Santa’s Village AZoosment Park – 2012 Season – website
Location: 601 E. Dundee Avenue, East Dundee
Phone: 847-426-6751
Hours: Santa’s Village is closed on Tuesdays. Hours vary by day and according to school schedule. See the calendar online for hours.
Admission: $17.75/person, ages 3 & up; children 2 & under are free, $14.75/senior (65+). Active duty military with ID admitted free.
- $5 off coupon good from July 1-8. Print one coupon for each person!
- Late Day Super Saver – $10 admission on weekdays after 3 pm, weekends and holidays after 4pm
- On Mondays from June 11 through August 13 bring 2 cans of food per person to save $3.00 on admission. Food will be donated to the Northern Illinois Food Bank.
- Santa’s Super Saver Family Package – (available only at the admission gate) $68.95 for 2 admissions, $20 in Caribou Cash to spend in the park, and 2 refillable cups (unlimited free refills first day, $1 refills after that). Individual add-on – $34.48 for one admission, $10 in Caribou Cash, and 1 refillable cup.
- Caribou Family Package – (available only online) $49.35 for 2 admissions and $20 in Caribou Cash to spend in the park; $24.65 to add on an additional admission and $10 more in Caribou Cash
- Season Pass – Unlimited admission all summer long! $179 for a family of 4 and $45 for each additional family member.
Parking:There is a large lot with free parking.
Bathrooms: There are bathrooms in a few buildings throughout the park. We were in the bathrooms near the games and they were public men’s and women’s bathrooms. The bathrooms near the games also have a separate mother’s room with couches and a changing table.
Nursing: There is a mother’s room with a few couches for comfortable nursing.
Handicapped/stoller accessibility: The grounds are pretty accessible, as are the bathrooms. I think it would be easy to manage a stroller. Although there isn’t designated stroller parking, there are places to park them near the rides. I can’t really speak to the handicapped accessibility of the rides; I’d suggest calling first to ask about that.
Other amenities:
- Santa’s Village AZoosment Park offers party packages and group rates.
- Kids can also get airbrushed temporary tattoos or have their face painted (additional cost).
Food:
- Arctic Circle Ice Cream Shop
- Ginger Bread Cafe
- Skeemer’s Snack Shack
- Reindeer Ridge Bar & Grill
- Tinselbella’s Treats
- Jed’s Country Drive-In
- Picnic areas – Food can be brought into the park. Small coolers without wheels can be brought in. Grills or heating devices are not allowed.
Special events: There is a special events calendar available online. Here are some upcoming events:
- Saturday, July 7 – Radio Disney, and a chance to win tickets to see the Wiggles (2-3:30pm)
- Wednesday, July 25 and Thursday, July 26 – Meet Spongebob (noon-5pm)
Activities:
A map of the park is available online.
- Rides – Parents can ride along on AZoosment’s Country Carousel, Dragon Coaster, Krinkle’s Convoy, Tilt-A-Whirl, Star Jets, Balloon Race, Jed’s Country Cruisers, SVFD Engine #3, and the Sea Dragon (currently closed for ride enhancements). The Space Invasion, Kiddie Whip Ride, Midge-O-Racers, and Kiddie Ferris Wheel are for kids only. The Santa’s Slide is a tree house with a long slide. Some rides do have height requirements (most require that riders be under a certain height).
- Animals – There are several different areas with animals: the koi pond, Scales & Tails, Deer Area, Tortoise Island, Reindeer Ridge, a petting zoo with pony rides, and the new Parakeet Paradise. There is also a Sleigh Ride for adults and children.
- Games – There is an entire section of the park devoted to carnival style games.
- Live shows – KidsBucks Game Show at noon, Exotic Animal Show at 1:30 pm, Mystical Magic Show at 2:30 pm, and Animal Show at 3:30 pm.
We paid: We received a complimentary family season pass. Although there was a preseason discount on season passes, they are currently priced at $179.00 for unlimited admission throughout the 2012 season.
Our experience:
We visited Santa’s Village AZoosment Park twice last summer and the boys were very excited to visit again this year. As soon as we arrived Cooper found Santa and ran over for a picture. Dexter was a bit afraid of Santa, but was very excited to see a princess and was happy to hold her hand and take a picture.
We first tried some of the new rides this season – the SVFD Engine #3, which allows kids to spray water at a real fire to put it out, and Jed’s Country Cruisers, which allows the kids to drive a car through a country track.
The Country Cruisers held four people so we were all able to ride together. We rode on it twice so that both boys had a turn driving. Neither of the boys were strong enough to hold the pedal down, but John and I held the pedal down while they steered. Cooper was very impressed with himself and didn’t realize that there was a metal bar helping the car stay on the track.
The kids were excited to check out some of their favorite rides from last year, including Kringle’s Convoy and the Balloon Race.
We also checked out the new Space Invasion and John took Cooper on the Dragon Coaster for the first time.
At lunchtime we visited the Gingerbread House window for food; the kids meals were only $5 and the meals for John and I were only $7.50 each. The prices were pretty reasonable for an amusement park; probably what we would have paid at a fast food place. We found a shaded table to eat our lunch and then spent some time in the air-conditioned Arctic Circle after lunch eating some ice cream.
After lunch it was time for more rides, including the Kiddie Whip, and then watched the Mystical Magic Show.
The boys took a couple spins on the new carousel and everyone was worn out.
Of course, within minutes of getting into the car both boys were fast asleep. We spent about five hours in the park and rode on just about every ride, some several times. There was plenty to do and although it was busy, we rarely had to wait more than a few minutes to get on a ride. As soon as the exhaustion wore off the boys started planning our next visit to Santa’s Village so I think we’ll return again soon (and often!).
For more photos and to read about our experience last year, check out my original post about Santa’s Village AZoosment Park.
I was provided a family season pass for four. The opinions expressed are my own.
Did you go on a weekday or weekend? We went last year on a weekend in October and it was crowded, dirty, and a hassle finding parking for the stroller or visiting the animals. My son had a ball and would be happy to return, but I was somewhat scarred by our experience. We went on a free pass I had won, and after we left my husband and I both said no way would we go back at almost $18 per adult!! If I had another free pass I would go back, but only on a weekday!
We went on a weekend. We’ve never had problems finding stroller parking or anything; the last time we went it was pretty busy, but the other times it wasn’t too busy. Last year the bathrooms were pretty dirty during our visits, but they were better this year. It is a bit pricey, but they do have some good discount days and coupons, and they do seem much less busy on weekdays.
Have you been to Santa’s Village? What was/is your favorite ride?
Just went today and the boys each have a favorite. Matty loves the semi-truck ride.
Mikey loves the fire truck ride.
My boys love the fire truck ride too! I think their absolute favorite is the balloon ride, but Cooper recently tried out the roller coaster & loved that too!