The Best 5 Unusual Places to See Santa in New England
As Christmas approaches, Santa Claus will be popping up in some jolly interesting places. Here are 5 favorite spots that aren’t the mall.
You-know-who enjoys a balmy visit to the indoor waterpark at Great Wolf Lodge.
Photo Credit : Courtesy of Great Wolf ResortsAs Christmas approaches, Santa Claus will be popping up in some jolly interesting places across New England — and you don’t have to be knee-high to a reindeer to succumb to his merry charms. Here’s where to find the North Pole CEO as he takes a little break from his responsibilities up north.
THE BEST 5 UNUSUAL PLACES TO SEE SANTA IN NEW ENGLAND
Photo Credit : Courtesy of New England Air Museum
Aboard a Helicopter in Windsor Locks, Connecticut
Anyone who can fly a sleigh at hyperspeed must be a natural-born pilot. So maybe it’s not all that surprising to find Santa Claus mingling with aviation buffs at the New England Air Museum, where interactive attractions allow kids and parents to get a feel for what it’s like to take to the skies. Santa makes a trip to this historic aircraft repository on December 2, and you can snap colorful photos of your kids clambering aboard a bright orange Sikorsky Coast Guard helicopter to meet the white-bearded flying ace. Windsor Locks, CT. neam.org
Inside a Furniture Store in Avon, Massachusetts
There’s a reason families return to the Jordan’s Furniture store in Avon, Massachusetts, every holiday season, and it’s not because relatives routinely wreck their furnishings on Thanksgiving. From November 18 through January 1, take a free stroll through the Enchanted Village, which mesmerizes little ones and whisks grown-ups back to the 1960s, when these animated scenes filled the windows of Boston’s Jordan Marsh department store. Jordan’s Furniture (an unrelated enterprise) acquired the displays at auction in 2009 and invested in their restoration. Through Christmas Eve, you’ll also meet a playful Santa even timid kids adore. And for small fees you can ride the Polar Express Motion Odyssey, see a laser light show, ice skate indoors, and savor blueberry muffins made from Jordan Marsh’s legendary recipe. Avon, MA. jordans.com/attractions
Photo Credit : Courtesy of Great Wolf Resorts
At a Waterpark Resort in Fitchburg, Massachusetts
Santa’s the modest sort, so don’t worry: You won’t have to see him in board shorts. But if you book a holiday-season stay at Great Wolf Lodge New England, where the indoor waterpark is always a balmy 84 degrees, chances are good you’ll encounter the elf boss warming up for crunch time at the North Pole. Friday through Sunday starting November 24 and daily December 9 through 24, Santa will be on hand to greet families in the lobby. And he’ll have a surprise up his sleeve: indoor snow showers. As you brace for holiday madness, too, remember that a stay in a festively decorated Snowland Suite and a meal inside New England’s only dine-in gingerbread house are experiences that kids might treasure more than any gift that fits under a tree. Fitchburg, MA. greatwolf.com/new-england
On a Lobster Boat in Kennebunkport, Maine
“Do you see him?” little voices shout, as the lobster boat carrying Santa Claus and his crustacean entourage glides up the Kennebunk River toward the upscale hotel restaurant David’s KPT. There are magical happenings galore during Kennebunkport’s annual two-weekend Christmas Prelude— tree lightings, candlelight caroling, fireworks, a zany-hat parade — but nothing quite tops that oh-so-Maine moment when Santa comes ashore and leads the celebratory crowd on a trek through twinkling Dock Square. So be there December 3, and follow the big guy in the red suit to the Community House, where he’ll listen to children’s wishes and pose for the parent paparazzi. Kennebunkport, ME. christmasprelude.com
Photo Credit : Courtesy of Newport Mansions
Surrounded by Opulence in Newport, Rhode Island
Before Saint Nick slides down the Newport Mansions’ ornate chimneys, he dons his long, gold-trimmed, Victorian-era coat; buckles his wide belt; and fluffs his real, snowy-white beard. Only then is he ready for photo ops in New England’s most sumptuous holiday settings: the Breakers on December 3, Marble House on December 10, and the Elms on December 17, from noon until 3 p.m. Dress your children in their holiday finest, and capture impressive Christmas card photos. Admission on these Santa Sundays also allows you to see over-the-top Gilded Age decorations. Spy an ornament you love? A visit to the Newport Mansions Store in each splendid house may allow you to check it off your wish list immediately. Newport, RI. newportmansions.org
SEE MORE: Best 5 Places to See Mrs. Claus in New England
Kim Knox Beckius
Kim Knox Beckius is Yankee Magazine's Travel & Branded Content Editor. A longtime freelance writer/photographer and Yankee contributing editor based in Connecticut, she has explored every corner of the region while writing six books on travel in the Northeast and contributing updates to New England guidebooks published by Fodor's, Frommer's, and Michelin. For more than 20 years, Kim served as New England Travel Expert for TripSavvy (formerly About.com). She is a member of the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) and is frequently called on by the media to discuss New England travel and events. She is likely the only person who has hugged both Art Garfunkel and a baby moose.
More by Kim Knox Beckius