Where to Visit Santa in Harrogate

Claire
14 minutes ago
4 min read

Long gone are the little garden sheds set up in shopping centres where you could just pop in and see Santa. Today it’s all about the Santa Experiences, from magical sleigh rides to Polar Express train journeys we’ve tried to cover them all.

Does anyone remember when you could visit Sunwin House and sit in the sleigh with butterfly wings, the sides of the room made it look like you were flying and you would exit out of a different door into the North Pole?

Anyway I digress…. I’ve tried to find all the places you can visit Santa in Harrogate and beyond including brief info and prices to allow you to chose the best suited to you and your family. I normally only try and cover places that we have personally tried and tested on this blog but for full transparency we have not visited all of these so I can't recommend them all but I know how helpful it can be to have all the information in one place rather than trawling the internet for all the options.

One thing that’s drastically clear is that it’s not a cheap activity any more. I would absolutely love to find some more affordable options as they are few and far between. If you know of any please, please let me know and I'll get them added.

Below I've listed everywhere I know to visit Santa in Harrogate. I’ve started with the cheaper options and worked my way up. They range from £7.50 to £65.00 pp. Right let’s get into it:

Yorkshire Winter Wonderland

York Designer Outlet
14th November - 4th January
£7.50 per child
More traditional style Santa's Grotto plus you have all the other attractions there like the large ice skating rink and fairground rides.

Yolk Farm

Boroughbridge
29th November - 23rd December
£17.50 per child
When you book you can tell the team personalised information about your child so Santa will know what they like and what they’ve achieved this year.

Stockeld Park

Spofforth
22nd November - 24th December
From £14.50 per child & £4 for Adults
Please note the ‘from’ above. At Stockeld you can now just visit Santa (midweek) which is a great budget option BUT there is so much to do there and there is a price for each part allowing you to spend (& do) as much as you want. Think ice skating, light trail, train rides, playhive and maze.

Birchfield Farm

Summerbridge
29th November - 23rd December
Adults £12.50 and Children £24.95
Meet at the sleigh pick up point for your chosen time to be greeted by Buddy the elf who will help you board Santa’s sleigh for your magical sleigh ride. You will arrive at father’s Christmas woodland grotto where you can sit by the fire and tell him your Christmas wishes. Each paying child will receive a hand wrapped gift from Father Christmas and will be able to visit the elves kitchen and decorate a yummy gingerbread biscuit to take home.

Mother Shipton's

Knaresborough
29th November - 24th December
Car of up to 5 people £39.00 then £15 per child who wishes to see Santa
Every child with a Santa Experience ticket will receive a pack of festive activities, a magical pass to unlock the wonders that await. I'm not sure what that means but they have been voted as one of The Telegraphs 'Best Christmas Grottos to Meet Santa'.

Santa's Christmas Funland

Harrogate Events Centre
13th December - 24th December
£22.99 per person
Have you ever visited the indoor funfair? It's quite similar but with a Christmas twist. Fun for all ages, with rides for smaller and bigger children. The price also includes a visit to Santas grotto, crazy golf and ice skating.

Piglet's Adventure Farm

York
21st November - 24th December
Adult and Child tickets are the same price and range from £15.95 to £32.95 depending on the date you book.
All-aboard the Elf Airlines magical sleigh ride. Meet Mrs Christmas in the departures lounge and pre-flight entertainment from the elf and safety experts before enjoying the ride to the woodland village to meet the main man himself.

Harewood House

Harewood
29th November - 24th December
Adults £37.00 and children from £37.00 - 45.00 depending on dates.
Join Father Christmas and his band of elves preparing for a once-in-a-century celebration: The North Pole's Royal Ball. We visited Harewood a couple of years ago for their Santa experience and really enjoyed it. The tickets include entry to the gardens too so kids can let off steam in the new adventure playground.

Enchantica's

Allerton Castle
13th November - 23rd December
Adults £25.00 and Children £35.00
Tinsel the Elf is back but in a new location! We have done her Codebreaker Christmas a couple of times and it is genuinely our favourite Christmas experience. I'm fairly sure it's the REAL Santa! There an Elf training school for younger ones and the Codebreaker Christmas for older kids who still love the magic.

The Web

York
29th November - 24th December
Adults £24.95 and Children £34.95
Visit Santa in his log cabin in the Christmas Village, meet the reindeer, visit the toy shop to pick a present and then onto the elf library to choose a story book.

Embsay & Bolton Abbey Steam Railway Polar Express

Nr Bolton Abbey
16th November - 24th December
Adult and Child tickets are the same price and range from £33.95 to £47.95 depending on the date you book.
Don your PJ's and hop aboard the Polar Express for this magical journey on a real steam engine as singing and dancing chefs deliver you warm hot chocolate and cookies.

Castle Howard

York
22nd November - 24th December
Adults £38.00 and Children £65.00
I've seen the preview pictures of their Wizard of Oz inspired decorations this year and they look incredible! The Christmas experience includes a show with Father Christmas, Mrs Claus and WonderPhil as well as a special gift for each child to take home.

So there you have it, whether you have £20 or £200 per family to spend there is something for everyone.

And my offer at the top is really genuine...if you know of any other Santa Experiences, especially slightly cheaper ones, please get in touch and let me know.

Happy Holidays everyone,