Can you drive your RV through Santa’s Wonderland? Nope. And if you can’t drive your rig through it, where in the world do you put it?
If you haven’t been in a decade or more, your memory of rolling through in the family car is right. It’s also 11 years out of date. The drive-through tour ended back in 2015. These days you see the lights from a hayride, and where you park depends on what you’re pulling.
Santa’s Wonderland opens November 13 and runs through January 3 at 18898 Highway 6 in College Station. It’s over 150 acres of lights, plus real snow. Real snow, in College Station, which still feels like it should need a permit of its own.
Can you park a motorhome at Santa’s Wonderland? Yes, the Prancer Lot is your spot. It’s on-site, the first lot on the right, and you get to it from Cherokee Drive before you reach the main entrance. A Bus or RV Parking Permit runs $55 for the evening, and you reserve it online ahead of time for a set arrival time. Show up within 30 minutes of that time. RV parking is only offered on select nights, so call 979-690-7212 before you pick your night.
Pulling a trailer or fifth wheel? Prancer doesn’t take trailers of any kind. Unhitch at your site and drive the truck over. A standard-size vehicle can park in the Blitzen Lot, which is on-site and $25 at the gate. The Dasher Lot is cheaper at $20, and it’s across Highway 6 with a free shuttle to the entrance. RVs and buses aren’t allowed in either one, or in the VIP Rudolph Lot. Driving a dually? Call 979-690-7212 first. You don’t want to find that out at the gate that it’s considered “oversized.”. Honestly, parking at the light show is a bigger production than the lights themselves.
Seeing the lights at Santa’s Wonderland. The hayride comes with your ticket, and the tour takes about 25 to 30 minutes. It runs even in the rain; the last one leaves 30 minutes before closing. Your ticket also covers the train rides, snow tubing and the jumping pillows. The private horse-and-carriage tour is an add-on that starts at $145 for a carriage that seats six, and you book it ahead of time.
Tickets. At the gate, adults (13 and up) are $59.95 and kids 3 to 12 are $54.95. Kids 2 and under are free. Discounted pre-season tickets are on the website, but today is your last chance. Weekends are the busiest, and you should plan on staying about three to five hours. The park isn’t open every single night, so check the season calendar on the website.
Leave the dog home. Pets aren’t allowed unless they’re service animals, and outside food and coolers don’t get in either. Galloping Snail has two dog parks, so your pup gets a good run before you head out and gets a nap while they wait for your return.
We’ll give it you with the bark on: Saturday night lines are long, and nobody’s thrilled about the cold wind when the sun drops. But the lights alone are completely worth the trip. So don’t miss it.
After the last hayride rolls in, head back to your rig and rest your shells with us.