How to Truly Celebrate the Holidays in South Florida at Santa’s Enchanted Forest

For 37 years, Santa’s Enchanted Forest has enticed thousands of children and adults alike to frolic around the Christmas-themed amusement park in Tropical Park. Last year proved otherwise, when the celebration was shut down due to COVID. Now it’s back in it’s 38th year. Expect to see its signature 90ft Christmas tree, hundreds of thousands of twinkling lights, Christmas karaoke and more in its shiny new home of Hialeah Park. The man of the hour, Santa Claus, will be waiting for you each evening for a photo op and the coveted chance to share with him the gift of your dreams.

Where did this South Florida staple come from, you might ask? Santa’s Enchanted Forest has been stealing hearts and minds since 1982. It was October when the Shechtman family created an elaborate walkway of Christmas displays and food stalls amid red and green twinkling lights that lead visitors to an almost 100ft Christmas tree to celebrate the holiday season. Thus the tradition was sealed. Two years later, a merry-go-round was added to the decor. By 1992, the park had nearly doubled in size and today it is a full-blown amusement park, complete with roller coasters and a ferris wheel, pizza and funnel cakes, carnival games and circus acts.

Love it or hate it, it’s here to stay. If you plan to call yourself a Miami local, it is imperative that you purchase your ticket and head over to uncover the magic that is Santa’s Enchanted Forest.