My sister and nieces came to visit us right after Paxton was born. It was a crazy week, as we were adjusting to life with a newborn {again}, our third child, and I was recovering from a c-section. We still managed to have a grand old time up at the North Pole!

This place has been around forever. We actually have photos of my sister and I, in toddler form, visiting Santa's Workshop at the North Pole. It's a fun little children's amusement park nestled at the base of Pikes Peak just outside of Colorado Springs.

Not only do you get to enjoy the fresh Colorado mountain air, your kids get to ride kiddie rides and go wild on cotton candy while you act enthused by the little things that excite them all day. It's Santa's Workshop! Even little Violet was large enough to ride all the rides, some with an adult, some without. Great place to take little ones!

And there are a LOT of kiddie rides...

Most of them are Santa/Christmas/North Pole themed. It's a very cute little amusement park really.

Paxton went too! Though he slept through most of it. Exactly what we wanted him to do. Who am I kidding? This is all he ever does. Mr. Mellow.

There is a magic show, this Elmer the Elf puppet show, and other attractions to see. We didn't make it to them all.
And the North Pole is checkered with these adorable little Christmas-themed Alpine buildings. You almost start to feel like you're in Switzerland. It's very quaint.

It was not only a lovely day, not too hot, but I was also impressed with how clean the park was. It wasn't very crowded on the day we went either.

Christmas is a religious holiday to our family, but all that is really Christmas-like in this theme park is the Christmas music they play throughout the park {yes, they did play Christian Christmas music!} Despite everything being Santa themed, I was pleasantly pleased to hear lines like, "Christ the Savior is born" playing throughout the park.
The cousins has such a great time together. I wish they could see each other more often, but at least we made this visit to Colorado memorable for them.
Here is my sister and myself in front of the same ride we went on some 25 years ago! We have the photos {somewhere} to prove it.

I still love this ride. So cute, it looks vintage. It IS vintage!
I rode it with Eisley.

Violet rode with Sophie, my sister's sister-in-law who joined us there with some of her family.

My niece, Ayla, riding a reindeer on the merry-go-round. Even the merry-go-round is Christmasy.

You even get to feed Santa's reindeer!

{Good thing Grandma brought a handful of quarters to buy them food with.}

{After all, Grandma was in my shoes last time she was at the North Pole...a momma of little ones.}

The boat ride is another one we have photos of my sister and I on back in the 80's. Now we have all the girl cousins on it.

The was Violet's favorite ride, she asked to ride the motorcycle several times. None of the lines were long that day, so we obliged.

I'm glad motion sickness is not in our genes.

All these rides look so cute tucked into the base of Pikes Peak. It really feels like the North Pole... minus the snow and polar bears.

But you can see it with snow! I was surprised to see on their website that the North Pole operates up until Christmas. We prefer the warmer climate, I'm sure.

My sister is a bad influence on The Ginger.
As for me, I still had post-surgery cankles the size of tree trunks and most of the rides prohibited me from riding, so Paxton and enjoyed the cool mountain breeze. I also did lots of breastfeeding on the go...that was interesting...

I think this was a day my girls will not soon forget.

Actually, I was about Violet's age when my parents took us back in the 80's. She probably will forget, I know I did. So maybe we'll have to go back every other summer or so?

The admission isn't necessarily cheap, but it's such a fun day for the kids, and all the rides and attractions are free once you're in the park. Cheaper than Elitches, and more fun too.
It is impressive how nice they've kept the park looking and operating in over 50 years of history. They have fountains, a campfire running all day so you can make s'mores, and they sell s'more kits in the gift shop.

The park was just about to close at 5 p.m., and we were all exhausted...
But there was one more stop you make when you're at the North Pole...

Of course the trip wouldn't be complete without a visit to Old Saint Nick.
Eisley was excited to sit on his lap and chat for a bit. {Santa was very personable and funny that day, not the grump he can sometimes be when he is stuck at the mall during the holiday shopping madness...if you get my drift?}
I could never do that job, I'll tell you what...

Violet, suspicious as she is, kept her distance.
Then it was time for Santa to go home to Mrs. Claus.

As we said our goodbyes to the nostalgic park too.
We stopped down the mountain for a bite in Manitou Springs, another place of nostalgia for my family, as my mom did was an actor at the Iron Springs Chateau Melodrama Dinner Theatre way back when.


What a blessing these good memories are...

Cheers, 
Heather