Any people were very disappointed when a certain local garden centre stopped doing their Winter Wonderland walk-through and I’m often asked about it. Well, do not fear because Hartwell Nurseries near Aylesbury have stepped up to the plate and have now got their own Winter Wonderland walk-through and Santa’s Grotto.
Despite basically living in garden centres these days, I only found out about it by accident and I was able to book at the last minute – in December! I’ll be honest, that worried me a bit. The good (aka most well-known and expensive) ones are booked out months in advance. How come this had spaces? It’s a very reasonable price. What am I missing?
Anyway, they had spaces so I booked Smallest Child in and off we went.
The Winter Wonderland walk-through
I wasn’t really expecting much if I’m honest. At just £5 for an adult Santa’s ticket it was going to be pretty rubbish, right? Well I was WRONG! It’s actually really good. No, it isn’t quite as big as the one at World’s End Nurseries used to be, but I think this is the first year and it’s pretty awesome. (Please correct me if I’m wrong on that)..
Smallest Child was running around like an absolute maniac spotting all the animals she could (and there were a lot). And then she’d be off to the next one. She was so excited and it was really lovely to see.
You can do the Winter Wonderland walk-through without visiting Santa, and that is open everyday. You don’t need to book it online, but it is cheaper if you do. It’s £5 per person over 2. I think it will probably take you about 15 minutes to do just the walk-through with kids. Probably about 5 without them. Lol.
Santa’s Grotto
And then it was off to see the main guy. Obviously they have two Santa’s because the elf would come out and get one group and then come out and get another about 30 seconds later. The kids didn’t pay much attention to this but it did fall apart at the end (more on that later). The elf goes through a lovely little bit about magic etc and then you’re through the curtain.
Now, whenever I do a review of a Santa’s Grotto people want to know what he’s like. Well, the Santa in our Grotto at Hartwell Nurseries didn’t have a real beard and he was (possibly) American. Which threw me off a bit. He was really lovely and even though Smallest Child got stage fright he was great with her. He also told a succession of terrible Santa/Dad jokes that had Hubby and I in stitches.
You’re in there for about five minutes each and you’re allowed to take photos. No photo package upsell which I love!
It would be so lovely if elves in grottos announced the name of the child. I never understand why they don’t but I don’t think I can remember any that do. All it would take is for the elf to “check the child’s name off their list”. And then tell Santa “And now we’ve got XXX to see you” so he doesn’t have to ask their name. He’s supposed to know all the kids, so why is he asking their name? It’s a very personal gripe, but it does bug me at all grottos.
The present
Your ticket has an age on the back so the elf at the end can give you an age appropriate present. She’s the one who gives it out, not Santa. Ours was a game and has a retail price of about £7. For a £15 ticket that’s actually quite good.
The present station is probably where I have the only criticism of the experience. The elf is stood talking to Smallest Child about seeing Santa when the child from the other room comes out. To me it was obvious that they had both just seen Santa, but in different rooms. The kids seemed oblivious but I think maybe they need to be a bit careful or stagger the entrances a bit more so that doesn’t happen.
Reindeer Food
No Winter Wonderland and Santa’s Grotto would be complete without reindeer food, and Hartwell Nurseries is the same! A very enthusiastic elf talks them through the process and we made our good. Then the poor girl has to repeat exactly the same thing again, and again, and again. And all with a smile on her face. She deserves a medal! Actually, all the staff were really lovely here, couldn’t fault them.
One question though – where are the rest of Santa’s reindeer?
This review of the Winter Wonderland walk-through and Santa’s Grotto at Hartwell Nurseries is based on our experiences at the time of our visit. Things can change over time, including the facilities available. If you have any specific requirements such as access it’s always best to check with the site directly before visiting. If anything I’ve said in this review is no longer accurate then please do let me know. Thank you.
Our Winter Wonderland walk-through and Santa’s Grotto at Hartwell Nurseries review
I was so pleasantly surprised by this place! It was massively long, and the whole experience took.us 30 minutes, including about 10 minutes waiting for Santa. Smallest Child really liked it. It was stress-free, reasonably priced and with a decent present. For a short Santa’s experience it’s very good.
Admission cost
£5 per person for the walk through if booked in advance (£6 on the door). £15 for Santa per child in advance. Book via their website.
Santa is there selected dates only
Saturday 30th November
– Sunday 1st December
– Saturday 7th December
– Sunday 8th December
– Saturday 14th December
– Sunday 15th December
– Friday 20th December
– Saturday 21st December
– Sunday 22nd December
– Monday 23rd December
Parking / How to get there
Parking – On-site, free
Address – Hartwell Nurseries, Stone, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire
HP17 8RZ
Toilets
Om-site
Food
Plenty of food stalls. Can you pre-book the restaurant as well.
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Hi, I’m Vicky. My husband and I live in Aylesbury with our three children; a 14 year old son, an 12 year old son and a 6 year old daughter. I (mostly) love spending time together as a family. We visit all kinds of places and we’re quite happy to drive a fair distance for a decent day out. A few years ago I decided to set up Free Time with the Kids as a way to share our experiences of these family days out.
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