Cornwall is a brilliant place to be for the festive period, with exciting winter wonderlands and cosy Christmas grottos found across the county! In this blog, we take a look at where you can find Santa this Christmas.
Father Christmas Experience at the Eden Project
Meet Father Christmas and his Elves while they stay at the Eden Project and catch a glimpse of what life is like for Santa behind the scenes! You’ll be able to take a peep at where the elves sleep each night, as well as where all the letters that children from around the world send get stored! Settle down in front of the open fire and enjoy a magical tale read by Santa himself! The experience runs several times a day from Saturday 30th November and will run on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from this date until the 18th of December. Booking is recommended, and tickets cost £10 for one adult and one child, with additional children at £6. To access the grotto, you will also need an admission ticket or pass to the Eden Project.
Bedruthan’s Sugar and Spice Grotto
Bedruthan Hotel is known for going all out on their grottos and this year is certainly no exception! Walk into a winter wonderland as snow falls around you, settling on the twinkling Christmas trees. A magical grotto awaits, but first, you must journey through the labyrinth of ice caves, where you can make snow angels and throw a snowball or two! The helpful elves along the way also like getting creative, giving you the chance to craft some lovely decorations or gifts. Once you’ve finally reached the Sugar and Spice Grotto, you can help Father Christmas, and Mrs Christmas gather up the gifts for the sleigh – there may even be one in there for you! Finally, make a magical Christmas wish to Mawgan the magic wishing tree!
Open every day from the 30th of November to the 23rd of December, this is one of the most popular Grottos in Cornwall, with some dates already sold out, meaning that booking is essential. Tickets cost £15 for one adult and one child, and £5 for an additional adult.
Santa by Steam
A popular Christmas activity run by Bodmin & Wenford Railway; Santa climbs on board this magical steam train and embarks on an incredible journey for an hour. Bringing his elves along for the journey too, his helpers will lead little ones to the magical grotto where you will meet the man in red himself! As well as getting an early Christmas present, and a photo with Santa, you can also enjoy a tasty mince pie while you wait! Booking is essential, and the train will be running on Saturday’s and Sunday’s from the 30th of November to the 22nd of December, as well as Monday the 23rd and Tuesday the 24th.
Father Christmas at Trebah
Building their magical factory in the gardens, Father Christmas and his elves have created a wonderful place to create amazing gifts. Watch the elves handcraft unique presents before collecting your own gift from Santa himself! Father Christmas has a very busy schedule this year, so will only be visiting Trebah Garden on the 14th of December and the 15th 2019. Tickets cost £9 for children and £5 per adult and booking is essential.
Redruth Public Library Christmas Grotto
Father Christmas will be making an appearance at his special Christmas Grotto at the Redruth Public Library on Saturday 7th, 14th, and 21st of December. Santa and his elves can be found at the cosy reading corner from 10 am until 2 pm for this free event.
Father Christmas Visits Lost Gardens of Heligan
Father Christmas and his elves are warmly welcomed back to the Lost Gardens of Heligan this year. From the 14th to 24th of December, visitors to the Gardens will be able to follow the magic Christmas Trail and discover Father Christmas’ cosy home, where good children will receive a small gift. To be sure he brings the present you want on Christmas Day, you can also write a letter to Santa and pop it into the magical post box underneath the twinkly Christmas lights. Tickets cost £7 per child, and £2 per adult on top of the admission fee for Heligan and advanced booking is recommended.
Santa’s Grotto at Paradise Park
After spotting the delightful collection of creatures that find their home at Paradise Park and playing in the Jungle Barn indoor play area, get into the Christmas spirit by paying a visit to Santa at his grotto. From the 30th of November, Father Christmas will be visiting his grotto from 12 pm to 2 pm on weekends and then every day from the 18th to 24th December! Tickets cost £5.45 per child in addition to entry to the park and can be bought on the day.
Here at The Valley, we offer family-friendly holidays in Cornwall that are perfect for children and adults alike who cannot wait to experience the excitement and magic of this festive time of year. To continue with the festivities, discover the Christmas markets that are taking place near our luxury holiday cottages.