We drove thirty minutes to look at lights which neither of us had previously been to. I will agree with the other reviews with the drive + gas and price to go through not worth it. The decor was odd my husband said "very redneck". Neither of us were impressed. Alien decor throughout which was just odd. Lights thrown clearly onto trees and other areas. Lights out. Glad we came but will be enjoying something new next year read more

See all

First off, the amount of lights, cut outs, and work that has gone into this spot is insane. But, traffic control leaves something seriously to be desired. Then, the fact that they demand you turn off your headlights and only go to running lights when the driving trail isn't well lit and there's serious inclines and declines is bothersome. Parking for Santa's toy shop and snacks is a gravel pit and very tight so it's best to get in and get out. There is no Santa on hand for kids to talk to or take pictures with, as he's in a small outhouse-like shanty near the end of the run. There is a mail box on the right side of the road to drop off your kid's letter to Santa in. But beware, you're not getting out without paying the toll of $35 per car, or $50 per limo/bus/trailer vehicle. Very underwhelming and rather disappointing. Also, lots of flashing lights that will impact your kids or adults with light sensitivity issues......with no warning signs. read more

A beloved family tradition for us!! I've been going to Santa's magical kingdom since I was little, and now I get to take my daughter! The lights never disappoint, and each year they add something new that I don't remember from the previous year. I think the experience is totally worth checking out, especially with young kids. The price is on the higher end, but for a once-a-year event I think it's reasonable. Overall, I'd recommend anyone in the area to check it out! It's the perfect activity to get you in the Christmas spirit! read more

Santa's Magical Kingdom - Driving through part of Santa's magical kingdom- this is just a small portion of the plentiful Christmas lights! - Amusement Parks Near Me - Pacific, Missouri

$35 for what 10 minutes of lights are you kidding me management is extremely greedy. Avoid the gift shop It's like any other tourist trap with really crappy toys read more

Worth going to at least once if you have young children, but it is kind of pricy. (I love Christmas lights though and so was willing to post pay!) A train ride for two parents and a child will set you back ~$55, but my kid enjoyed the ride and running around the General Store. Everyone working here was friendly. The seats for the train ride did not have any seatbelts, so please keep that in mind if you have younger kids. The wagon might be a safer bet. read more

Drove 30 minutes for lights to be thrown on a tree. the decorations were bizarre and felt like I was just on a shroom trip. NOT worth the money nor the gas. read more

Over priced and not very good. No music. The radio station they tell you to tune to is primarily for advertising. make sure you bring cash as they don't take cards for payment at exit. Much better displays out there. read more

It's pretty but needs to be more publicity about it being cash only. Not fair to force people that don't know to pay an ATM fee to get cash. All in all it's just OK. Not worth $35 to see some lights and a whole lot of character cut outs. read more

Expensive for what you get 35.00 for a car, also no Santa for the kids to see or get pictures taken anymore. Disappointed

2019 Update: I'm still a fan. Our kids (2 and 9) just love it too. "That was amazzzzibg" -2yo We arrived Saturday at 540. It was a pleasant drive. We had our windows down and 2 employees directing traffic wished us Happy Holidays. The store looked busy but we didn't stop. Tip: the truck in front of us - the passengers jumped into bed of truck with blankets to enjoy the ride. Fantastic idea! So you can see more of it. Next year! Tip 1. Bring a written letter to Santa. There is s drop box during the drive to drop it from a passenger side window. Tip 2. Find the right time to go. During the week or prepare for a wait. We went 5pm Thursday. Drive right in. No wait. Had plenty of tine. It was great. Lots of lights and fun displays. I consider the cost "ok" because I see how much work goes into the production. Lots of things to see. We've camped here and can see the clear amount if work required to put this on. read more

See all

Always look forward to visiting each year. It's well worth your money. Lots to see and do.

I have been excited to see this display for quite some time now but unfortunately, it didn't live up to my expectations. I've seen better light displays in the general metro area and even one done by a single family close to our home with better lighting show. With that said, if you're not a fan of traffic or heading out far and you live close to this area then you would probably be okay as long as you're fine with the $22/car price tag. I think it's steep but I get it, it's a business and running as many lights as they have surely costs a lot of money. Speaking of lights, they have lots of them but nothing too impressive. Lots of lights hanging all over the trees, plywood scenes all over the place with lots of elves, some aliens but no Mulder and Scully in sight, dinosaurs, the Jetsons, the Flinstons, Scooby Doo... And other completely random things. Some of them were quite bizarre to me, to be honest but I had a nice time looking at the lights. My favorite was the snowflake scene. They looked to be the newest types of lighting in the display and you can tell by the vibrant colors and the fact that all the lights in the series are still working. You will notice driving through that there are a lot of lights with burnt out parts of the series which makes some scene a bit distorted and sad. This place is built alongside a hill so there's a few steep incline, decline and turns. Pay attention but keep traffic moving if you're the driver. Overall, I would say I am quite unimpressed but I'm glad I got to see this display and check it off of my list of light displays to see in STL. read more

Drove through this magical kingdom on Friday. Light display is amazing. The staff was horrible!!! Attitudes, disrespectful acted like they didn't want to be there. We witnessed them screaming at a car in front of us for going to slow, but we pay for this, we should be able to enjoy it. The best part of our experience was the older gentleman at the entrance. He smiled, laughed with us, wished EVERY vehicle a Merry Christmas as he stood at the rear of the car directing traffic around us as we were putting our children back in the carseats. He seemed to actually enjoy his job, as he brought smiles to every one he interacted with. As you pull in to Santa's Magical.Kingdom say hi to this gentleman. He deserved the tip we gave him. Merry Christmas old guy!!!! He's the deserving one out of all the staff. read more

I remember going to Santa's Magical Kingdom as a kid and it being so special. As an adult now taking my 9 and 5 year old, I was not impressed. It seems like not a lot has changed with the displays in 25-30 years. The elf homes needed fresh coats of paint to cover the peiling. There are mostly painted wooden figures of elves and aliens. There are hardly any LED light displays. Tuning in to the FM radio station wasn't worth it. We switched back over to 102.5 FM after about 7 minutes of listening to the same thing over and over. Definitely not worth the high admission price compared to the Winter Wonderland display or the Grant's Farm lights. They ony accept cash for admission, which you pay when you leave. The general store has an ATM if you forget. However the snack stand accepts cards and/or cash. During the pandemic, most businesses prefer cards with non-touch transactions. I would have expected the light display to keep up with the times, but it has not. read more

They really do a great job, and it can be made into an entire night of family fun at Christmastime. The lights are amazing, and they don't remove Christ like so many other Santa displays do. That is why we made a special effort to go on our trip back to the midwest from San Diego, where we live now. We have great memories of our annual traditions here, and they keep expanding! read more

Santa's Magical Kingdom - Amusement Parks Near Me - Pacific, Missouri

See all

Went with a party of 5 on the wagon ride through the park. Really enjoyed it. Lots of lights and displays like The Jetsons and Flintstones. Every park employee was extremely friendly and didn't think the price was too high. If you do the wagon ride it's 13$ a person and your car is free if you book 2 people for the wagon ride. If you just do the car it's 23$. I would definitely go back especially Monday-Thursday since there are fewer people on those days. read more

Santa's Magical Kingdom - Amusement Parks Near Me - Pacific, Missouri

See all

This was definitely the worst experience myself and my children have had. It was a terrible display and it one point it got down to two lanes of traffic that were crawling and nothing to look at for about 1/4 mile. The radio station they tell you to tune into was just talking about bears. Lol. I felt like I was in the twilight zone, trapped and couldn't get out. Then we had to pay at the end, after seeing how bad it was. DONT DO IT!!! Not even with a coupon read more

Santa's Magical Kingdom - Amusement Parks Near Me - Pacific, Missouri

After yesterday I recommend to NOT go here... Went last night and the new "addition" of lights is way underdone... they have lots of lights here but it's pretty sloppy... took my daughter in to meet Santa and he didn't smile, they also gave me 0 time to make her smile... Then made me pick a picture to pay $20 for that I didn't like and wouldn't let me retake the pics or just not pay... there wasn't even a line so retaking the pics shouldn't have been a big deal... Then the quality of the pictures is less than I can do with a smart phone and printer at home.. spent a lot of money last night and pretty sure I'll never go back.. *update* they deleted my facebook review and blocked me instead of trying to make it right.. read more

Such an awesome display of lights. You can tell all the work they do to put these up. They seem to keep expanding which is awesome. My family loves to find the new stuff every year (we live very close so drive by a lot). Would be cool to offer a season pass type thing with unlimited visits. We usually get the next visit pass discount. Awesome job!!! read more

We purchased tickets in 2021 for a discount rate so we could go next year for less and not have to pay the following year. We held onto our ticket all year and placed it with our Christmas decor so we wouldn't forget about it. . Our kids were excited and wanted to go on Christmas Eve. When we got there we realized the ticket said only Monday-Thursday. We we're told we had to pay and it was only valid for Monday-Thursday. Very Very shady way of doing business. I can understand if we never paid but we paid a year in advance and just because it was not on a Monday-Thursday we had to pay and the staff was not friendly, pretty sure the owner was one of the men we spoke to. We go here every year and this will be the last. I will be warning everyone I know to avoid this shady business and go see lights next door at World of Illumination at Six Flags. read more

Ive been to most of the drive through lights in the st louis area. The best part was driving out. It begins ok and you think its going to be similar to others. But then the lights become a background to the many many odd wooden cutouts with an alien theme throughout. Then after all this its double the price of many others in the area. Save your money go to tillis or our lady of the snows. The wait may be longer but it is worth it. read more

Not worth it ! The entire time your sitting in line looking at lights that don't make sense to the theme. This was a cash cow event , each car is 23 dollars for lights that are thrown up in the trees. Route was dark and confusing will not be attending again. read more

See all

This was a nice way to enjoy holiday lights from your car. Limited views, but you stay warm. Some cabins were not decorated so there were sections that were not lite. The price was a bit high. 23 per vehicle. read more

It is 22.00 per vehicle. The lights are mostly just ones thrown through trees. They have people posted at several spots that keep telling you to move forward. Their displays are old plywood cut outs that look tried and worn out. Several lights were only half way working. It's a bit creepy and old looking like left over 1970's. Around the St Louis area there are much better displays for half the price. read more

I'll still take Santa's Magical Kingdom over traditional light experiences like Tilles Park any day, but damn is it getting expensive. When I visited the Kingdom last weekend, everything felt more... more. More chaotic lights strewn willy-nilly. More sales pitches on Santa's radio station. More money to drive through. Personally, I felt a bit more annoyed. Maybe it was because December had just begun or maybe it was because I was driving through on a 65-degree day, but the Kingdom just didn't get into the holiday spirit. We did stop at the general store within the park to laugh at the souvenirs and catch a glimpse of Santa. My friend bought two novelty hats as crazy-but-useful-in-a-pinch gifts. Most items were a bit overpriced, as in most gift shops. And there was way more than just holiday stuff here -- the store had everything Grandma would love, from fairy statues to needlepoint pillows. There even was a rack full of fart gags and fake puke like you'd find at Spencer's. Classy. The Santa's Magical Kingdom radio station comes in loud and clear within Eureka. It's only got about five "ads" on it, though, and the female voice talent doesn't have a soothing voice. The biggest travesty of my recent visit is that I didn't see my favorite "exhibit" -- the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle stuffed animal sitting on a bike. Sigh. But now that the price to visit has jumped to $19 per car, I feel like I'm getting diminishing returns. This was the first year that I didn't feel justified in spending the money. I wish SMK would offer an unlimited seasonal pass at this price, like other light displays around the country do. The park does now offer a second go-through for $10 (only can be used Monday-Thursday), but $29 for two trips just is not worth it. The holiday cacophony is truly something to behold if you've never visited the park, but even splitting the cost among friends, it's getting expensive. This probably means that Santa's Magical Kingdom will become a trek to make every two years instead of every year. read more

VERY disappointed in this venue! Bundled up our 3 year old grandson, drove ALL THE WAY OUT 44 to get to highway 109 and waited in line almost 25 minutes to get off the highway. When we finally made it up to the corner to make a left turn onto the road...we were almost there! Then, a gruff man rapped on our window with his flashlight. "We're at capacity. You're going to make a U-turn at the light and come back another night." No, "I'm sorry folks" just a 'get out of the way" tone. Do you know how hard it is to keep a 3 year old entertained in a dark car for almost 45minutes? It was 5:50 pm and the venue closed at 11:00pm! Were they just clearing off the highway back up? We haven't been out to this venue since our kiddos were small. We have no plans to go back or to recommend them to others. read more

The husband and I go here every year, but be prepared because they raise the price an insane amount every year as well. It now costs 18.00 to visit the Magical Kingdom. This is the best display I have ever been to and love the way they staple googly eyes, a nose and a mouth onto every inanimate object before bedazzling it with christmas lights. There are so many light and figures it takes 8 weeks to prepare the campgrounds. The fact that this is a summer camping spot makes it perfect for becoming a real magic kingdom because all the cabins are converted into elf homes. Some of the figures and cutouts are kind of hilariously and poorly constructed but that adds to the charm. Fit as many people into your compact car as you can and all pitch in to make the 18 bucks work it! read more

Santa's Magical Kingdom - Amusement Parks Near Me - Pacific, Missouri

Just got home from going through tonight was supposed to be a fun surprise for my nieces. Instead there was a permeating chemical smell throughout the park they gave us all headaches and the smell stick to our clothes and the interior of my car. Our eyes have been burning our throats are itchy and our chests felt very tight. When I asked the attendance at the end of the tour what was the chemical we were smelling I was told it was just hot brakes and exhaust. I'm not stupid it smells like burning hair chemicals or something. For $23 it would have been okay value is that we didn't all get sick and not to mention the radio station you turn into is nothing but a giant ad for their General Store. I do ask that if anyone else went tonight December 16th and have the same experience we did please reach out to me on Facebook read more

Kids will love this place. It is a hodge podge of decorative lights. The wagon ride is an interesting way to see the lights.

Great place lots of lights I'm sure there Lectric bill is high but raking in money Gift shop sells corny items Packed with kids during November & December read more

I would highly recommend against going here in a car with a manual transmission. The line to enter starts at the bottom of a large hills and moves quite slowly. After 20 minutes of driving uphill at 2 miles an hour, I begin to smell my clutch burning. At this point there is no turning back, so I had to put my transmission through hell for another 20 minutes of hills before leaving. The lights themselves are fine but they clearly haven't updated anything in 30 years. The $20 admission is also pretty steep (although I supposed its cheaper than the $1k I need for a new clutch...) read more

Not worth the money. The prettiest lights are the ones at the very beginning and those are haphazardly thrown into the trees. After that it's just confusing wooden cutouts of aliens and dinosaurs that don't make much sense to Christmas. read more

Went this weekend and was pleased with the addition of the new section. Really put me in the Christmas spirit. The only thing that could have made it more magical is if it had snowed. Always a family favorite. read more

They never showed that we had to pay till we were already in the lights, then didn't tell the price till the end. And when we were trying to explain the confusion the girl who helped us was really rude. read more

Visited this attraction while in town this past weekend. As always, SMK does not disappoint. It is definitely worth the price of admission especially with the new section they added. This has always been an annual holiday tradition and even though I moved, it will continue. read more

My kids and grandmother LOVED it. Yep, some of the stuff is weird, but I think it adds to the experience. I feel like it was worth the 30 minute drive and higher-then-most price. I wish I had found one of those M-Th coupons. We did not go in to the store. read more

My wife and I moved to Eureka four years ago. When our family comes to visit at Christmas time each year, visiting SMK to see the huge display of lights has become part of our family tradition. This year, due to the extremely cold temperatures, we were particularly thankful that we could view the lights from the comfort of our car. The traffic was light to medium and was kept moving at a comfortable pace by the staff. When you consider that there were four of us, it works out to $5.50 / person. I think that is a great value. read more

Santa's Magical Kingdom is our favorite Holiday tradition! The lights truly are magical and there are added attractions this year. This is a must do outing for the Holiday's! read more

I didn't even want to give it a one star. Not only was their light show worse than the retirement home on the corner from my house, but their $22 per car fee that they tricked us into by not displaying the price at the entry, made me sick. These are the biggest bunch of crooks! They take advantage of the holiday spirit! I've lived in big cities all over the country and have never seen a place take advantage of the holiday spirit quite like these scammers. Every one of them should feel ashamed of themselves but I'm sure that's difficult after the 5 million cash, easy, they raked in on this scam!! read more

I can't imagine how people could tour this and come away satisfied. It's just an ugly hodgepodge of lights strewn in trees with no rhyme or reason, copy-right infringements (M&M characters?), and tacky tableau. Skip it and save your money. read more