Ho-Ho-Ho-HUM...Santa's Village, Illinois.
Written: Jun 29 '02 (Updated Jun 30 '02)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Let me get back to you...
Cons: Dirty, crowded, carnival-like, over-priced
The Bottom Line: This glorified carnival lacks cleanliness, value and fun. Avoid it and try Kiddieland.
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| jenb123's Full Review: Santa's Village - Illinois |
Santa's Village in Dundee, Illinois is one of those places that, as a kid, I couldn't figure out why my parents didn't want to take me there. As a parent, I completely understand. There are those who visit Santa's Village faithfully every summer. My family is not one of those.
Santa's Village is a family theme park that consists of "three worlds" plus a skating rink and a water park next door.
Three Worlds
Santa's World- This is the main area of the park which includes it's very own midway featuring carnival games to waste your money on. There is a picnic area, kids' stuff and "The North Pole" (don't put your tongue on it). Get the kids begging for toys early by visiting Santa himself at his summer home.
Coney Island- Here you'll find the "big rides." There is a 63 foot high roller coaster. Yippee. The good old Galleon pirate ship is one of the few rides I recommend.
Old McDonald's Farm-Watch where you step, it's a barnyard filled with goats! Other animals include rabbits and llamas. If you have the patience, you can stand in line for a pony ride. Feed the animals if you wish, just tuck in any loose clothing items. Those goats eat anything.
On our last visit, no one was "minding the farm" and animals were actually walking out the front gate with the guests.
The Polar Dome
From September through April, when the park itself is closed, The Polar Dome is open. It is an ice arena where you can skate, play hockey or have a party. Admission id 5.00 and skate rental is available.
Racing Rapids
Located next door to Santa's Village is a separate water park called Racing Rapids. Admission is not included with a Santa's Village admission, but there are combination tickets for sale.
We have not chosen to visit this water park, and it is not part of Santa's Village, so I can't review it. It is a fairly good sized park featuring a fair assortment of water slides and such. You may want to bring your swimsuit if you go to Santa's Village, on a hot day, Racing Rapids looks pretty good.
Prices and hours...
Though less expensive than Six Flags, you'll still shell out $19.95 per person (children and adults) in admission. To add admission to Racing Rapids, you'll pay $27.95. To visit Racing Rapids only, you'll need $13.95 per person. Children under 2 are free.
Parking is free. Coupons are easy to come by in local coupon books and at some area stores.
The park opens around mid-May and the hours vary. Most of the peak season, the park is open from 10:00 am until 6:00 pm. From May until the first weekend in June and again through most of September (weekends only) hours are 11:00 am until 6:00pm.
Most weekends during peak season, the park opens at 11:00 am and remains open until 7:00pm or 8:00pm.
Stroller and wagon rentals are available at $5.00 for a single and $8.00 for a double, a wagon or an adult stroller (did you hear that kids?) A driver's license and a steep $20.00 deposit is required.
Still have any money left?
If not, never fear, they accept credit cards and have an ATM. You must exit the park through the gift shop, just in case your kids want to have you spend more money.
You may bring food into the park, and I suggest you do. The food is horrible and overpriced. No glass containers are allowed, I recommend bringing plenty of water and other beverages.
Other stuff
Like most amusement parks, there are various height restrictions posted. There are 11 rides that children under 42" inches may ride alone. Personally, I prefer that my younger daughter ride kiddie rides with an older child when possible. Adults may not ride the smaller rides.
There is a rain check policy, but it only applies to guests who have spent less than three hours in the park. They will not make any exceptions.
My 2 cents
I do not care for Santa's Village at all. The rides are very carnival-like, if I wanted to go to a carnival, I'd pay less most likely. The place is not terribly clean. I have found the ladies' rooms to be particularly nasty.
The lines are often extremely long, I'll never forget how we waited 20 minutes to put our toddler on a kiddie ride (bumble bees, I believe it was called Lil Stingers). Each parent placed their child on the ride and fastened them in. The ride then went around twice. Yes, twice. The duration was about 30 seconds. We spent longer belting the kids in.
Other rides were similarly disappointing. Other guests were equally surprised at how brief the rides were. Hardly worth waiting for. Factor in the poorly designed entrance and prepare to spend most of your day in a line.
My recommendations
Your younger kids may beg to go to Santa's Village just because "Santa lives there." My advice is to explain that Santa is only sometimes there and that they will spend most of the day standing in line.
I do not recommend Santa's Village to anyone, unless you don't mind wasting your money. There are far better options in the Chicagoland area.
Try Kiddieland as an inexpensive alternative, or Six Flags for older children.
Kiddieland- A small amusement park packed with smaller attractions for pint sized guests. A handful of "big" rides will keep older kids and adults busy. If you grew up in the Chicago area, you may recall riding the miniature train there as a kid.
You can read my review of Kiddieland at: http://www.epinions.com/kifm-review-5D03-B89AF7-392CBCC4-prod3
Six Flags Great America- Though pricey, there are more rides and better cleanliness at this park. With coupons and promotional tickets (free tickets are often given to school children for reading), you can save a few dollars. Thanks to free tickets from AOL and my daughter's school, we're going to Six Flags Great America for free.
You can read my review of Six Flags Great America at: http://www.epinions.com/kifm-review-5759-9EFD4E2-392CA26E-prod1
Santa's Village is, in my opinion, a glorified carnival with much room for improvement. I say, avoid it!
Recommended:
No
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jenb123
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