As a child, I remember my parents taking my siblings and I to Santa's Village in Bracebridge, Ontario. We were very young and still at the age of believing in the magical trip that Santa took every December 24.
It took a good 3 hours to get to Bracebridge from our childhood home but the trip was well worth it. All of the shops were decorated for Christmas. The cottages were just as we imagined those in Santa's village would look like.
Santa's Village is nestled in the Muskoka Highlands of northern Ontario. Though it has changed a lot since I visited as a child, it still delights both the young and young at heart. It is a village where Christmas continues through the summer months. It is Santa's Village, located in beautiful Bracebridge, Ontario.
In 1955, a group of locals from Bracebridge established Santa's Village as a tourist attraction. They felt Santa needed a summer home in cottage country. Here, he could relax in the warm sun and watch deer graze on the green hillsides. Since Bracebridge is located half way between the North Pole and the Equator, it seemed like a perfect spot. Santa immediately took up residence.
After looking the area over, Santa instructed his elves, who happen to be environmentally friendly, to create an area where visitors could learn about wetlands, plants and other wildlife. The elves thought this a great idea. They established Environments Education Area, where tourists discover why wetland conservation is so important to Planet Earth.
Santa further instructed the elves to build a village around his cottage so he would be able to invite people to experience the wonder of Christmas during the summer months. The elves, under Santa's supervision, built an amusement park with rides, an amphitheater and concession booths. The village was erected in natural woodland on the shores of a lake.
Santa's Village has plenty of European Fallow Deer. These animals are nothing like the reindeer that pull Santa's sleigh on Christmas Eve. Those animals are large northern reindeer. They would not be comfortable in the warm climate of Bracebridge, so Santa leaves them at the North Pole where the climate is more to their liking.
Fallow Deer love the warm climate of Muskoka. They are gentle creatures and love visitors to feed them. Their yellow coats are spotted with white spots even after they mature. Fawns are born in spring or early summer. The does often hide their fawns in bushes or behind rocks when she comes to greet visitors. Keep your eyes open and you may spot one of the adorable creatures.
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