Small Park Showcase: Santa’s Village Ontario
Never mind the time of year, Santa’s Village always delivers some Christmas cheer.
Like the North Pole, the park has always existed just outside of the mainstream theme park world. Locals and dedicated travelers were familiar with it as a popular children’s park, but it only recently began turning heads with new ownership and a $12-million roller coaster. So what does this destination have to offer?
Santa’s Village is located around an hour and a half north of Canada’s Wonderland in Bracebridge, Ontario. The municipality is apart of the cottage-heavy Muskoka region, well renowned for its many lakes and dense forests. Be sure to stop at Webers on your route up or down; you won’t regret it!
Guests enter Santa’s Village through the visually striking main building, which makes for a fine impression of what’s to come. Admission at the gate usually costs around $60 CAD, although a small discount is applied when booked in advance.
One of the first attractions to greet guests is Santa’s Carousel, which over the last year underwent a complete and thorough restoration. A team was brought in to undertake much-needed repairs and repaint each of the 27 animals by hand; the results speak for themselves.
The year 2024 saw the opening of Wild Ridge, a new precinct that brought with it three fresh attractions; Fly Fishin’, Moose on the Loose, and Falcon’s Flight. As a fun bit of trivia, the area virtually mirrors Rowdy’s Ridge at Six Flags Darien Lake, which opened in 2013 with the same ride trio. The choices are no coincidence as Bob Montgomery, General Manager of Santa’s Village, previously also served as Darien Lake’s Vice President during that time!
Moose on the Loose is the highlight of Wild Ridge, packing a helpful serving of gags and set pieces throughout the ride. There’s audio to boot and some distinctly Canadian humor along the way; it’s simply a hoot on both sides of the border.
New for the 2025 season however was Yeti Trek, a custom Vekoma Family Coaster that now serves as the centerpiece presence Santa’s Village previously never had. The attraction is presented with all the flair of a Herschend creation, featuring detailed theming (overlooking some minor usage of generative AI) and a mesmerizing station fly-through.
Yeti Trek itself is equally outstanding as a ride experience. The layout swoops effortlessly between the trees in a series of snappy curves and hills. In my opinion it might be one of the most enjoyable single lift hill family coasters you’re likely to find. You can read our full review here.
The other coaster at the park is Peppermint Penguin, a spinning coaster from SBF Visa. While the flock has migrated to amusement parks around the world, this is the only specimen in Canada with a triple-figure-eight layout… and arguably the only one sporting your friendly neighborhood penguin mascot!
Located on the edge of the property is what remains of the park’s former powered coaster, Rudolph’s Sleigh Ride. It served the park for decades leading up to its well-earned retirement in the middle of last season. Will we ever see a worthy replacement? I believe so.
Outside of the amusement park, Santa’s Village also offers a lengthy network of hiking trails around the adjacent hill. Whether you’re looking to rack up your steps or just explore the Muskoka wilderness, these will definitely constitute to a different kind of theme park experience.
The highlight of Santa’s Enchanted Forest is a suspension bridge, which crosses a ravine between the hills and sways above the forest floor. Can you stomach it?
The park additionally compliments its rides with a wide range of activities. Guests can try their hand at skill-based games such as mini golf, archery, and even a shooting gallery. There are of course meet’n’greets with Santa as well as an Elf School, but I was more content to try my hand at the bow and arrow.
No children’s theme park is complete without a place to unwind and run around, and for this purpose Santa’s Village presents Elves Island. Here both younger guests and adults can discover different slides and climbing structures. I channeled my not-so-inner youth into the net canopy, which was more challenging than expected. The ability to play really is a universal idea.
Some other attraction highlights include transit rides like the Candycane Express train, Santa’s Summer Sleigh, and Santa’s Farm Tractors. The latter is another track ride with three animatronic singing reindeer heads in the station. It’s details like these that definitely help the park stand out!
The best way to chill however unanimously goes to Santa’s Summer Sleigh, a longstanding line of excursion boats that have toured guests across the Muskoka River for six decades. They provide excellent views of the surrounding landscape and are undoubtedly a park staple.
It’s not like the Muskoka is hard on the eye, either. There’s a reason why Canadians visit the region in droves; some vacations simply don’t require palm trees and tropical beaches.
Overall, Santa’s Village Ontario is a quality family destination. They pack the charm and presentation of Dollywood on a much smaller scale without forgetting its core audience. Thrillseekers might be fickle about reindeer games, but those seeking another choice theme park in Canada will likely find their holiday cheer.
Have you visited a Santa’s Village park before? Let us know in the comments below.
