Santa's Workshop (New York amusement park)

Santa's Workshop
Santa's Workshop, North Pole, New York
LocationWilmington, New York, USA
Coordinates44°24′00″N 73°51′02″W / 44.40000°N 73.85056°W / 44.40000; -73.85056
StatusOperating
Opened1949 (1949)

Santa's Workshop in North Pole, a hamlet in Wilmington, New York, is an amusement park that has been in operation since 1949. It was one of the first theme parks in the United States.[1] It is open from June to December.[2]

The idea for the village originated in a story that Lake Placid businessman Julian Reiss told his daughter about a baby bear who visits Santa Claus at the North Pole.[3] The design of the park was done by artist Arto Monaco, of Upper Jay, and built by Harold Fortune, of Lake Placid, who also owned the site, and helped promote the park. The park drew immediate media interest, with more than 14,000 visitors on one day in September 1951.[1]

The COVID-19 pandemic caused the 2020 season to go on hiatus.

  1. ^ a b Natasha Geiling (24 December 2014). "Where Does Santa Live? The North Pole Isn't Always the Answer". Smithsonian. Retrieved 17 September 2015.
  2. ^ Lyn Mettler (10 December 2013). "4 Christmas-themed parks that will knock your stockings off". Fox News. Retrieved 17 September 2015.
  3. ^ Marialisa Calta (20 August 1989). "Santa's Off-Season Home". The New York Times. Retrieved 17 September 2015.