We just got back from the most magical Christmas activity with my little kiddos and I had to share this experience in case any of you wanted to take your kids or grandkids. Since we moved here to Southern California over 3 years ago, we have heard many times of people who live here that make the almost 6 hour drive to go to Williams, Arizona to visit Santa and ride on the Polar Express. We finally did it and it was SO incredible.

Our kids are 6, 4, and 16 months so they were at the perfect ages for this fun event. They were in absolute heaven. They even both told me they liked this more than Disneyland! And that is really saying something!!

As far as price goes, it is not exactly the cheapest activity. It was about $200 for four tickets. But I would say it truly was worth every penny. It is one of those experiences you pay for that creates memories to last a lifetime.

They have two train ride times--5:30 and 7:30. We chose the later time because it seemed a little more authentic being in the dark like it was in the movie and book. The train ride lasts about 90 minutes and the time flew by! Mostly  all of the children were dressed in cozy pajamas, just like the movie, and they had two really fun chefs who would dance and play with the kids and who passed out hot chocolate and chocolate chip cookies.

They were so energetic and fun and the kids loved every cheesy joke and dance! :) About halfway through the train ride you get to drive by the North Pole, where Santa and Mrs. Claus are waving from the seat of the sleigh, pulled by real reindeer! The whole North Pole is all lit up with plenty of elf homes and things for everyone to enjoy.

Then--the biggest surprise of all is that Santa actually comes on the train car!! He comes and hands out a bell to everyone and wishes them a Merry Christmas. It was so special. Then we sang some of Santa’s favorite Christmas carols on the way back to the station.

There are plenty of other activities they offer if you get there early. We got there 3 hours early and had plenty of fun activities to do. You can listen to a story by Mrs. Claus, talk with the conductor, write a letter to Santa and deliver it right to his mailbox, and get a picture in Santa’s sleigh with Santa Clause. The town of Williams is also very charming. It is a cute, quaint town right off of Route 66 so there is a really cute downtown with plenty of unique and fun window shopping.

There is our little family’s experience doing the Polar Express Train in Williams, Arizona. We absolutely loved doing it and if you are a day drive’s distance away, I would highly recommend it!