Christmas Train Adventure to Santa at Irvine Park Railroad | #IrvineParkRailroad

This past weekend we had plans to hop on a Christmas Train to see Santa at Irvine Park Railroad in Orange, California. As we arrived at nightfall just before 5 pm, it was already dark outside, but we were greeted with a beautiful display of Christmas lights. We were instantly excited. With no time to waste, we headed over to board the Christmas Train which was decorated with garlands, bows, and lights. Destination North Pole, here we come! 

On our way there, we saw more lights in the park - reindeer, a windmill, snowmen, peacocks. It was so much fun! We arrived to a gorgeous setting of beautifully decorated Christmas Trees, and then we spotted Santa! Santa was super friendly and was all ears as the kids eagerly told him what they wanted. My kids were super excited, and they each got a candy cane from Santa. It was pretty cool.

After our photos, we took the train back to Santa's Village for more holiday fun. Here are activities that we liked.

• There are plenty of fun photo ops with stand-in cutouts. You can transform yourself into a penguin, a polar bear, an Eskimo, or an Elf. 

• Story time with Mrs. Claus was a great way to get all our questions about the North Pole answered! Mrs. Claus was very warm and down to Earth and the children felt comfortable talking with her. She read us the story of Rodney the Reindeer, then answered questions like, 
• "How do you get to the North Pole?"
• "How old are you and Santa?" 
• "How many elves do you have?"
• "What do you do at the North Pole?"
• "What is Santa's favorite cookie?"

• The children went ice fishing using magnetic fishing poles. They had a blast catching 3 fish each. Their prize is a very cute reindeer plush which they totally loved and can't stop hugging.

• The kid-friendly Frosty's Maze is a great spot to let the children run around. They loved running through it!

• Right outside of the maze is a Bounce House which is one of my children's favorite things to do. They were jumping for quite a long time. I liked that they did not rush us.

• Need a snack? Head over to Cookie Decorating. The children loved spreading the frosting, and using sprinkles to decorate their cookies. The best part is tasting their masterpiece at the end.  Delicious! 

• Finally we stopped at the coloring booth where the children colored Christmas pictures. It was a nice way to end our evening. 

We really had a lot of fun. Irvine Park Railroad did a great job transforming the park into a magical place. We now look forward to coming back every year. It's great for all ages so if you have a chance to take your kids or even go on a date night, you will love it! We already love the park during the day, and it is a totally different experience at night. You will even see snow falling after the train ride! Thanks, Irvine Park Railroad, for all the holiday fun!

Disclosure: We received activity tickets for reviewing purposes. All opinions are our own. All images are by Lett and used with permission

Irvine Park Railroad is located inside Irvine Regional Park in Orange, California. For more information about the Christmas Train or the park, please visit their website at www.irvineparkrailroad.com.

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Written by Lett R. Lett is a SAHM of two who loves to cook, travel and volunteer at her kids' schools. She is also a Girl Scout co-leader and a big fan of Broadway shows and romantic comedies.