Santa's Village Reopens Today In Lake Arrowhead

LAKE ARROWHEAD (CBSLA.com) — Santa's Village, the Christmas-themed amusement park known for its summertime TV commercials that aired in the 80s and 90s, reopens Friday after a three years of renovation.

Santa and Mrs. Claus will be ready to welcome visitors Friday at Skypark at Santa's Village, which is celebrating its opening weekend through Sunday.

Locals dressed up as carolers, gingerbread men and Santa's dog, Arrow, will be on hand to greet visitors. Owner Bill Johnson said he knew first-hand how important it was to hire locals to staff the park.

"It was my first job when I was 13 and a half years old. This is the first job I got, I was an elf," Johnson said.

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The park features a Polar Express Train Ride, Santa's Workshop and North Pole Post Office, and Santa's Village Mining Co., where visitors can mine their own rock candy.

Previous attractions like Alice in Wonderland's magic tree have been modernized into a bouldering room for rock climbing.

An ice skating rink, along with less holiday-centric activities including biking, hiking and zip lining, will also be available year-round at the park.

Children 3 and under and seniors 80 and older are free. Tickets are $49 to $59 and the park, while open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., is closed on Christmas Day.