Park Profile
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It’s always Christmas at Santa’s Land
North American Editor, Paul Ruben reports. S
anta’s Land Fun Park & Zoo is located in the Smoky Mountains just north of Cherokee, North Carolina, and the southern entrance to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It is a seasonal park open everyday from mid May until the end of October. It is a quaint, charming, magical park with more of a personal touch. Guests appreciate the lower ticket prices, shorter lines, and the laid-back pace of a smaller park.
Family oriented Santa’s Land has been a family tradition for more than 55 years, and since then has acquired a number of rides and added features. They first opened in June 1966, with one low admission price. Children that visited in 1966 are now bringing their children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. Today, visitors still pay one low admission price, and enjoy the entire park, Santa, the zoo, rides, shows, and much more. Parents want their children to experience the joy and fun that they had years ago. They reminisce about the time when they were young and the
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excitement they had with their parents. But then, what child doesn’t love Santa Claus and Christmas? Danny Lyons is the park’s president and owner. “I started in an empty field at 22 years old,” he recalls. “I got on-the-job training and learned by trial and error. I visited other Parks, talked to experienced individuals throughout the years and learned a lot about amusement park operations and ride maintenance. I grew up in a family that was involved in the construction industry, so I learned at an early age about building, remodeling, and demolition. We worked construction for the restaurant, motel, and rental homes industry from excavating to the finished project.”
Only about five percent of the park’s gross sales comes from group sales through tours, birthday parties, school trips. “Santa’s Land does some advertising, but not much,” notes Lyons. “We are within 50 miles (80 km) of three states, Tennessee, Georgia, and South Carolina. I have advertised and promoted Santas Land
SPRING PART 2 2021
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