Every year we take the kids on a trip up to the White Mountains with our amazing family friends + their kiddos. We always book tickets to Santa’s Village, but this year we added a day at Story Land for the first time. We’ve got kids ranging in ages from under a year to 5 years old, and these ages are perfect for these types of parks. But which is better?
We spent a full day at Santa’s Village and a full day at Story Land, and here’s what we found:
Santa’s Village:
- Tons of rides geared toward the younger ages
- Rides that allow lap infants
- Amazing food; their main food court includes a wrap station and these wraps are delicious! I look forward to them every year. There’s also hot dogs, chicken fingers, grilled cheese, etc. for grab + go
- Maybe it’s just our luck, but each time we’ve gone the kids have been able to basically run on the rides, there are barely any lines, and if there are they go very quickly
- Their water park is incredible! There are two parts: a bigger kid area that includes a small section for infants, and then a smaller area across the way that is specifically geared toward ages 1-5 with little kid slides that go into a kiddie pool (only 2ft deep). I’d literally go to Santa’s Village JUST for the water park, we love it that much
- Plenty of shaded areas to rest
- Easy to navigate
- Reindeer! There are live reindeer that the kids can feed themselves – so adorable
- A Ferris wheel that overlooks the mountains
Overall, we really, really loved this park. It’s perfect for younger kids, offers great food, and just a clean + friendly place.
Story Land
- Some similar rides to Santa’s Village, but longer lines
- Barely any healthy food options (couldn’t find a banana/fresh fruit for Isla)
- No water park – there’s a small splash pad area, but not great in my opinion
- Not many areas for shade
- Not many rides with lap infant accessibility
If you didn’t catch the vibe, we really weren’t into Story Land. We might try again when the girls are a little older, but it just wasn’t for us right now. My main issue was the food situation. Tons of artificial, unhealthy options and not really any healthy ones.
If you’re planning a trip to the White Mountains, you definitely need to stay a night at The Common Man Inn in Plymouth, NH. We stay there every time we’re up, it’s our favorite! While you’re in the area, enjoy the yummy food on Main Street and go take a hike up Rattlesnake Mountain. This is also a good place to stay the night to take a break from the road trip up – it’s only about 50 minutes to Santa’s Village from there!
Choose . Happy 