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Santa's Village

A welcome sign at Santa's Village
Location	Jefferson, New Hampshire, New Hampshire, USA
Coordinates	44°25′35″N 71°29′45″W / 44.42639°N 71.49583°W / 44.42639; -71.49583
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.santasvillage.com

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" 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.

History

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.

Santa's Village was the brainchild of Normand and Cecile Dubois who, in the early 1950s, wanted to create something novel to their region. 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. On Father's Day, in 1953, the family amusement park was opened for the first time to the general public. 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. In 1955, the park was open from June to October.

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. 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. Peggy Newland of The Nashua Telegraph wrote in 2010 that "y the 1980s, the park had grown to a 'real' amusement park". 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.

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. 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.

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. In the first year of the village, more than $1000 from the well was used to buy gifts for marginalized children.

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". In his list of top ten amusement parks, Foley placed Santa's Village first, writing that "hat it lacks in rides, it makes up for in personal nostalgia, a beautiful location, and the magic of Christmas in the summer".

Attractions

Roller coasters

Rides

Santa’s Water Park

The waterpark is typically open seasonally from May to September, featuring various waterslides and pools.

Former Attractions

• Rudy's Rapid Transit; A steel Zierer Tivoli roller coaster with a reindeer-themed train, which prior to Santa's Village operated at New England Playworld in Hudson, New Hampshire. The ride was replaced by Midnight Flyer (1988 - 2023).

Animal attractions

Reindeers rendezvous at reindeers' barn where kids can feed reindeers "cookies" (carrots - available from Santa's helper).

Notes

References

1. ^ Orcutt, Georgia; Margolies, John (2008). The All-American Christmas Cookbook: Family Favorites from Every State. San Francisco: Chronicle Books. p. 78. ISBN 978-0-8118-6144-1. Retrieved 2011-03-16.
2. ^ Butko, Brian; Butko, Sarah (2007). Roadside Attractions: Cool Cafés, Souvenir Stands, Route 66 Relics, & Other Road Trip Fun. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books. pp. 59–60. ISBN 978-0-8117-0229-4. Retrieved 2011-03-16.
3. ^ Tree, Christina (1976-09-12). "White Mountains: Attractions that Lure". The Boston Globe.
4. ^ Newland, Peggy (2010-12-12). "Wonders of the season abound at Santa's Village in Jefferson". The Nashua Telegraph. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2011-03-16.
5. Sidoti, Santa (1955-06-05). "In Santa's Village, It's Christmas Now". The Boston Globe.
6. Barth, Jack (December 1986). "Santaland x 3 = Fun". Spy. Sussex Publishers: 18. ISSN 0890-1759. Retrieved 2011-03-16.
7. Johnson, Frances Ann (1956-06-10). "Santa's Village Has All the Fixings". The Boston Globe.
8. Foley, Mick (2008). The Hardcore Diaries. New York: Simon & Schuster. p. 28. ISBN 978-1-4165-5678-7. Retrieved 2011-03-16.
9. Foley, Mick (2002). Foley Is Good: And the Real World Is Faker Than Wrestling. HarperCollins. p. 191. ISBN 0-06-103241-7. Retrieved 2011-03-16. santa's village jefferson.
10. "Midnight Flyer: new in 2024!". Santa's Village. Retrieved 2024-09-22.
11. Marden, Duane. "Midnight Flyer  (Santa's Village)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 2024-09-22.
12. "Poogee Penguin's Spin Out Coaster - Attraction". Santa's Village. Retrieved 2020-06-12.
13. Marden, Duane. "Poogee Penguin's Spin Out  (Santa's Village)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 2024-09-22.
14. "Antique Cars - Attraction". Santa's Village. Retrieved 2020-06-12.
15. "Bumper Cars - Attraction". Santa's Village. Retrieved 2020-06-12.
16. "The Chimney Drop - Attraction". Santa's Village. Retrieved 2020-06-12.
17. "Spring Ride 5+5 | Moserrides". Retrieved 2020-06-12.
18. "Christmas Ferris Wheel - Attraction". Santa's Village. Retrieved 2020-06-12.
19. "The Great Humbug Adventure - Attraction". Santa's Village. Retrieved 2020-06-12.
20. "The Great Humbug Adventure Dark Ride by Sally Dark Rides". www.sallydarkrides.com. Retrieved 2020-06-12.
21. "Himalaya - Attraction". Santa's Village. Retrieved 2020-06-12.
22. "Hot Shots Fire Brigade - Attraction". Santa's Village. Retrieved 2020-06-12.
23. "Fire Brigade". Retrieved June 12, 2020.
24. "Santa's Express Train - Attraction". Santa's Village. Retrieved 2020-06-12.
25. "The Little Drummer Boy - Attraction". Santa's Village. Retrieved 2020-06-12.
26. "Little Elf Flying School - Attraction". Santa's Village. Retrieved 2020-06-12.
27. "Pixie Mix - Attraction". Santa's Village. Retrieved 2020-06-12.
28. "Red Hot Racers - Attraction". Santa's Village. Retrieved 2020-06-12.
29. "Reindeer Carousel - Attraction". Santa's Village. Retrieved 2020-06-12.
30. "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree - Attraction". Santa's Village. Retrieved 2020-06-12.
31. "S. S. Peppermint Twist - Attraction". Santa's Village. Retrieved 2020-06-12.
32. "The Skyway Sleigh - Attraction". Santa's Village. Retrieved 2020-06-12.
33. "You Tubing - Attraction". Santa's Village. Retrieved 2020-06-12.
34. "Yule Log Flume - Attraction". Santa's Village. Retrieved 2020-06-12.
35. "Ho Ho H2O - Attraction". Santa's Village. Retrieved 2020-06-12.
36. "JOY Ride Slides - Attraction". Santa's Village. Retrieved 2020-06-12.
37. "Coaster Chit Chat". Facebook. June 5, 2024. Retrieved 2024-09-22.
38. "Polar Paradise - Attraction". Santa's Village. Retrieved 2024-09-22.
39. "Poogee's Splash Pad - Attraction". Santa's Village. Retrieved 2024-09-22.
40. Marden, Duane. "Rudy's Rapid Transit  (Santa's Village)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 2024-09-22.
41. Larson, Shannon (May 9, 2023). "Santa's Village in N.H. to retire roller coaster after 35 years". The Boston Globe. Retrieved May 9, 2023.

External links

• Official website
• Santa's Village at the Roller Coaster DataBase

• Operating amusement parks
• Buildings and structures in Coös County, New Hampshire
• Amusement parks in New Hampshire
• Amusement parks based on Santa Claus
• Tourist attractions in Coös County, New Hampshire
• 1953 establishments in New Hampshire
• Jefferson, New Hampshire
• Amusement parks opened in 1953