, so my husband rode some of them with our son. We all boarded the train that took us around the park, over a river, through the woods, and through a tunnel.

Not far from Mother Hubbard’s and the train station is the Reindeer Games house, which is a video arcade with reindeer-themed games. My boys checked them out but two out of five machines were out of commission, and I reminded my boys that we didn’t drive all the way to the “North Pole” to play video games. We still had to see the rest of the village, and we did not have a lot of time. We were hoping to leave by sundown for our very long drive to New York City.

We headed to the centre of the village, where a cluster of colourful houses offered different services. But before we could explore, we stopped by the Yuletide Theatre. The elf manning the carousel ride told us earlier that there was going to be a Santa parade and a show onstage afterwards. I guess we already missed the parade as the show was already going on.

On the Yuletide billboard, the show was listed as the “Christmas Caper Show,” where costumed characters and Christmas mascots were dancing to Christmas Mother Goose music. There was Miranda Mouse, Chris Moose, Frosty the Snowman, Rowdy the Rascal Reindeer, Alice in Wonderland, the Mother Goose Guild (their in-house theatre troupe, I guess), a few elves, and Santa himself who didn’t look like he was having fun onstage. His bored expression and mechanical dance moves made me imagine a grouchy Mr. Wilson (from Dennis the Menace) in Santa costume, thinking to himself, “What in heaven’s name am I doing here?”

Our son was not interested in seeing this show either, so we just took pictures by the wooden sleigh with reindeer statues, and by Elmer’s Wishing Well, where you could drop a coin for a Christmas charity. We did not have any coins handy, so we didn’t find out if the well did something else.  There was a sign that says,” Sleeping. Wake Me Up in a Few Minutes.” We wondered if it played music or if a cuckoo bird comes out if you drop a coin. But we guessed it was out of order at that time.

In the middle of the village square stands the Frosty North Pole, which is literally a thick pole with a wooden sign on top that says, “North Pole, NY.” It is covered in ice and is said to be frozen all year long.

Around the pole are the village attractions. We visited them one by one starting with Tannenbaum, the Talking Christmas Tree. It was a real tree decorated with red Christmas lights and it supposedly talks. There is a wooden sign beside it that says. “Please wake me after the show.” Since the show was not over, I guess Tannenbaum was still asleep.

We proceeded to the Reindeer Barn where Santa’s “real” reindeer are kept. True enough, we found Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen, and of course, Rudolph, with their own stalls, contentedly munching on their leafy greens while being attended to by elves. One of the elves even handed my son some leaves to feed the reindeer. Along the walls, the reindeer’s personalized harnesses were on display.

Behind the Reindeer Barn was a small vegetable garden with tomato, lettuce, and pepper plants, while across from it were quaint bunny houses (with real bunnies in them). The cluster of bunny houses looked like a miniature village itself with a network of tunnels connecting the structures and an opening that provided access to a small stream where they could drink and frolic in the water. The whole bunny apartment complex was encased in a wire mesh gate for their safety and protection. Towards the back was another barn for horses, but that time, we saw only a lone donkey taking his morning walk with the caretaker.

Right beside the bunny homes is Santa’s Blacksmith that contains the forge used to make the “magical” reindeer shoes. There were all sorts of horseshoes and horseshoe-making tools, and the kind blacksmith elf explained the process to us.  He was also selling Christmas-themed horseshoes and nail rings that could be personalized, but we didn’t get any.

Across the road was Santa’s Bakeshop, which is a mini cafeteria that offers snacks, mostly for those with a sweet tooth. There were breakfast pastries, fudge bars, cookies, cold drinks, coffee, and hot chocolate.

Next to it is a gingerbread house with a sign posted on its closed red door, “Present House: Do Not Open Until Christmas.” There was nobody there, so we assumed that it was some kind of a staff house or a storage house for more practical items (not Christmas presents) and they just painted and decorated the exterior, so it blends with the rest of the village houses.

Santa’s House was of course, not far from his “present storage” house. You won’t be able to miss it because it’s the grandest looking of all, with its sky-blue roof adorned with a wooden relief of him riding on his sleigh, pulled by his reindeer and surrounded by Christmas lights. The house was surrounded by fir trees and a chocolate brown fence. And if it’s not obvious enough, there was also a wooden sign with a huge Santa head that says, Santa’s House.

On the front window, atop the windowsill filled with flowers, is a poster with his schedule. Since we arrived after lunch, we missed the earlier events. Apparently, at noon, there was a “proclamation” outside this house (which happens daily) where Santa’s helpers assemble to receive their orders for the day. Then guests are invited to join some good, old-fashioned circle dancing. After this, Santa goes on his “cookies and milk break” and then proceeds to the Yuletide Theatre to perform at the show (the one we just saw and didn’t watch). At that time of the day, Santa was back home and was receiving guests.

The line was not so bad. There were less than 10 people ahead of us. The line went through Santa’s living room, study room, and bedroom with a small fireplace. A glass window allowed us to peek into the receiving area where Santa was sitting. Behind him was a bigger fireplace and beside his large chair was a decorated Christmas tree. The room looked like one of those Walmart photo studios where families usually go for their annual Christmas postcards to be sent to relatives, with a professional photographer and his assistants wearing elf costumes, and the usual photography equipment.

Santa (who looked happier here than when was dancing on stage) took the time to chat with each child before posing for a few shots with the child and then with the whole family. When my son’s turn came, he asked him if he had been a good boy (and of course, the answer was a resounding “yes”) and what his Christmas wish was (the answer was, a LEGO toy).

Santa told him that he likes LEGO, too, and promised he’d receive one at Christmas if he stays good for the rest of the year. He said it loud enough for us to hear and gave us a conspirational wink. I took shots on my phone and then my husband and I were asked to join the frame for the “official” Christmas shot. We obliged but did not buy the photo package available for sale at the exit. It will just end up in the photo drawer along with all the “pictures with Santa” taken at the local mall every year.

Our next stop was the Candy Shop where one could buy candies, chocolates, bars, candy canes, and homemade ice cream. We didn’t buy any sweets but stayed to watch the baking demo at their kitchen seen through the window glass. At that time, Santa’s helpers were making chocolate cupcakes and decorating them with swirly vanilla icing.

Right beside it is the Santa’s Hat Maker house where personalized Santa hats were available for sale. They also offers other types of costume hats which we playfully tried on – animal hats, fairy hats, monster hats, hats with wigs, and the like. My son refused to be photographed because he thought we looked ridiculous in them. They were also selling personalized wands, though I was quite unsure how this was related to the Christmas theme. Perhaps, this was a Harry Potter-inspired idea.

Then we checked out the Jack Jingle Theatre Museum filled with Santa memorabilia through the years. At the back was a puppet section where one can play with Christmas hand puppets and some props. Beside it is a small puppet theatre but there was no performance scheduled at that time.

Next door was Santa’s Toy Maker, the toy factory that “manufactures” toys the old-fashioned way. Kids can work with Santa’s elves and help operate the wooden machines that “make” toys. Obviously, this attraction is geared more towards toddlers who may still believe that toys are done this way.

Our little boy was just happy tinkering with the wooden buttons and levers that brought the wooden factory into action. There was also a Toy Test Area where kids are allowed to touch and play with the toys and let the master toymaker know what they think on a sheet of decorated paper. There is a wrapping station where all sorts of wrapping paper, bows, ribbons, gift tags and cards are available for sale. A winding staircase leads to the attic play area and small corridor leads to a toy shop at the back where one can buy “commercially made” toys, the same types you can find at Toys R Us.

Outside the shop is a small man-made pond with geese and ducks swimming by. A small fenced wooden bridge crosses it and leads you to Saint Nicholas Chapel, a quaint little building that has a Nativity set on the altar and an antique pipe organ at the back. Beside the chapel is a working wooden windmill.

We made our way up the stairs to go to the World of Christmas, a store that sells everything Christmas - small Christmas trees, Christmas tree ornaments, stockings, stocking hangers, Nativity sets, figurines, wooden signs, and the like. At the back is the Candle Maker Shop where handcrafted candles are made and sold. One can even help dip the candles but at that time, the candle-makers were finished with the day’s last batch.

We used the washroom facilities at Mother Hubbard’s before leaving the park. While waiting for my boys, I checked the menu. There were homemade pies, sandwiches, soups, salads, pasta dishes, pies, and cookies. We had tons of leftovers in the car though, so we didn’t eat there.

On our way out, the last stop of course, was the souvenir shop called Santa’s Gift Room. It had the usual tourist items – shirts, sweaters, hats, caps, magnets, key chains, mugs, pins, socks, boardgames, and the like. We only bought a key chain for my son’s collection.

Adjacent to the store is the Post Office, which is a fully functioning post office where you can buy stamps and mail letters and postcards with the “North Pole, NY” postmark on them.

But they offer the additional service of sending letters for you to Santa. Adults can also arrange for a “Letter from Santa” to be mailed to their kids at Christmas time. Each letter comes in a customized envelope addressed to the child and mailed from his post office in North Pole, N.Y.

The letter is printed on Santa’s personalized stationery with the child’s name and there are six letter templates to choose from but with the same message – that Santa is glad that he/she has been a good boy/girl this year, that is why he has decided to give him/her a present which will be left under the Christmas tree on Christmas Eve and that Santa would appreciate it if he/she would leave a glass of milk and some cookies for him and his reindeer or that maybe he/she could come and visit Santa at his North Pole, N.Y. home.

We did not pre-order a letter as I had always prepared “handwritten notes from Santa” every Christmas that I attach to the “Christmas gift from Santa” for our boy and will continue to do so in the years to come until he no longer believes in Santa. 

As we left the shop, the elves and Santa’s helpers wished us a very “Merry Christmas.” And that concluded our summer Christmas celebration. What an experience!

Who knows? We might decide to go back there in the winter to have a more authentic Christmas experience at Santa’s place - snow, cold weather, and all. I heard there are understandably more Yuletide activities in the winter months – “Breakfast with Santa” (which was also available in the summer but sipping hot cocoa and eating a warm Christmas pudding in this heat won’t feel very Christmassy), “Village of Lights” (where the park is transformed into a winter wonderland and where guests can partake in caroling nights, roast marshmallows in the firepit, and stroll along the snow-covered streets of the village), and the “Nativity Pageant” performed at the village hillside.

At that moment, the only things that gave us the Christmas feels were the Yuletide-themed park façade, the Christmas train winding its way through the trail beside the parking lot and intermittently honking to the tune of Jingle Bells, and the Christmas music blasting from the speakers.

We absorbed all the surreal Christmas-ness of our surroundings as we ate our early dinner in the car before we left the Adirondacks for the next leg of our summer vacation – New York, New York.