Knott’s Berry Farm hosts a holiday celebration complete with A Peanuts’ Holiday Parade, Christmas Crafts Village, visits with Santa Claus, and even a Christmas ice skating show! Located in Buena Park, California, Knott’s Berry Farm is America’s original theme park. It is better known for its scary Halloween Haunt, but a visit during the holiday season is sure to delight all ages with its fun and festive shows, decorations, and activities.

Snoopy & The Nutcracker waving to the crowd in the Peanuts’ Holiday Parade

A Peanuts’ Holiday Parade
This traditional parade features dancers, holiday music, and floats topped with Peanuts Gang members – Charlie Brown, Lucy, Linus, Sally, Schroeder, and the crowd-favorite, Snoopy. The parade is just long enough to keep kids rapt with attention throughout. The parade ends with Santa ho-ho-ing and wishing a Merry Christmas to all.

My daughter, Karissa, was smitten with this adorable Knott’s Christmas Craft Village shop

Knott’s Christmas Crafts Village
What I remembered most from my last visit to Knott’s Berry Farm as a teenager was its plethora of roller coasters. As a grown-up, my favorite part of the park is no longer thrill rides, rather it is the Old West decor and feel of Ghost Town. I am a sucker for make-believe, especially when it is done well. This area of the park transports you back in time to an 1880s California gold rush town.

You can purchase a lucky horseshoe emblazoned with your name from the blacksmith, watch a knick-knack being whittled from wood before your eyes, pan for gold, or stop into the school house for a taste of old-school education. The school was made in 1879 and was purchased and recreated by Mr. Knotts in 1952.

Through Christmas Eve, Ghost Town is home to the Knott’s Christmas Crafts Village. Artists peddle their one-of-a-kind crafts, jewelry, Christmas ornaments, and more from these temporary storefronts.

It’s Christmas, Snoopy! ice show at Knott’s Berry Farm

Holiday Shows
If visiting during the holiday season, you absolutely must head to the Charles M. Schulz Theatre to see the It’s Christmas, Snoopy! ice show. I was fascinated by how these talented skaters glided, spun, and flipped on the small ice stage. The colorful lighting, elaborate sets, playful costumes, and snippets from the famous It’s Christmas, Charlie Brown television special are sure to keep even the wriggliest of kids entertained. White doves even fly onto the stage and snow drops from the sky! Arrive a half hour before the show starts to nab the best seats.

Traditional holiday shows like Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol and O’Henry’s A Gift of the Magi can be viewed at the Birdcage Theatre. Join the Peanuts Gang in Calico Square for a song-and-dance show, Snoopy’s Calico Christmas Tree Lighting, followed by the lighting of a huge, decorated Christmas tree. A Winter Wonderland show in Camp Snoopy featuring all the Peanuts characters can be skipped in favor of the ice show or tree-lighting.

A white Buche de Noel cake at Knott’s Farm Bakery

Rides, Lights, Treats & More Holiday Fun
It was chilly the day we visited Knott’s Berry Farm so we did not brave the wetness of the Timber Mountain Log Ride. This ride is tranformed every year into Elf Mountain Christmas, where you can see Santa’s elves readying for Christmas complete with lights and music. I was impressed with a giant drying station outside the ride where soggy riders warmed themselves with heat lamps.

Take little ones to the Ghost Town Bakery, where they can decorate their own Christmas cookie with frosting and candies from noon to 5 pm daily during the holiday season. You can also find delectable holiday treats at the Farm Bakery in the Marketplace. This area of shops and famous Mrs. Knott’s Chicken Dinner Restaurant is located just outside the park’s entrance and was the birthplace of Knott’s Berry Farm in 1934.

In the evening, head to Camp Snoopy, the area of Knott’s geared toward the preschooler-set with child-friendly rides and a giant Snoopy bounce house, for Snoopy’s Christmas Light Spectacular. Hundreds of thousands of holiday-shaped light displays twinkle in the dark from dusk to park closing.

Kids can even pay a visit to jolly old St. Nick during their visit to Knott’s Berry Farm during the holidays. Head to Santa’s Toy Barn to get some one-on-one time with Santa Claus and purchase a darling photo of your kiddo making their Christmas toy wish.

Here I am with my daughter in front of one of the Christmas trees at the Knott’s Resort Hotel

Knott’s Berry Farm Resort Hotel Dressed Up for the Holidays
After a busy day at the park it’s nice to take a short stroll through Knott’s Marketplace to turn in for the night at Knott’s Berry Farm Resort Hotel. The lobby is all dressed up in green and red, adding to the holiday spirit. We stayed in one of the 16 special Snoopy rooms, decked out with Snoopy and Woodstock headboards plus paw-print carpeting. The highlight of our stay was when Snoopy stopped by our table during breakfast at the hotel’s onsite restaurant, Amber Waves.

When you think of holiday activities, Knott’s Berry Farm may not be the first place that pops to mind…but maybe it should be!

What part of a Knott’s Merry Christmas would be the most fun for your family? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

You might also like:

• Holidays at Disneyland

• Holidays in Phoenix at Zoolights

• LEGOLAND for All Ages

• New York City Holiday Travel Tips for Families

A note from The Travel Mama: My family and I received complimentary park entrance from Knott’s Berry Farm and we were hosted by the Buena Park Convention and Visitors Bureau for our stay at the Knott’s Berry Farm Resort Hotel.

Here are some festive child-friendly activities for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, and New Year’s Eve in New York. I interviewed Fodor’s author and New York aficianado, Meryl Pearlstein, to gather these tips for families traveling to the Big Apple during the holidays.

Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade (Photo Courtesy of Macy’s)

Meryl has attended the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade a whopping eight times. Although it is often a chilly affair, the unique experience is worth the low temperatures. She said, “There’s something about watching all those fabulous balloons float overhead that is mesmerizing.  Older kids will also appreciate the music and dance talent on the floats.”

Rockefeller Center Ice Skating Rink and Christmas Tree
(Photo Courtesy of Tishman Speyer-Photographer Bart Barlow)

No matter your children’s ages, Meryl advises visiting Rockefeller Center after its famous Christmas tree is already up rather than attending the crushingly popular tree-lighting ceremony. You can take in the beauty of the huge twinkling evergreen tree and watch the skaters, or lace up some rental skates and take a spin on the world-renowned ice rink. Afterward, do some holiday shopping at the center’s 49 shops.

A favorite Christmastime activity is perusing the city’s decorated store windows, which are elaborately dressed up for the holidays. Head to the world’s largest department store, Macy’s on 34th Street, for some of the city’s best window-shopping.

Dyker Heights Home Decorated for the Holidays
(Photo Courtesy of Meryl Pearlstein)

For a memorable experience, Meryl suggests taking the Slice of Brooklyn Bus Tour: Christmas Lights & Cannoli Tour. The tour takes visitors to Brooklyn’s Dyker Heights to view homes lit up for the holidays with an array of lights and over-the-top animated displays. The tour concludes with a sweet trip to the Mona Lisa Pastry Shop, a family-owned bakery that specializes in Italian goodies like cannoli, biscotti, and pignoli cookies.

Hanukkah Festival at 92nd Street Y (Photo Courtesty of 92nd Street Y)

Looking for Hanukkah celebrations? Meryl suggests the Annual Family Hanukkah Party hosted by The Jewish Museum. This fundraiser entertains families with children aged ten and younger with live music, arts and crafts, face-painting, balloon art and more. The 92nd Street Y hosts a Hanukkah Festival each year at which children can build their own menorahs, make candles, and decorate dreidels.

Although tweens and teens may get a kick out of ringing in the New Year in Times Square, Meryl warns the scene is overly crowded and not very family-friendly. Instead she advises traveling families celebrate New Year’s Eve by viewing the craziness of Times Square on television together from the safety of a hotel room. Order some pizzas or rooms service, get some noise makers and party hats, play a few rounds of charades, and toast the New Year with some sparkling cider!

For more tips on what to see, what to do, and where to eat in New York with children, buy a Fodor’s Family: New York City with Kids or enter to win one below. Meryl has been writing Fodor’s New York City guides since 2005. She writes restaurant reviews for Gayot.com and has written for New York Magazine and Boston Herald. She is the mother of two boys, ages 15 and 19. Read her blog Meryl Pearlstein’s Travel and Food Notes for travel and food observations from around the world and everything New York City.

Enter to win one of four copies of Fodor’s Family: New York City with Kids in this week’s giveaway. Fodor’s provided the giveaway copies as well as one copy for me to review. Travel Mamas is picking up the costs of shipping. The winner will be selected at random using RANDOM.org. You may enter up to three times, using each method of entry once, by November 28, 2009. THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED.

1) Add a comment below about which New York holiday event listed above you would most like to attend and why.

2) Sign up to Become a Travel Mama to receive the Travel Mamas bimonthly e-newsletter. If you are already on our mailing list, instead post a comment mentioning the e-newsletter and stating what you like about TravelMamas.com.

3) Tweet about this contest on Twitter by copying and pasting the entire phrase below. Be sure to post a comment with a link to your tweet!
I love the holidays in NY! Visit @TravelMamas to win a ”Fodor’s Family: New York City with Kids” this week http://bit.ly/6jcyTC

For more information on this topic see:

• New York City’s Best Sites, Activities, and Restaurants for Kids

• Top 6 Reasons to Take a Thanksgiving Vacation

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