There is so much that families can do in the month of December, most days there are more than one activity that could fill your calendar. Our family tries to pick and choose ones that will cover the age range of having an eight year old and a three year old; a lot of bang for our buck; and full of fun is a must (not to mention will not torture the parents). Cheekwood in December totally covers all of that and then some. It has quickly become our family’s kick off to the holiday season and one of our most loved traditions for all of us.
Cheekwood pulls out all the stops to make your visit in December full of fun and great memories. They become the home of two reindeer that you can watch. My kids think it is the coolest thing to see them up close and personal. My son just wants to see one fly. Then, you can go and get a ticket to visit Santa during a certain time slot, which allows you to go and visit some of the other areas instead of waiting in line forever. Santa is seated in a beautiful toy workshop full of vintage toys and he is happy to see each child. He even smiled at my screaming three-year-old who ran away and I had to hold to be in the photo. You do have to purchase photos to visit Santa but prices were not too bad and they are printed while you wait.
After telling Santa all of your wishes you can head up the stairs to decorate yummy sugar cookies and get your lips all covered with icing. I suggest stealing a few bites of the kids’ cookies, because they are yummy. After, a sugar break you can choose to go to one of the two art rooms and make fun holiday-themed art. My kids really enjoyed getting to make reindeer antlers using their hand prints and making a new ornament for our family tree. I liked that the crafts could be as simple or elaborate as the child wanted them to be. That is key when you have a huge age range to cover. Both my kids had fun and were able to use materials appropriate to their ages.
I will also tell you to not miss seeing the gorgeous trees in the Mansion. They are so pretty and worth taking a trip up to the mansion to check them all out. My son’s favorite was the new poinsettia tree that was huge!! He could not get over how tall it was, and I loved the cute photos I took of my daughter in front of it. The trees are my favorite part of the trip to Cheekwood in December. I love looking at the beautiful trees in the beautiful rooms of the mansion. So magical and so pretty to experience.
Depending on the weather you are also free to explore the gardens, the outdoor train exhibit, the cute little stone cottage, and the ever popular Walden tree house. I would suggest bundling up and exploring a little if you can. The gardens may not be full of flowers but there is still lots to see. My son found a few new statues we have never seen in the four years we have been members. There were a lot of smiles, laughs, and some great memories made during our recent visit to Holiday at Cheekwood.
Find more information, dates, times, and admission at Holiday at Cheekwood.
