Santa's Village (Lake Arrowhead)
Encyclopedia
Santa's Village was a winter-themed amusement park in the Skyforest
section of Lake Arrowhead, California
. Opened in 1955, it was the first franchised amusement park, one of three built by developer Glenn Holland
. The park closed in 1998. The other franchises, also defunct, were in Scotts Valley, California
and East Dundee, Illinois
.
Opening more than a month before Disneyland, the 220-acre park was one of Southern California's biggest tourist attractions. It boasted kiddie rides, including a bobsled, monorail, and Ferris wheel
; a petting zoo; live reindeer
; and shops that included a bakery, candy kitchen, and toy shop.
Skyforest, California
Skyforest is an unincorporated community in San Bernardino County, California, United States. Skyforest is located on California State Route 18 southeast of Lake Arrowhead. Skyforest has a post office with ZIP code 92385, which opened in 1928....
section of Lake Arrowhead, California
Lake Arrowhead, California
Lake Arrowhead is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place in the San Bernardino Mountains of San Bernardino County, California, within the San Bernardino National Forest, adjacent to Lake Arrowhead Reservoir...
. Opened in 1955, it was the first franchised amusement park, one of three built by developer Glenn Holland
Glenn Holland
Harold Glenn Holland was a developer from Arcadia, California who established the first franchise of amusement parks, Santa's Village.-Early life:...
. The park closed in 1998. The other franchises, also defunct, were in Scotts Valley, California
Scotts Valley, California
Scotts Valley is a small city in Santa Cruz County, California, United States, about thirty miles south of downtown San Jose and six miles north of Monterey Bay, in the upland slope of the Santa Cruz Mountains. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 11,580...
and East Dundee, Illinois
East Dundee, Illinois
East Dundee is a village in Kane County with a small section in Cook County. The population was 2,955 at the 2000 census.-Geography:East Dundee is located at ....
.
Opening more than a month before Disneyland, the 220-acre park was one of Southern California's biggest tourist attractions. It boasted kiddie rides, including a bobsled, monorail, and Ferris wheel
Ferris wheel
A Ferris wheel is a nonbuilding structure consisting of a rotating upright wheel with passenger cars attached to the rim in such a way that as the wheel turns, the cars are kept upright, usually by gravity.Some of the largest and most modern Ferris wheels have cars mounted on...
; a petting zoo; live reindeer
Reindeer
The reindeer , also known as the caribou in North America, is a deer from the Arctic and Subarctic, including both resident and migratory populations. While overall widespread and numerous, some of its subspecies are rare and one has already gone extinct.Reindeer vary considerably in color and size...
; and shops that included a bakery, candy kitchen, and toy shop.