SkyPark at 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°WCoordinates: 34°13′58″N 117°10′16″W / 34.2327483°N 117.1710950°W |
| Theme | North Pole Themed Outdoor Adventure Park |
| General Manager | Bill Johnson |
| Opened | May 28, 1955 |
| Previous names | Santa's Village |
| Operating season | All Year |
| Website | Official website |
SkyPark at Santa's Village is an outdoor adventure Park with year-round mountain bike trails and winter-themed amusement park in the Skyforest section of Lake Arrowhead, California. It is on 230 acres of natural forest. At the core of the park is Santa's Village, which includes historic log cabin restaurants and shops, character experiences, and North Pole-themed attractions. SkyPark has year-round mountain bike trails, hiking trails, fly fishing, archery, ziplines, ice skating or roller skating rink, and rock climbing. There is also an conservation program which includes the Henck Meadowlands Conservation Trail, Guided Conservation Hikes, and Outdoor Educational Programs for school-age children. 30 acres of the park have been preserved in their pristine condition to remain unused by the guests. SkyPark at Santa's Village opened on December 2nd, 2016.
The previous Santa's Village was opened in May, 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 had kiddie rides, including a bobsled, monorail, and Ferris wheel. It also had a petting zoo, live reindeer and shops including 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 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] After renovations of 18 original Santa's Village buildings and restoration projects in the surrounding forest, it reopened as an outdoor adventure park: SkyPark at Santa's Village, 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.