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25+ Awesome Santa Activities for Kids in Westchester and the Hudson Valley

Santa greets visitors at Holiday on Huguenot Street in New Paltz. Courtesy of the event

11/22/19 - By Susan Miele

For those who celebrate Christmas, the holiday season is hardly complete without a trip to visit Santa—so we've rounded up more than 25 Santa activities in Westchester and the Hudson Valley. From traditional mall photo ops to meals with Santa, train rides with Santa, painting with Santa—even skydiving Santa—we've got the goods on where to see the man with the bag. Incredibly, most of these events are FREE.

As a reminder, any event that requires or recommends advance reservations (especially if it's FREE!) should be pounced on, as these often sell out weeks in advance. Some might be gone by the time you finish reading this sentence.

But there's more! Also refer to our list of Santa breakfasts, tree lightings, and other holiday activities for even more opportunities for Santa encounters. And to optimize the season, check out our Must-Do Holiday Experiences for Westchester Kids and where to see performances of The Nutcracker and other holiday shows. Our Event Calendar is also loaded with events—many of which are FREE—and more are being added daily!

Beyond the events below, keep in mind that all the area malls have ongoing Santa ops, including the Cross County Shopping Center, Ridge Hill, The Westchester, the Jefferson Valley Mall, the Poughkeepsie Galleria, and the Palisades Mall, to name a few.