To cap off the end of finals and to see friends before break, I decided to go with a group of friends to local Christmas attraction, Santa’s Wonderland. It’s the largest Christmas attraction in the state of Texas as it is literarlly a giant park dedicated to Christmas here in College Station. To be honest, I find it quite amusing that it’s located in College Station of all place, but its convenient for me as a fervent Christmas lover.
During my first time over there, I tried to experience as much as possible. However, I have some qualms about my experience. So here are some reasons why you should, and shouldn’t go to Santa’s Wonderland.
- Should: It’s a combination of many Christmas events into one place
December can get very exhausting trying to go to as much Christmas things as possible, thankfully Santa’s Wonderland has a lot of it all in one place. Taking pictures with Santa, “snow” tubing, hay ride, ice skating, lights, there’s a lot. If you like efficiency like me, this place will do the trick.
- Shouldn’t: Lines get congested very quickly and hours are short
When we went, it was only like an hour and a half into opening, and the hayride line took us one hour to get through. Even entering the park took a while, and we arrived like fifteen minutes before opening. It gets packed, and we went on a less busy day and still had waits. If you’re okay with that, then it should be fine. Another thing that probably led to long lines was the fact that the park had really limited hours. We went when it was open from 6 PM to 11 PM, and some days they have it open for a few hours longer, but given the congestion, we really felt pressed for time.
- Should: They have super saver days that make tickets $20 cheaper, so those days are great
Tickets can be pretty steep at about $53, but on certain dates where they expect it to be less busy, tickets are about $33 which is more frugal. This helps mitigate the costs incurred in the park like food, souvenirs, the petting zoo, and more. I would highly take advantage of this especially if it’s your last year in town due to graduating.
- Shouldn’t: You get stressed about using time efficiently
I like having objectives when I go to places, and for this my two were to take a picture with Santa and getting on the hayride. We were able to take a picture with Santa immediately, and we already know how the hay ride went (which I recommend as it’s the best way to see the lights but consider getting an express pass for it in advance). I was worried how long it would take to wait and then also got sad that it took really long for those two things.
- Should: there’s a free shuttle from Post Oak Mall
Parking at the park is pretty steep, and it’s also approximately 10 miles away from the main part of town. It was convenient, however a drawback was that the last shuttle left like thirty minutes or so before park closing instead of after, so that’s something to be aware of.
Final Verdict: Honestly, I had a good time despite the drawbacks. If you are able to, I would recommend going at least once during your time here. It’s great for people like me who are busy all the time, and it’s a chill place to hang out with friends. Santa’s Wonderland is open until December 30th, and you can find out info here.