Location | Jefferson, New Hampshire, New Hampshire, USA |
---|---|
Coordinates | 44°25′35″N71°29′45″W / 44.42639°N 71.49583°W |
Status | Operating |
Opened | June 21, 1953 |
Owner | Santa's Village, Inc. |
Theme | Christmas |
Operating season | May through December |
Attractions | |
Total | 23 |
Roller coasters | 2 |
Water rides | 4 including Ho Ho H2O Water Park |
Website | www |
Santa's Village is a Christmas-themed amusement park located in Jefferson, New Hampshire.
Most of the 23 rides have Christmas or winter-themed names, such as "Midnight Flyer" [lower-alpha 1] and "The Great Humbug Adventure". The rides are designed for families with children under age 13. There are also three theatres, two of which present live shows and a third that features a 3-D film called A Tinkerdoodle Christmas. Visitors can visit Santa's home, sit in his rocking chair, and have a picture taken with Santa.
In the heart of the White Mountains at Jefferson, NH is Santa's Village. The quaint, rustic houses of the village are a colorful sight nestled among the mountain pines. As you walk up the shaded road from the parking lot you are by Santa's Monkey Band in the music house. Their cheery, syncopated greeting welcomes you to the Village.
–The All-American Christmas Cookbook, 2008 [1]
Santa's Village was the brainchild of Normand and Cecile Dubois who, in the early 1950s, wanted to create something novel to their region. [2] Seeing deer crossing the road sparked Norman's belief that the North Country in New Hampshire would serve well as Santa and his reindeers' home. [3] On Father's Day, in 1953, the family amusement park was opened for the first time to the general public. [2] In its first year, the park had pony rides and showcased Francis the Famous Mule in a mule performance. The amusement park staff frequently gave her oats from a whiskey bottle to wheedle her to move. The Duboises also invited Santa Claus to the park; he was accompanied by real reindeer and numerous elves. The park was later enlarged to include a "Santa Schoolhouse", a "Blacksmith Shop", "Santa's Workshop" and a chapel. [4] In 1955, the park was open from June to October. [5]
By 1969, the park also had playgrounds, restaurants, and a "Jingle Jamboree". The Dubois family added a dancing chicken and rabbit performance to the park's activities. [4] By 1974, the Dubois' son-in-law, Michael Gaynor, took over the park's management after the couple retired. The admission for people over four years old in 1974 was $3. [3] Peggy Newland of The Nashua Telegraph wrote in 2010 that "[b]y the 1980s, the park had grown to a 'real' amusement park". [4] The park was further expanded, with a "Yule Log Flume" that glided down a Christmas-themed river, carrying people around the park. Macaws performed in the park, roller-skating around the stage and balancing bikes on a tightrope. [4]
In 1986, Jack Barth of Spy wrote that Santa's Village has a "strange arrangement", in that to take pictures, people poke their heads out of a cake made of plaster. [6] The grandchildren of Normand and Cecile Dubois manage the park. They added a "Polar Theater" with 3D shows that include elves that dance and a tree that sings, as well as "Skyways Sleighs", which transport people through the sky to different parts of the park. [4]
Near the park's duck pond is a life-size Nativity scene. The park also has a wishing well, where children can make a wish and toss coins in. The money from the wishing well is given to marginalized children through the form of Christmas gifts. [1] In the first year of the village, more than $1000 from the well was used to buy gifts for marginalized children. [7]
Mick Foley wrote in his autobiography The Hardcore Diaries that he has a Christmas fixation and that "every good thing in my life somehow leads me back to Jefferson, New Hampshire, and the trip to Santa's Village my parents took me on when I was only three years old". [8] In his list of top ten amusement parks, Foley placed Santa's Village first, writing that "[w]hat it lacks in rides, it makes up for in personal nostalgia, a beautiful location, and the magic of Christmas in the summer". [9]
Name | Manufacturer | Model | Opened | Details |
---|---|---|---|---|
Antique Cars | Gould Manufacturing | Antique Cars | Unknown | Classic antique cars attraction. Includes "Kringle Car Wash" structure riders drive through. [10] |
Bumper Cars | Unknown | Classic bumper cars attraction. [11] | ||
The Chimney Drop | Spring Ride 5+5 | Unknown | Small drop tower themed to a chimney. [12] [13] | |
Christmas Ferris Wheel | Eli Bridge Company | Unknown | Classic Ferris Wheel with sixteen benches. [14] | |
The Great Humbug Adventure | Unknown | Interactive, multi-level dark ride where guests shoot at targets. Renovated for 2020 season by Sally Dark Rides with larger vehicles, new decor, and a new targeting and scoring system. [15] [16] | ||
Himalaya | Unknown | Mini Himalaya | Unknown | Circular ride. [17] |
Ho Ho H2O | Unknown | Water Play Structure | Unknown | Water play structure with numerous waterslides and water features. [18] |
Hot Shots Fire Brigade | Fire Brigade | Unknown | Rotating ride where guests shoot water at a faux fire. [19] [20] | |
Jingle Bell Express Train | Miniature Railway (S24 Iron Horse) | 1969 | Miniature railway. The engine is named the "Jingle Bell Express". [21] Unit #43 | |
JOY Ride Slides | Unknown | 2013 | Trio of waterslides. [22] [23] | |
The Little Drummer Boy | Unknown | Unknown | Small spinning ride with six drum-themed ride vehicles. [24] | |
Little Elf Flying School | Unknown | Unknown | Rotating children's ride. [25] Originally was a helicopter ride. Was converted to sleighs. | |
Pixie Mix | North Country Inc. | Unknown | Unknown | Small spinning flat ride. [26] |
Poogee Penguin's Spin Out | Compact Spinning Coaster (MX609 3 Loops) | 2016 | Compact spinning roller coaster with penguin-themed ride vehicles. [27] [28] | |
Red Hot Racers | Unknown | Raft Slide | Unknown | Small racing raft slide. [29] |
Reindeer Carousel | Unknown | Unknown | Carousel with reindeer and sleigh ride vehicles. [30] | |
Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree | Unknown | Unknown | Classic chairswing ride with the structure themed as a Christmas tree. [31] | |
Rudy's Rapid Transit | Roller Coaster (Tivoli Large) | 1988 | Steel roller coaster with a reindeer-themed train. [32] The ride previously operated at New England Playworld in Hudson, New Hampshire. [33] The park has announced that this ride will be retired in the fall of 2023. [34] | |
S.S. Peppermint Twist | Unknown | Spinning boat that rolls back-and-forth on a small track. [35] | ||
The Skyway Sleigh | Unknown | Unknown | Elevated monorail ride with sleigh-shaped ride vehicles. [36] | |
You Tubing | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Racing slide comparable to sledding down a hill. [37] |
Yule Log Flume | 1983 | Classic log flume attraction through the Yule Forest. [38] |
Reindeers rendezvous at reindeers' barn where kids can feed reindeers "cookies" (carrots - available from Santa's helper).
Vekoma Rides Manufacturing is a Dutch amusement ride manufacturer. Vekoma is a syllabic abbreviation of Veld Koning Machinefabriek which was established in 1926 by Hendrik op het Veld.
A steel roller coaster is a type of roller coaster classified by its steel track, which consists of long steel tubes that are run in pairs, supported by larger steel columns or beams. Trains running along the track typically rely on wheels made of polyurethane or nylon to keep each train car anchored to the track. The introduction of tubular steel drastically changed roller coaster innovation, allowing for greater speeds, higher drops, and more intense elements such as inversions.
Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters (PTC) is one of the oldest existing roller coaster manufacturing companies in the world. Based in Hatfield, Pennsylvania, it was established in 1904 by Henry Auchey and Chester Albright under the name Philadelphia Toboggan Company. The company manufactured carousels, wooden roller coasters, toboggans and later, roller coaster trains.
Playland Amusement Park is an amusement park in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The amusement park is located at Hastings Park and is operated by the Pacific National Exhibition (PNE), an organization that hosts an annual summer fair and exhibition adjacent to Playland. Playland opened at its current location in 1958, although its predecessor, Happyland, operated at Hastings Park from 1929 to 1957. Playland was formally made a division of the PNE in 1993.
Great Coasters International, Inc. is a Sunbury, Pennsylvania-based roller coaster manufacturer which has created several award-winning rides since its formation in 1994. Starting in 2006 with Thunderbird at PowerPark in Finland, the company expanded beyond the United States and began building coasters in Europe and Asia. Günter Engelhardt GmbH handles the company's marketing rights in Europe. In addition to building new roller coasters, GCI also refurbishes and re-tracks existing roller coasters, regardless of manufacturer.
Werner Stengel is a German roller coaster designer and engineer. Stengel is the founder of Stengel Engineering, also known as Ingenieurbüro Stengel GmbH.
Fuji-Q Highland is an amusement park in Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi, Japan, owned and operated by the namesake Fuji Kyuko Co. It opened on 2 March 1968.
Hopkins Rides is an amusement ride manufacturer based in Palm City, Florida. The company has produced amusement rides for over 45 years and currently focuses on water rides.
A powered roller coaster is a railed amusement ride similar to a standard roller coaster. Unlike a true roller coaster, the train is powered through the entire course, rather than being allowed to coast after an initial lift or launch. This allows for both compact layouts that start out with curving hills, or long, extended layouts that would need too many lifts to be feasible. The most common manufacturers of powered coasters are Mack, Wisdom Rides, and Zamperla. Due to the family-oriented nature of the rides, height restrictions can be as little as 36 inches or taller for someone to ride.
Adventure Island is a theme park in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England. The site of the theme park flanks the north end of Southend Pier and has been a theme park since 1976 when the land now forming the west side of the park was purchased by the Miller family. The park used to be known as Peter Pan’s Playground and later Peter Pan’s Adventure Island before becoming Adventure Island. The site is owned and managed by Stockvale Limited. The park contains thirty six rides, retail outlets, and numerous catering outlets.
Santa's Village Amusement & Water Park is a theme park in East Dundee, Illinois. It was originally built by Glenn Holland, who also built two other Santa's Villages, in California; one located in San Bernardino County and the other in Santa Cruz County. The Illinois park, the third to be built, was intended to be the flagship of a chain of Santa's Villages across the country. However, parks planned for Richmond, Virginia, and Cherry Hill, New Jersey, were never built, and the park in East Dundee became the last of its kind.
Palace Playland is a seasonal amusement park located in Old Orchard Beach, Maine. It has operated on the same site since 1902.
Toboggan is a portable roller coaster that was built by Chance Industries from 1969 to the mid-1970s. The coaster features a small vehicle, holding two people, that climbs vertically inside a hollow steel tower then spirals back down around the same tower. There is a small section of track at the base of the tower with a few small dips and two turns to bring the ride vehicle back to the station. Each vehicle has a single rubber tire with a hydraulic clutch braking system that governs the speed of the vehicle as it descends the tower. The rubber tire engages a center rail that begins halfway through the first spiral. The ride stands 45 feet tall with a track length of 450 feet. A typical ride lasts approximately 70 seconds.
Parque de Atracciones de Madrid is a 20-hectare (49-acre) amusement park located in the Casa de Campo in Madrid, Spain. Opened in 1969, it is the third-oldest operating amusement park in Spain behind Parc d'Atraccions Tibidabo and Parque de Atracciones Monte Igueldo. It is the flagship park of Parques Reunidos, who operates the park under Madrid municipal government concession until 2039.
Energylandia is an amusement park located in Zator, Lesser Poland, in southern Poland. It is approximately 50 kilometres (31 mi) away from Kraków and 335 kilometres (208 mi) away from Warsaw, Poland's capital city. Energylandia is the largest amusement park in the country, at 70 hectares. The park has one of the highest roller coaster counts of any theme park in the world.
A virtual reality roller coaster is a special kind of amusement park ride attraction, consisting of a roller coaster facility or ride that can be experienced with virtual reality headsets. The setup has been widely said to have been invented by Thomas Wagner, who has also produced most of the worldwide installations with his company VR Coaster GmbH & Co. KG since late 2015. The concept of a "virtual reality" coaster was tested first in 2004 with the Galaxie Express at Space Park Bremen in Bremen, Germany. Since then, several theme parks all over the world have been adapting this technology to extend their existing coaster facilities.
Hyde Park Winter Wonderland, commonly referred to as Winter Wonderland, is a large annual Christmas winter wonderland fair held in Hyde Park, London, from mid-November to early January. It features several festive markets, over 100 rides and attractions from across Europe, a Giant Wheel, numerous live shows, including a circus, ice show, and live music, as well as numerous bars and restaurants. In its first ten years, Winter Wonderland had 14 million visitors.
This is a list of events and openings related to amusement parks that occurred in 2017. These various lists are not exhaustive.
Skyline Attractions, LLC is an American amusement ride and roller coaster design and manufacturing company founded in 2014 and based in Orlando, Florida. The company also includes a subsidiary company, Skyline Design, LLC, which offers design services inside and outside the amusement industry.
santa's village jefferson.