SkyPark at Santa's Village
| Previously known as Santa's Village | |
Santa's Village, 1958 | |
| Location | Skyforest, California United States |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 34°13′58″N 117°10′16″W / 34.2327483°N 117.1710950°W |
| Opened | May 28, 1955 |
| Theme | North Pole Themed Outdoor Adventure Park |
| Operating season | All Year |
| Website | skyparksantasvillage.com |
Santa's Village was a winter-themed amusement park in the Skyforest section of Lake Arrowhead, California. Opened in 1955, it was the first franchised amusement park, one of three built by developer Glenn Holland.
The others, also defunct, were in Scotts Valley, California and East Dundee, Illinois. The East Dundee park reopened in 2011 under new ownership as Santa's Village AZoosment Park.
Opening more than a month before Disneyland, the 220-acre (0.89 km2) park was one of Southern California's biggest tourist attractions. It boasted kiddie rides, including a bobsled, monorail, and Ferris wheel; a petting zoo; live reindeer; and shops that included a bakery, candy kitchen, and toy shop.
Reduced attendance and revenue shortfalls caused the park to close on March 1, 1998.[1] The property sold three years later for $5.6 million, and served as a staging area for local logging operations. The faded candy cane signpost and dilapidated buildings became a ghost town along the Rim of the World Highway.[2]
In June 2014, the park was sold to a new owner who planned to operate it as a year-round tourist destination called SkyPark at Santa's Village.[3] Following extensive renovations, it reopened on December 2, 2016.[4]
References
- ^ Noriyuki, Duane (18 February 1998). "To All a Good Night". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ Rasmussen, Cecilia (24 December 2006). "A Christmas wonderland melts away". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ Steinberg, Jim (6 June 2014). "Santa's Village to reopen as year-round attraction". The San Bernardino Sun.
- ^ Agrawal, Nina (2 December 2016). "It's a retro Southern California Christmas as Santa's Village reopens". Los Angeles Times.