The ultimate Guide to Santa’s Enchanted Forest

It’s almost Christmas time again, meaning we get to talk about the World’s Largest Holiday Theme Park, Santa’s Enchanted Forest. Enjoying the chance to occupy its largest location yet on 87th avenue and 74th street in Doral, South Florida! 



In the Miami Dade South Florida area, it means Santa’s Enchanted Forest is coming back! The world’s largest seasonal amusement park is a yearly tradition for thousands of families in that part of the country. It just wouldn’t be the holidays without it.



Living in South Florida for over 15 years, I’ve had the fantastic opportunity to hit this place under various circumstances. As a youngish early 30’s single fella, as a new parent trying to figure out which rides and attractions my 2 yr old would enjoy, and as a father of two excited and wide-eyed kids. 



And it was a completely different experience for every one of those phases I was living in, too.  



From Miami Dade County all the way up to West Palm Beach , thousands of families hold Santa’s Enchanted Village dear to their hearts. A magical wonderland of lights, sounds, tastes, and attractions that range from seasonally themed shows and interactive performances all the way up to roller coasters and drop towers. 



Although it’s been moving around from its traditional spot in Tropical Park on Bird Rd, right off of the Palmetto Expressway, for the past two years, It still continues to have much of its original splendor. 



One of the coolest things about this massive park is that it’s simply not there when it’s not operating. Poof! Gone! That might give you the impression that it’s a glorified carnival. Well, you’re not wrong. 



 It very much has a carnival feel, but only 20x the size, and with all of the best attractions a carnival could offer, all packed into the same place. 



I grew up going to carnivals. They are usually in the standard format, a circular or straight path surrounded by spinner rides and stands serving cotton candy, popcorn, and cheesesteaks. Each carnival will have one or two of the big draw attractions that stand out as you drive by. 



Think the Ferris wheel, a Super Loop, or even a Zipper ride that adds some pizazz to everything else a carnival has to offer. 



Santa’s Enchanted Forest has every anchor attraction together for the big one! Zippers, Super Loops, Roller Coasters, Drop Towers, and Ferris Wheels. There are even newer carnival rides, such as the 150′ pendulum rides, Disko’s, and more. 



They are all present and accounted for at this 2-month festival. It’s sort of like a Super Carnival! 



So, where did this come from? How did it happen, and what does it mean for you? Let’s take a deeper look at Santa’s Enchanted Forest. 



While planning a visit here we recommend looking into a Florida Keys road trip too!



History Of The Festival



For about 3-4 months a year, every year, south Floridians begin to see the highway signs plastered with that excitement-producing jolly old soul they’ve come to know and associate with the festival. 



That same jingle from years past comes on the radio while sitting in traffic on I-95, and they know it’s time. 



Children begin to beg their parents to commit to a day in the very near future when THEY can spend the night at the king of all temporary amusement parks. 



This all began in 1982 when the Shectman family decided to have a Christmas Tree and lights. It wasn’t until they added the Merry-Go-Round for the 2nd year that the light bulbs started popping up over their heads. 



The ride was such a success that the next year they had 20 rides. It has grown exponentially since then and has become synonymous with extreme Christmas fun for South Florida families for decades.



The park currently boasts over 60 rides of all kinds in addition to shows, dioramas, interactive displays, and 3 million Christmas lights. We will get into some of the specifics a bit more in the following sections.



Even though the park is only open from around Halloween to the first week in January each year, it takes the Shectman family and their staff months to set up the layout and Christmas lights. It is no small feat to erect the world’s largest holiday theme park every Christmas season. 



The park lost its Tropical Park location, where it lived for 36 years, in 2020. They had to find a new location for the 2021 season and ended up in the nearby city after a move to Hialeah Park.



While that reportedly went very well, as progress would have it, a new school and condominiums are claiming the Hialeah location after only one opportunity for Santa’s Enchanted Forest to enjoy the spot. 



The family went back to the drawing board and came up with what turned out to be its largest location to date. Over 40 acres! 



The Doral location is smack dab in the middle of the 87th avenue and 74th Street intersection and is just about 30 minutes from Miami proper. They moved into a vacant lot owned by the Dunn family.



Arriving



Photo Courtesy of Santa’s Enchanted Village


The park is open every day of its operating season from 5 pm-Midnight. Seven straight hours! That’s a nice chunk of time for you to get it all in. 



I can tell you without much debate that there is a totally different feel after dark than when the sun is still up. The true majesty of the experience Is not fully realized until the period of dusk is behind you.  



Then it’s on like Donkey Kong. 



But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t consider getting there as early as you can. There is a huge benefit to doing so. Getting in there before everyone else!! 



Like I’ve said before, I have been to this one a few times. Unfortunately for me, I learned a few lessons the hard way. First on that hard lesson list is when and how to arrive. 



I have frustratedly stood in looooong lines watching hundreds of happy people mosey on by me with their pre-purchased tickets. Standing there thinking, “Never again!” And I haven’t.



But the other side of that is I’ve also gone there too late and wasted far too much time in traffic and long lines to enter as well. Here’s what I learned to do, and I would recommend you consider the same if you’re heading to this park. 



Of course, we can always choose to show up at 9 pm without tickets and still have a memorable night, but there are better ways to do this. 



Tickets  



Buying tickets online is no longer the outside-of-the-box suggestion it was a decade ago, but enough people still resist this idea that the lines can stretch pretty far. 



Buying your tickets on their website is a really smart way to begin. Having your tickets when you arrive will place you in the fast lane to walk into the park, and trust me, you will feel it. The burst of positive energy that comes from realizing, “I’m one of the smart ones here!” 



 It’s a great way to start the night! 



There is a caveat to the online ticket route, though. The tickets for Santa’s Enchanted Forest are specific to the person purchasing them. You will need to show ID when you hand over your ticket (or show your phone).



This is the one aspect that can slow down the prepaid line a tad. No matter how many signs they have or staff reminding folks, there will inevitably be a few people who act like they are hearing it for the first time when they arrive at the gate. 



The sporadic big purses dumping out all over the place as the fumbling for the ID begins is just part of it. Know this going in and have yours ready. Not just for your own expeditious entry but for all of the anxious eyes behind you, hoping you know the rules!! 



Showing up with someone else’s tickets and not having the corresponding ID can result in non-entry. That’s no good. We don’t want that at all. Follow these simple rules, and we’re gonna be fine. 



I would also suggest paying for parking online as well. I’m not sure if the new location will have separate lines for prepaid or not, but it’s still going to help the cause when you arrive. 



We are going to get into the ticket options and pricing further down in the article. Read on to learn more. 



Timing



As I began to mention above, the nighttime is the right time at this one, but waiting until dark to head down there could result in much, MUCH longer waits. Not just at the ticket line either. 



Miami, and South Florida as a whole, is known for a few things. Beaches, sun, dance clubs, and amazing restaurants for sure.



 But there’s something else that is hard to escape when traveling anywhere from West Palm Beach down to the Florida Keys, and that’s traffic. 



It’s coming—no ifs, and, or buts about it. Knowing and accounting for this is paramount to mitigating the impact of South Florida traffic on your overall experience. 



So here’s the plan. 



We want to avoid the rush hour traffic if we’re going during the week, so we don’t want to jump in the car at 5 pm. But we want to arrive at the park before the 8-9 pm masses arrive at the park too. 



Trying to slip in between such times will be the sweet spot. 



We want to arrive at the park at about 7 pm. The Miami sun stays out longer than most other cities, especially if you’re coming from the north, so you will likely arrive with some daylight left. That’s ok. 



We’re going to avoid the madness of cars heading into the parking lot at the same time, and that’s worth it in my book. 



We remove a lot of headaches and frustration this way, but there is one downside to arriving at dusk, and I want you to know about that as well so you can weigh out your own priorities. 



The walk into the park is pretty epic at night, especially for the little ones. It can be pure magic to watch their eyes as they attempt to absorb the lit-uplit-up “Santa’s Enchanted Forest” entryway and shimmering palm trees lining the path.



The walking path into the ride and show portion of the park is also where they traditionally keep most of the displays and dioramas. I spent over an hour just along the walking path with my children, and I didn’t regret it for a second. 



Remember, we are going to walk past all of these displays on the way out, too, so you won’t miss them, but if you want that arrival to have as much bang for the buck as you can muster, you may want to brave some of the traffic and congestion issues to get there after dark. 



This is up to you, and it’s good to know both sides. 



What To Do?



Photo Courtesy of Santa’s Enchanted Village


Oh goodness, what to do? What to do? 



This is the one area where I am in danger of telling you TOO Much. There are over 100 rides and attractions to choose from. You will struggle to get it all in, so having a more lax and patient approach will best serve the evening. 



Try to enjoy the energetic atmosphere as an attraction in and of itself. 



Let’s repeat ourselves a tad and begin with the initial walk-in. Again, I have not been to the new location, but I remember the walk into this place always being stunning. Three million Christmas lights can do that to a park. 



I can still remember thinking a warm holiday season would be weird in South Florida when I first moved there from the frigid northeast. Palm trees instead of Northern Fir? I mean, come on, right? 



Since then, I have really come to appreciate the dedication of Floridians during the holiday season. NOTHING can stop them from celebrating, just like the folks in the colder locations around the country. 



It’s every bit the north’s equal when it comes to decorations and festive attitude.



We do still deal with the question of how Santa slips into the houses when there are no chimneys, but we can broach that touchy subject another day. For now, he’s hanging out at his Enchanted Village, the REAL Santa