Santa's Village (Scotts Valley)
Santa's Village was a Christmas-themed amusement park located in Scotts Valley, California, United States.
| Location | Scotts Valley, California United States |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 37.065433°N 121.997401°W |
| Theme | Christmas |
| Opened | May 30, 1957 |
| Closed | 1979 |
| Status | Closed |
History and attractions
In 1956 the Lawridge dairy farm, alongside Highway 17 in Scotts Valley, was leased to southern California developer Glenn Holland. He had already developed Santa's Village in 1955, in San Bernardino County, and would later build a third in East Dundee, Illinois, becoming Santa's Village AZoosment Park.[1]
The grand opening was May 30, 1957, with Danish native Carl Hansen in the role of Santa Claus and Alma Ragon as Mrs. Claus.[2] The main rides were a bobsled, a spinning Christmas tree and Santa's Express train. There was also a petting zoo, a huge Jack-in-the-Box and equally large Santa's boot, and an Alice in Wonderland hall of mirrors.
In August 1966, Holland sold to developer Noorudin Billawala. In 1977, the Santa's Village Corporation filed for bankruptcy, and in 1979 the park closed for good. In 1990 Borland International purchased the land as their world headquarters.[3] The park had its own freeway exit off Highway 17, and as of 2020, the freeway exit signs still read "Santa's Village Road".
References
- Wenz, Phillip (2007). Santa's Village. Arcadia. ISBN 978-0738541495.
- Oppenheimer, Michael (July 7, 2016). "Do You Remember Santa's Village?". Times Publishing Group. Retrieved December 6, 2018.
- Beal, Richard A. (1991). Highway 17. Aptos, CA: The Pacific Group. p. 49. ISBN 0-9629-9740-4.