Pullen Park Holiday Express is a family favorite in the triangle and tickets sell out in minutes all the way back in July! I know that many of you have Holiday Express tickets to Pullen Park this year so I wanted to take a moment and let you know about our experience and perhaps help you plan.
The park opens at 4:00pm, and you can arrive any time before your scheduled train ride. Tickets are limited each night, so it is not extremely crowded. We were greeted by Rudolph and REAL SNOW FALLING when the park opened.
Train Ride through the Christmas Lights
As you can see from my picture, the lights of the park are not that spectacular early in the evening. Pullen park is beautiful on any day, but when the sun sets and it is aglow with Christmas lights it is amazing.
I made the mistake of booking our train ride at 4:30pm, not realizing that you can get into the park at 4:00pm on the day you have tickets regardless of train time. However, even before sunset the ride is nice and my kids loved the Christmas decorations.
Take a Picture with Santa
You will be given a map when you first arrive so you know where each of the different stations are located. Near Pullen cafe is where the jolly man in red is located. You check in online once you arrive for your spot to see Santa and I would recommend getting your number fairly soon. We got ours later in the evening so it was a 45 minute wait- which was fine since we did sledding, the carousel and other activities while waiting.
When meeting Santa (and Mrs. Claus!), you take your own pictures.
In Santa’s tent you will find coloring pages, a place to write and mail a letter to Santa, and other fun games. You will also find a small Christmas shoppe for purchasing souvenirs.
Unlimited Carousel Rides
Your admission to the park gives you unlimited carousel rides, so we did that about 5 times! Next time we go to Pullen it’s going to be difficult to explain to my kids that you can’t do that every time!!
Lots of Holiday Activities
The park has several Christmas stations, including sledding, which was the kids favorite. You will also find a Kris Kringle carnival, ornament making station, make your own reindeer food, photo ops, and a candy cane scavenger hunt. New in the past couple years is a giant inflatable snow globe that you can go inside!
They do have snacks and pizza available if you need food while you are there. We ate a snack while doing color pages in Santa’s tent. Santa’s tent is warm by the way – in case you end up there on a cold evening.
Affordable Family Fun
What I love about this event is that we paid $10 per person and that cost covers everything but snacks and gifts. There’s no cost to take pictures with Santa, play the games, or do crafts, so you don’t feel like you are being nickeled and dimed at every activity. You can, as always, bring in your own drinks and snacks.
So if you were lucky enough to get tickets, go early! This event is so much fun! There are plenty of things to do other than the train ride. Grab a number to visit with Santa, and while you are there explore the magic of Pullen at Christmas!