Two South Florida Christmas Parks Open for the Season

Christmas Wonderland opened at Tropical Park in Miami on November 12, bringing back holiday lights, rides, food and displays from the former Santa’s Enchanted Forest. Its new centerpiece is a 230-foot Ferris wheel, which organizers say can be seen from West Palm Beach to the Florida Keys. The park also has 45 rides and a new Nu Market for shopping.

Some visitors arrived hours before the gates opened. Kianna Latiff, who visited Santa’s Enchanted Forest as a child, brought her children to continue the family tradition. The park’s Tinsel Trail includes some returning displays, including the Tuki Tuki Tuki Ta character associated with the song “Mi Burrito Sabanero.” Online tickets cost $40 for people 13 and older and $30 for children 12 and younger; children three and under enter free. Mondays offer discounts on tickets, food and drinks.

In Hialeah, visitors can find Ripley’s Believe It or Not Christmas Park within Amelia Earhart Park. The attraction combines holiday displays with more than 100 attractions, including two roller coasters, and admission includes unlimited rides and access to Ripley’s exhibits. Live shows feature lasers, electronic gadgets and robot magic.

Both parks are scheduled to remain open through January 3, giving visitors two different holiday experiences: a traditional carnival atmosphere in Miami and a mix of Christmas festivities and Ripley’s oddities in Hialeah.