Enjoy a drive-thru experience and visit Santa at A Frosty Fest in Ulster Park. Photo courtesy of A Frosty Fest

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Journey through illuminated tunnels at Lumina - A Magical Lights Experience at Harvest Moon Farm & Orchard. Photo by the author

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Outhouse Orchards Corn Maze. Photo by Matt Nighswander

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All aboard a festively decorated Polar Express train ride for some holiday magic and memories. Photo by Gwendolyn Tundermann

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This December, Westchester Ballet Company returns to Lehman Center for the Performing Arts.

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Castle Fun Center in Chester has a giant inflatable park, a rock wall, laser tag, and more. Photo by Katherine Dhurandhar

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Peekskill, NY, is a lovely riverfront community that acts an the unofficial gateway to the Hudson Valley.

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Grab a colorful treat at Harley's Sweet Shop in Woodstock. Photo courtesy of the shop

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Kids can climb the walls at the Cliffs in Valhalla. Photo courtesy of the Cliffs

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Romp through the woods in the beautiful Catskills. Photo by Deborah Dadlani

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Aspiring artists love the 3-hour workshops at MADE Art Studio in Mamaroneck,

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Tour the Great Jack O'Lantern Blaze, an annual rite of fall. Courtesy Historic Hudson Valley

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Kids love a birthday party filled with games and pizza at Chuck E. Cheese. Photo courtesy of Chuck E. Cheese

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Head to the Mid-Hudson Discovery Museum from 5-8 pm on the third Saturday of the month to explore the museum for free, Photo by the author

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Kids can run, swing, slide, and even make music at Sally’s Dream Playground in Montgomery. Photo by Katherine Dhurandhar

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Westchester kids will love a visit during FREE hours at the Mid-Hudson Children’s Museum. Photo by KD

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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.