What to Know
- "Pumpkins in the Pines" rolls from Oct. 10-31, 2021 (weekends)
- $49-$59 (some activities are separately priced)
- A pumpkin patch, trick-or-treating, cookie decorating, and more
There are revelers firmly in the Halloween camp, and those who count down each cinnamon-scented day to Christmas.
But plenty of people observe the season of Yuletideween, which basically starts on the first chilly September morning and concludes when you finally eat your last gingerbread man, near the middle of January.
Where, though, can you go to experience elements of the spookiest stretch of the year while also enjoying plenty of elfish enchantments, the kind that might pop up at the North Pole?
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Up, up, up is the answer, straight to SkyPark at Santa's Village, which pauses each fall to don an autumnal, super-atmospheric appearance.
This multi-weekend affair, which adds fall-fun oomph to Saturdays and Sundays from Oct. 9 through 31, 2021, has been playfully dubbed Pumpkins in the Pines.
We say "playfully" in part because there's plenty to do, from visits to the Coachworks Pumpkin Patch to taking a seat at the Sleepy Hollow Puppet Show.
Come eveningtime?
There's a "walk-through haunted hike" called Fantom Forest. And fueling all of the lightly frightful, ultra-festive doings? Treats themed to fall shall abound.
Cooking decorating and trick-or-treating at certain hours will also add to the ho-ho-Halloween fun, as will the opportunity to paint pumpkins at Santa's Workshop.
Good to keep in mind? Some activities will have an additional fee, so peruse all before making for the Lake Arrowhead-close attraction, which can trace its history back to the 1950s (it reopened in 2016, after staying shuttered for several years, with a full-scale renovation).
"We just had our best and busiest summer ever," says Bill Johnson, Co-Owner of SkyPark at Santa’s Village. "SkyPark at Santa’s Village is all about outdoor adventure in an alpine setting, and we're providing that experience through fall and into winter."
"Our unique combination of outdoor fun and generally pleasant weather is really resonating with guests who still want to have family adventures. As far as I know, we're the only park that offers mountain biking, forest hiking, Santa, skating, ax throwing, archery, and pumpkins in a winter wonderland theme park. We even do weddings and forest conservation."
So are you into the Yuletideween scene? Make for this charmer of a destination, one that deftly combines the spirit of two beloved holidays in an open-air setting.
