Santa's Enchanted Forest

carolynk — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 16:54:00 GMT

I put off going to Santa’s Enchanted Forest for as long as I could. In my mind, I visualized pushy crowds, loud holiday-goers and the possibility of getting run over by a reindeer. Finally, when my daughter was five, I took the Santa plunge. After all, this popular holiday attraction is a mere five minutes from my house, and my excuses for avoiding the place were wearing thin.

It wasn’t as bad as I thought. In fact, it was fun. We even snagged a ride from the parking lot to the main entrance on a trolley. This was a good thing, because Tropical Park – which used to be a race track – has a vast parking lot.

Yes, it was crowded. And yes, you may need to park in the back-of-beyond if you go on a weekend night, or if it happens to be a “cool” Miami evening. On nights when the temps dip into the 60s, the locals like to put on their winter coats and mittens and drink hot cocoa under the palms.

And go to Santa’s Enchanted Forest with a car-load of friends.

We bought our tickets and got ready to have fun. Right off the bat, my daughter was mesmerized by the Christmas-themed dioramas at the park entrance. Her face lit up when she saw four live reindeer, quietly nibbling grass in a hay-stuffed pen beneath the stars.

“Mommy, are these the real reindeers? Like Santa’s reindeers on Christmas Eve?” she asked me with Very Big Eyes.

“Well, yes, honey. They had time to take a little Florida vacation since Christmas Eve is still 12 days away,” I replied. “It’s awfully cold at the North Pole and they wanted to warm up.”

We wound our way past about 20 more of these dioramas, which included displays of cheerful elves, the Three Kings, Rudolph and Santa, Santa and Mrs. Claus, constellations of angels, packs of polar bears, igloos and snowmen, nutcracker soldiers, a Candyland Christmas village and anything else that could remotely fall under the “holiday theme” category.

We strolled along – yes, merrily – looking up at the tall Australian pine trees strung with zillions of twinkling lights. The piped-in Christmas music is ear-splitting, as loud as any rock concert or Abercrombie & Fitch store. When we reached the carnival section of Santa’s Forest, we watched a mini-circus act with an elephant and took a ride on the big Ferris wheel. I begged off the Crazy Mouse ride, letting my husband have the pleasure. We listened to the “insult clown” hurl nasty comments at passersby, and giggled when somebody finally dunked him into the water with a well-placed fastball. We watched a high wire act where the man lost his balance and almost fell 30 feet -- with no net to catch him. Fortunately, his circus days aren’t over. He recovered his balance in the nick of time.

We ended the evening with funnel cakes and lemonade, and with the purchase of some glow-in-the-dark necklace that my daughter had her eye on. We were tired, but happy. The ticket price was worth it.

Some tips for surviving Santa’s Enchanted Forest: go on a weeknight; cut out a coupon from South Florida Parenting magazine (distributed free at local libraries) or from the web site; and bring ear plugs - unless you like to hear “White Christmas” at 160 decibels.

The bottom line is you can’t eat a powdered donut without getting some on your upper lip. And you can’t leave Santa’s Enchanted Forest without getting a dose of holiday spirit.

IF YOU GO:

Santa’s Enchanted Forest
7900 SW 40th Street
Miami, FL 33155
Tickets: Adults $21.03 + tax; kids (9 and under) and seniors $14.49 + tax. 2 and under free.
Tel: (305) 559-9689
Wheelchairs and strollers are available for rent.

Jewish Museum of Florida

carolynk — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 16:39:00 GMT

The Jewish Museum of Florida might surprise some visitors who come across this beautifully restored synagogue located smack in the middle of South Beach's hottest night clubs and restaurants. The aging temple was restored in 1995 by Sunglass Hut founder and local philanthropist Sanford L. Ziff. The synagogue housed the first congregation on Miami Beach and was built in 1936 by Henry Hohauser, who designed many nearby Art Deco hotels including the Essex House and Century Hotel. The museum’s current exhibit is Zap Pow Bam: Superheroes of the Golden Age of Comics, which highlights the Jewish creators of Superman, Batman, Captain America and Wonder Woman from 1938 to 1950. January is Florida Jewish History month, and there are many special lectures and events taking place at the museum.

Historic Redland Tropical Trail

carolynk — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 16:21:00 GMT

This is the best time of year to check out all of the cool attractions in the beautiful agricultural area of South Miami-Dade County called the Redland. The Historic Redland Tropical Trail encompasses many of the Redland’s most popular attractions, including R.F. Orchids, Coral Castle, Everglades Alligator Farm, Schnebly Redland’s Winery, Bonsai Garden, Robert Is Here Fruit Stand, Monkey Jungle, Capri Restaurant and Cauley Square. The new “Winter on the Trail” Passport Promotion encourages visitors to pick up a Passport at any of these attractions, and get it stamped as they visit other attractions along the Historic Redland Tropical Trail. When patrons have five stamps on their passports, they are eligible to receive a souvenir gift at the fifth stop and also enter into cash drawings with prizes valued at more than $2,500. A Grand Prize drawing will be held on March 6, 2008.

Around Miami : attractions

Santa's Enchanted Forest

Jewish Museum of Florida

Historic Redland Tropical Trail