The tropical park that used to be home to Santa’s Magical Forest now has a new winter-themed attraction.
Competing theme park Christmas Wonderland opened to the public on November 16, offering brand new lights, rides and attractions.
There are many similarities between both parks, as both attractions promise to bring the North Pole to South Florida, but there are also some differences.
If you’re trying to decide which parks to visit this winter, here’s a breakdown of what makes each park different.
ticket price
In its first year, Christmas Wonderland promises some new features you won’t find at Santa’s house, including cheaper tickets.
Both parks have different admission prices for children and adults, but the definition of the child age group is slightly different.
in Santa’s magical forest, tickets for children ages 3 to 8 start at $36.45 when ordered online.in christmas wonderlandHowever, children ages 3 to 10 can get in for a little less by purchasing tickets online starting at $29.
Guests ages 9 and up can enter Santa with tickets starting at $44.86, and guests ages 11 and up can enter the Christmas Wonderland with tickets starting at $39.
position
Santa’s Enchanted Forest is located in the Doral/Medley area of Miami-Dade County. The new venue is 40 acres in size and has free public parking.
But before 2020, Santa called Tropical Park home for nearly 40 years until the county refused to renew his lease.
This year, a new attraction is coming to Santa’s old location.
Christmas Wonderland will take over Tropical Park in 2023. The move prompted Santa’s Enchanted Forest to file a civil lawsuit earlier this month.
However, lawyers for Christmas Wonderland said that after a four-hour evidentiary hearing on Nov. 10, the court denied the owners of Santa’s Enchanted Forest’s motion for a preliminary injunction.
lights and decorations
Both theme parks are decorated from top to bottom with Christmas lights, and there are plenty of winter-themed photo opportunities.
Having been around for decades, Santa’s decorations have a more traditional feel, but Christmas Wonderland puts a modern twist on the holiday with gorgeous LED displays.
Christmas Wonderland also has six “unique worlds” for guests to explore, each with its own theme. Holy Dade, Sweet Street, Toytown, Arctic Delight, Town Square, and Santa’s Village.
rides and shows
As for attractions, both parks have many of the same rides, including a Ferris wheel, carousel, rocking boat, and tower swings.
But Christmas Wonderland boasts what it calls “North America’s largest traveling Ferris wheel.”
What about Santa’s Magical Forest rides? Shine in true Miami style to the beat of Latin hits.
date and time
Both attractions will be open to the public until January 7, 2024, including holidays.
Guests can visit Santa any time of the day from 5pm to midnight.
However, Christmas Wonderland will be closed for a few days: November 27th, December 4th, December 11th, and December 18th.
On other days of the week, we are open from 5 PM to 11 PM Sunday through Thursday, and from 5 PM to midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.