Santa's Land in Cherokee, North Carolina slid down the chimney just as the post-war America fairyland-style attraction boom was nearing its end. The wonderland of rides, animals, and shows was established in 1965 and little there has changed since.
Santa parks have showed up under the trees is places as diverse as New Hampshire, Alaska and Indiana. The oldest is said to have opened in the 1930s in a modest Arizona hotel. Some regard them as the first theme parks.
The concept of such places is the allure of Christmas cheer all year long. No matter where you find one, you can be sure to stumble onto some of the same elements; live reindeer, a candy kitchen, toy shop, and Santa's house with visits throughout the day by the jolly old soul himself. Santa's Land certainly meets all the criteria.
Back on Tack was compelled to the park by its original collection of oversized character statues arranged on a patch of white gravel to create a snowcapped ambiance. Hotel brochures had even boasted about their whereabouts. We were not disappointed.
A menacing-looking snowman greeted us alongside a huge rabbit dining on a harvest of monstrous vegetables. A plaster kangaroo stood with an open pouch just begging for a photo op. Nearby, an Eskimo poked his head out of a concrete igloo while a red sleight led by statue reindeer was just waiting for someone to grab the reigns.
Most of the children in the park were less impressed. They swiftly skied past the assembly and steered toward the rides. The change in generation attitudes was hard to overlook. The ride of choice seemed to be the Rudicoaster. It looped its way twice around a small metal track with the reindeer's severed head mounted to the front car.
Most of the Santa attractions still left in the country have survived by keeping their wrapping fresh. A large part of this was accomplished by adding more and more rides to the to their holiday mix.
Along with the Rudicoaster; Santa's Land maintains a Ferris wheel, several kiddy rides and a small locomotive that clanks along the edge of the park. The train provides a swift way to get from the The Nativity to the moonshine still exhibit at the other end of the park.
Patrons meander a pretty straight and narrow path through Santa's Land that is probably no longer than a mile. Tiny gingerbread-looking houses accent the trail. Inside each are frightening dioramas made all the more ominous by black light settings. Time has taken its toll and it seems it would take more than a Christmas miracle to save them.
Connecting the fairytale homes are chain link cages containing a menagerie of animals ranging from peacocks to Siberian husky pups. Some enclosures contain wooden framed openings where curious beasts can stick their heads out and check people's pockets for crumbs.
The goat area is actually divided into two separate pens and a swinging bridge hangs over the walkway path. Signs encourage getting them to cross from one side to the other by taunting them with food. You just know at some point a present has landed on somebody's head.
More creatures reside in the middle of Whitebeard's Lake. For a buck you can grab a bag of animal grub and take a paddle boat out to two islands where lemurs and monkeys are not easily coaxed out of their tree house homes.
Winter comes all too fast for Santa's Land. It is in operation only from May to October. Although the gift shop, with its staff dressed as elves, try to keep the spirit alive throughout the year. At the end of the season, the North Pole setting is invaded by goblins for an annual Fall Festival.
Santa's Land offers an alluring glimpse into what the simple attractions along the roadside, now remembered only in postcards, must have been like. It is definitely geared toward the toddlers. Then of course, it will probably be their screams from the backseat that cause most people to stop there in the first place.
Santa's Land
US 19
Cherokee, NC
Tally Ho, Ho, Ho
