Santa’s Land Fun Park & Zoo

About Santa’s Land Fun Park & Zoo

Santa’s Land Fun Park and Zoo is a seasonal, Christmas-themed park at 571 Wolfetown Road in Cherokee, North Carolina. The park's website describes it as a park filled with whimsy and excitement and organizes it into areas named Rudi and Rides, ZooLand, Santa's House, Beverage and Fare, and a gift shop. The ticket page states that the park operates in summer with a Christmas theme and that the park is within 50 miles of three states: Tennessee, Georgia and South Carolina. The same page describes it as a family-oriented park geared mostly toward children ages 1 through 12. The park is not accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

The website lists the park as open for its 60th season. The ticket page says the park is open for the 2026 season, and the home page lists November 1 as the last day of the season.

History

According to the park's ticket page, Santa's Land opened for the first time in June 1966. The page names Danny Lyons as the park's president and owner and quotes him saying he started in an empty field at 22 years old. It says most guests learn of the park by word of mouth, with families returning across generations.

The activities page says the park's first rides opened in 1973 and dates several of its attractions. The Rudicoaster, a custom steel coaster from Zamperla, has operated since 1989. The Big Eli Ferris wheel, a 1950s-era wheel that first operated at Coney Island in New York and later at the now-defunct Frontierland, arrived in 1983. The page says the helicopter ride has flown since 1956. The park's train was built in 1963 and is the 16th built by the Kansas-based company Chance, in its C.P. Huntington style. The antique three-row carousel was built in the 1930s by the Herschell Carrousel Factory, with aluminum and wooden horses.

Exhibits and habitats

The ZooLand page says the park's zookeeper cares for more than 20 species of animals during the park's open season. Mammals named include black bears, several kinds of deer, sheep, goats, a camel, porcupines, kangaroos, Patagonian cavies, ring-tailed lemurs, capuchin monkeys, a Bengal tiger, a serval, Siberian huskies, coatimundis and pigs. Birds include macaws, peacocks, chickens and free-roaming ducks. Japanese koi live in Whitebeard's Lake.

The page names two macaws, Paco and Skittles, as 35 to 40 years old and says they interact and talk with visitors. The page describes a bear feeding four times a day, in which a zookeeper feeds baby black bears their bottles and food and answers questions. According to the park, some animals can be petted and fed, the animals receive species-specific diets during the season, they are checked periodically through the day, veterinary services are available at any time, and the pens have a pressurized water-lick system for fresh water. Paddle boats on Whitebeard's Lake let visitors see the lemurs and capuchin monkeys in their island environment and feed the koi.

Rides and attractions

The activities page lists nine rides: the Rudicoaster, which it describes as one of two known in the world, with a reindeer at the front of its five-car, 20-passenger train; the Big Eli Ferris wheel, listed at 64 feet tall; the carousel; the helicopter ride; the Everly Midge-O-Racer, based on 1930s race cars; the train, which circles the park; the B and H Umbrella ride, a circular 1940s ride with Indian motorcycles and vehicles such as a fire truck, taxi and school bus; and a kiddie boat ride. A game room and arcade has Skee-Ball, air hockey, basketball and duck games.

Planning your visit

As listed on the park's website, the park is open for the 2026 season, which runs through November 1. The home page lists hours of 10:00 am to 5:00 pm on Monday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with the park closed Tuesday and Wednesday.

The ticket page states that children under 2 years old are admitted free, and that group rates are available for groups of 20 or more, including school, church and scout groups. Discounts are listed for seniors, military personnel and AAA members. Ticket details are on the park's website.

The park's phone number is 828-497-9191.