| Photos Courtesy of: | Conner Prairie |
| Event Dates: | December 20 & 21 |
| Start Time: | 5:30 p.m. or 7:30 p.m. |
| Company Site: | www.connerprairie.org |
| Phone: | 317-776-6006 800-966-1836 |
| What you get: | Enjoy a holiday dinner and a visit with Santa! |
| Notes: | Reservations are required Twitter Hashtag #HolidaysCP |
| Cost: | $20.95+tax/adult ($18.95+tax/adult member) $10.95+tax/youth ages 2-12 ($9.95+tax/youth member) |
| Official Site: | Special-Events/Holiday-Fun-at-Conner-Prairie.aspx#Dinner |
Conner Prairie in Fishers, IN has an amazing list of things to do during the Holidays but one event in particular had us very excited. The Gentleman and The Diva (actually our family) got to have dinner with Santa and OMG they were SO excited! I was too! I mean it’s Santa!
Our dinner started at 5:30 and we arrived right on time. For us that’s a big deal! We have never been to Conner Prairie and because it was dark and raining we didn’t get to see much outside of the building we went to. The building was actually fairly large so we didn’t know where to go at first but we followed some people who looked like they knew where they were going.
The dining hall was upstairs but just before that was the Gingerbread Village. Beautiful works of art! I didn’t get to actually look at more than one as my children were VERY excited to meet Santa so they pulled us up the stairs quickly. At the top of the stairs was a line to the dining hall complete with a ticket taker. I love the little touches.
A nice lady took our tickets (my son had to give her his own ticket) and told another nice lady our table number. She led us to our table which was near a window. It would have been a pretty view but it was dark and pouring rain at this point. We couldn’t see much but the kids were focused on the big chair next to the bright christmas tree anyway. Santa’s chair.
After convincing them he wouldn’t even come in until they ate something we got in line to a gorgeous buffet. I thought we were going to have a wait a long time for food but it went by pretty quickly. They had turkey with stuffing, pineapple ham, bow tie pasta, mac and cheese, tater tots, rolls, corn, green beans, mashed potatoes, salad and chicken nuggets. A little something for everyone and for some of us a little of everything for everyone.
The food was good and we each had our favorites. The Gentleman’s favorite was the ham and a bread stick and the Diva loved the salad. I LOVED the ham it was so juicy and delicious! My husband really liked the turkey and stuffing. After we had started eating we heard the jingle bells.
It was about 6:00 maybe a few minutes before or after. We had already sat down and had eaten a little bit when we heard the bells and that famous chuckle. My son almost dropped his fork as he tried to find what he knew was going to be Santa. We all looked and my kids froze as the big man entered the dining hall. He was everything Santa should be. Big red suit with a long white beard and that famous jelly bowl jiggle to his belly.
He waved and gave his Ho Ho Ho, Merry Christmas as he made his way to his chair. As soon as they announced where the line was my kids HAD to go then. So we made our way over and were actually about 5th in line. I thought for sure we would have to wait forever to see him, but luckily we got there quick.
It still seemed like it took a long time but when it was our turn I found out why. Santa didn’t rush you on and off his lap like they do at the mall. Santa took his time with each and every kid on his lap that day. He was as patient as you would expect him to be with them.
He listened as they talked about what they wanted and in some cases he had to ask what they wanted. He smiled happily as each of the parents scrambled to get as many pictures as possible. He made each child feel special, just like Santa should. Then he gave them a candy cane, told them to be good and have a Merry Christmas and it was on to the next lucky child.
Aside from the wonderful food, the homey atmosphere and extraordinary staff there were FREE cookies to decorate for the kids! Nothing beats being able to flood a giant cookie with frosting and sprinkles! (Except maybe Santa).
The food was good, the dining hall felt like a giant dining room in a friends home and Santa made Christmas even more special that day. We were only there for about an hour and a half but the memories will last a life time. I don’t think my kids have as great of an experience with Santa as they did at Conner Prairie. We will most definitely be going back next year.
