My Recent Visit to Santa's Village.

On Saturday I went to Santa's Village in Dundee, IL. The first thing people say is, "is that place still open?" the answer is sort of. I got a email saying that Santa's Village is now under new ownership and is now open and ready for summer. I was excited because I haven't been to Santa's in six years. Last time I went there, I was a camp counselor. Like many of you I went there as a child. I rode the sky liner, the yo yo, the himalayas, the galaxy and the tea cups till I puked or got a sunburn. I went to check it out to see if it was a decent field trip for my camp or child care center.
Unfortunately it is half of it's former glory. If you went to Santa's Village six years ago, the place was falling apart. When I heard it closed the next year, it was no surprise. It was sad, but no surprise. So flash forward to the summer of 2011.
Santa's Village is now half of what it is. The south half of the park, where the train, octopus, bumper cars, yo-yo, gallon, skyliner, and the firetruck resided is now a giant playground for paintball. The north half is now a kiddie child petting zoo with small rides for the young children. Yes even the tea cup rides are gone. There are some familiar rides like the hot air balloons, space ships, the Big rig truck, and even the giant slide is still there. Rumor has that the dragon coaster and the gallon will make a re-appearance this summer. The water park might even re-open next year.
Since the place is now owned by A Zoo To You, the place is a petting zoo. There are some exotic animals as wells farm animals that the kids can interact with which I think is nice touch. The food isn't that expensive either.
Next question, "is it worth it to bring my children there and make the trek?" I think the place is great for children under the age of 7. The cost is $16.50 a person and parking is free. I think with 2 or three kids you can easily spend 2-3 hours here. Don't go expecting to relive your childhood memories, go here for a nice time for your family.
If your a summer camp director looking at it the cost is $12.50 a person with a group of 20 or more. Adults aresfree for every 20 children. In my opinion, Don't take your older kids to Santas. Maybe in a few years this place will be something cool to go to if a few more rides pop up and the water park is up and running. In summary, as of now Santa's Village in Dundee is a great field trip for early child care centers, nannies with children, summer camps with young children, and families with young children.