Winter Wonderland Safely Returns to Wekiva Island Starting Dec. 1 .. #WekivaIsland #Holidays #WinterWonderland

- Michelle Snow

Wekiva Island - Winter Wonderland

The annual Winter Wonderland event returns to Wekiva Island in Longwood from December 1 to January 1, 2021, and it has been updated for the safety of its guests.

This year’s Winter Wonderland will feature a Christmas tree forest full of decorated trees that will serve as the perfect backdrop to the festivities. The schoolhouse will be made up to look like a giant gingerbread house, and “snow” flurries will fall nightly from 6 to 9pm weekdays, and 12 to 9pm on weekends.

To officially kick off the event, Santa and Mrs. Claus arrive at 7pm Dec. 4, bringing the first “snow” of the 2020 holiday season with them.

Mr. and Mrs. Claus will make a socially distanced appearance for photos on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. This year, rather than sitting on Santa’s lap, guests are encouraged to leave letters for Santa in a special mailbox or via email. These letters will be read live at 7pm every Tuesday on Wekiva Island’s Facebook.

Winter Wonderland also features many other socially distanced holiday activities for children of all ages to enjoy:

Toys for Tots – To give back to the community, Wekiva Island will be filling canoes with toys to donate and Marines will visit from 1 to 5pm on Dec. 12 to collect the toys.

Breakfast with Santa – Enjoy the most important meal of the day with Jolly Old St. Nick himself! Bring the entire family for the chance to take socially distanced photos with Santa while enjoying a delicious plate of breakfast eats. At 9am to noon on Dec. 13 with ticketed seating by the hour. $12.95 for adults and $9.95 for children 10 and younger.

VIP Winter Wonderland Party – Get the VIP treatment at the Island’s exclusive ticketholder-only holiday party. Enjoy craft beer and wine, gourmet small plates, live music and more from 7 to 11pm on Dec. 19. $50 per person, $90 for couples.

Holiday movies – Bring the whole family out to watch holiday classics at the Island at 7pm Sundays starting Dec. 6. Bring your own lawn chair to social distance in style while enjoying the popcorn and hot cocoa available to purchase.

Cocoa, stories & cookies with Mrs. Claus – Spend some time with Mrs. Claus and enjoy some tasty treats! This event is limited to the first 20 children in person but will also take place virtually. Reservations required. At 6pm Dec. 10 and 17. $10 per child.

Reindeer feed box workshop – Join Santa and Mrs. Claus to learn how to make reindeer feed from the pros. For $10 a child, guests will receive all necessary ingredients to make the feed, a keepsake box and a cup of hot cocoa. If parents prefer a virtual experience, boxes can be purchased from The Tooting Otter General Store for $10. From 6 to 8pm Dec. 14.

New Year’s Day Brunch – Ring in the New Year with a delicious brunch and river views on January 1.

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Winter Wonderland is open to the public. There is a $2 admission fee to Wekiva Island. Guests can also take a “sleigh” ride down the river for $20 for adults and $10 for children on Saturdays and Sundays.

Wekiva Island is requiring masks for guests at the entrance and whenever they are outside the boundaries of their small, socially distanced group. Temperature checks are required at the gate.

For more information, or to purchase tickets for special events, visit wekivaisland.com.


About Michelle Snow

Michelle is the owner and editor of CitySurfing Orlando. She also owns Zengrrl.com, is a freelance writer specializing in travel and entertainment, has authored/co-authored four guidebooks on Orlando and Florida, and is head editor/writer at TheDisneyBlog.com. She's lived in Orlando near Walt Disney World since 1995, and still finds there's so much fun to be had in Central Florida.
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