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Santa's Village Amusement & Water Park

Previously known as Santa's Village (1959–2005) Worlds of Fun (1972)
Entrance sign of Santa's Village
Location	601 Dundee Ave East Dundee, Illinois, U.S.
Coordinates	42°05′27″N 88°15′35″W / 42.0907°N 88.2598°W / 42.0907; -88.2598
Opened	May 30, 1959 (as Santa's Village) May 27, 2011 (as Azoosment Park)
Owner	A Zoo To You (2011–present)
Slogan	Discover exciting rides, slides, animal attractions and more at Santa’s Village Amusement & Water Park, the place for FUN. FAMILY. MEMORIES.
Operating season	May – October
Attractions
Total	25
Roller coasters	3
Water rides	4
Website	santasvillagedundee.com

Santa's Village Amusement & Water Park (formerly known and colloquially referred to this day as simply Santa's Village) 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.

The park operated as Santa's Village from 1959 until 2006, when it closed. Five years later, after extensive rehabilitation, the park reopened under new ownership. Renamed Santa's Village Azoosment Park because of the shared focus on both rides and animals, the Azoosment Park has nearly twenty rides and attractions, and hundreds of exotic and farm animals in an interactive environment. For a short time in 1972 the park was named Worlds of Fun. To avert legal feuds with other parks with similar names, the name was changed again to Three Worlds of Santa's Village. In 2021, the park updated its name to Santa's Village Amusement & Water Park.

About the park

The buildings were modeled on what an average child might imagine Santa's Village would look like. When it opened, it was a very prominent theme park. Over the park's history more than 20 million people passed through the front gates.

Initially, rides were purchased individually with colored coins that allowed riders so much time on the attractions. Admission to the park was free. This was eventually abandoned for a one-price admission policy with access to all rides, a model that continued until the end of the park's life.

History

1959–2006

The park opened on May 30, 1959. One addition to the park, opened in 1963, was the "Polar Dome" which provided an ice skating and hockey venue under a forced-air supported dome. On November 28, 1966, a strong wind caused the "Polar Dome" to collapse. The dome was then replaced by a flat cedar roof, although the name of the venue was not changed.

During the 1960s, the park featured short Amphicar rides, which simply drove the riders about 100 feet (30 m) to the edge of a small lake, then out about another 100 feet, circled a pier and returned.

Three Worlds (1972–2006)

In 1972, the park was purchased by the Medina Investors, who renamed it Worlds of Fun. However, to preclude involvement in trademark-infringing lawsuits with amusement parks employing the exact name, they renamed it again to the Three Worlds of Santa's Village.

• Santa's World This was the original area and focal point of the park. It was located north of the Polar Dome. It had attractions such as Santa's House, where visitors could get a picture with Santa, the North Pole, a live theater, Frog Hopper, Balloon Ride, Snowball Ride, Giant Slide, Convoy, Train, and the Dragon Coaster.
• Old McDonald's Farm This replaced the Reindeer Barn and consolidated all of the roaming animals to one spot in the park. It had attractions such as the Pony Ride, Petting Zoo, and Animal Pens where the animals were stored at night. The animals were sold before the park closed in 2006.
• Coney Island This was the southern area of the park and last to be developed. It had many attractions such as Tilt-a-whirl, The Yo-yo, Himalaya, Galleon Ship, Bumble bee, and the Magic Show. This area is now occupied by Paintball Explosion.

In 1983, the park owners added Racing Rapids Action Park to the north end of Santa's Village.

Although the parks were connected, there were separate admission gates to either one. A combination ticket was available at either park that would permit visitors to enter both parks that day. Both parks had separate parking lots.

Water Park (1983–2006)

The water park Racing Rapids was the water park attached to the north side of Santa's Village AZoosment Park. When it opened, it was one of the first in the Midwest and the largest in Illinois. It was closed with the park in 2006. The water park reopened for its full season in 2021 under the name Santa Springs.

Closure (2006)

The unsuccessful launch of the "Typhoon" roller coaster, decreased attention to the aesthetics of the park, and a decline of patrons eventually prompted the corporation to sell. The sale did not proceed as smoothly as hoped and, with many setbacks and unmet deadlines, the park had to shut its doors.

In August 2006, the park announced its permanent closure. Most of the rides and fixtures were auctioned in October 2006.

Reopening (2011)

Paintball Explosion opened on half of the site of the original Santa's Village on April 30, 2011. Paintball Explosion converted the existing Polar Dome ice rink into an indoor paintball field. Paintball Explosion built six outdoor fields within the existing park, reusing many of the outdoor structures.

Azoosmentpark opened on May 27 on the other half of original Santa's Village property. They feature various attractions and rides, while also providing exotic pets on exhibit.

According to the park's website, it included two rides from the now-defunct Kiddieland Amusement Park. Those rides are the Midge-O-Racers and the Kiddie Whip Ride. Some of the original Santa's Village rides have also been restored to working order. 2013 saw several new additions including a roller coaster.

Lists of attractions

Roller coasters

Rides & attractions

Other venues

Food and beverages

List of former attractions

|- |Xtreme Elevation |2015 |2023 |Drop Tower By ARM |}

In popular culture

• In the movie The Christmas Chronicles 2, Santa possibly references the amusement park when introducing the main characters to the real Santa's Village.

See also

• Santa's Village (Lake Arrowhead)

References

1. "Santa's Village Theme Parks Website - Santa Claus Phil's Goodbye".
2. Racing Rapids Action Park
3. "Racing Rapids". Archived from the original on 2006-12-30. Retrieved 2007-03-19.
4. "Santa's Village Theme Parks Website - Dundee, IL".
5. "Super Cyclone - Santa's Village AZoosment Park (Dundee, Illinois, United States)".
6. "Wacky Worm - Santa's Village AZoosment Park (Dundee, Illinois, United States)".
7. ^ Alleman, Annie (August 28, 2015). "Summer's last gasp". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
8. ^ Alleman, Annie (May 15, 2015). "Santa's Village offers new rides for new season". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
9. ^ Mann, Leslie (June 9, 2011). "Santa's Village gets new life with animals". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
10. "Dragon Coaster - Santa's Village AZoosment Park (Dundee, Illinois, United States)".

External links

• Santa's Village Official Site
• Santa's Village Official Site (archive.org, 1998–2006)
• Image of Americas - Santa's Village ISBN 978-0-7385-4149-5
• Santa's Village Gone Wild - Tales of Summer Fun, Hijinx, and Debauchery as Told by Those Who Worked There ISBN 978-0-9844-5390-0
• Santa's Village Gone Wild Book Website
• Santa's Village Fan Page
• Santa's Village AZoosment Park at the Roller Coaster DataBase
• Paintball Explosion's Official Site
• TV commercials Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine at The Museum of Classic Chicago Television

• Amusement parks in Illinois
• 1959 establishments in Illinois
• 2006 disestablishments in Illinois
• 2011 establishments in Illinois
• Buildings and structures in Kane County, Illinois
• Amusement parks based on Santa Claus
• Tourist attractions in Kane County, Illinois
• Amusement parks opened in 1959