Sunday Favorites: The North Pole of Florida

Posted Sunday, December 25, 2022 12:00 am

Merab Favorite

I booked tickets for my family aboard The North Pole Express in Parrish this year. It was a great night filled with Christmas joy, just like the holiday story it is based on. The best part, of course, was seeing Santa. The train doesn't depart the station until every child has a chance to meet jolly old St. Nick.

This week my family and I took a train to the North Pole to meet Santa, the North Pole of Florida that is. This winter wonderland excursion is organized by the Florida Railroad Museum of Parrish and is a favorite holiday activity among locals, selling out months in advance. I purchased my tickets back in August when they first went on sale. The entire experience lasts about 3.5 hours which includes a 30-minute train ride to and from the destination.

Rates vary based on seating. There’re four pricing options from first class, which includes assigned seating, tables, and heat/air conditioning, to coach which is first come, first serve seating on an open-air train car. Thinking it might be a little chilly on a train, I opted for excursion seating, one level up from coach, with open windows but no central heating. With three adults and two children, the trip was a bit pricy at just over $300. However, the experience was well worth the expense and something I hope my boys, ages 6 and 7, will remember with fondness. I encourage every family to make the pilgrimage at least once.

Donning matching pajamas, which I read beforehand was a must for families, we caught the 7:15 train to see Kris Kringle. The ride was a bit bumpy but enjoyable especially when a group of carolers came through our car and encouraged the crowd to join in some Christmas favorites. The kids began to get excited when they saw the lights up ahead.

When we got off the train, there were activities for the kids like games to bounce houses, fair-style food, and of course a line to see Santa. The one activity that stuck out the most to me was the smores’ station. I purchased a ”family pack“ of smores when I bought tickets that included all the ingredients for the fireside treat along with hot cocoa. Fires were set up in a certain area where families could post up and make their smores. It was a really nice addition and I’d never seen anything quite like it.

The best part, of course, was meeting the big guy himself. Stationed in the museum building, there was a line outside and we were assured by staff that the train would not depart until every child had sat on Santa’s lap. Children and families were ushered into the building and through the main door, then through one of two side doors. Unbeknownst to the eagerly waiting children, there were actually two Santa inside to smartly manage the crowd.

Once inside, each family received a nice visit with jolly old St. Nick and a helpful elf assistant who also served as a photographer. I’m not exaggerating that this was one of the best interactions I’ve ever seen between my children and a Santa Clause. The person in the red suit was authentic, and realistic in appearance, and when discussing their expectations for Christmas presents. I’m also pretty sure his beard was the real deal. My boys were able to have a tangible, uninterrupted conversation with him, in a room without distractions. It was the best part of the trip. After we left the room, the boys were given magic jingle bells, just like the ones the children in the Polar Express storybook received. I thought that was a nice touch.

Almost immediately after we left Santa, a snowstorm started in the middle of the town. While the white substance was more the consistency of dish soap than snow, the kids had fun dancing around and making ”snowballs“.

You may be wondering where exactly we were. I mean obviously, we weren’t at the actual North Pole. While the destination shows up on Google as the North Pole of Florida, it’s really the abandoned town of Willow, a logging town that was built in 1895.

The railroad itself was part of a 69-mile line that split from an existing phosphate track in Durant, Fla., and ran south to Sarasota. It was constructed in 1895 and included nine stations including Durant, Wimauma, Willow, Parrish, Palmetto, Bradenton, Sarasota, Bee Ridge, and Venice, according to The Sarasota Subdivision, a blog on the Abandoned Rails website.

Willow expanded in the early 1920s when the McGowin-Foshee Lumber Company, of Alabama, leased over 50,000 acres of land from the state and built a sawmill there. It was sold to the Robbins family in 1926 along with 40,00 acres of woodlands. At its peak, Willow was believed to have included turpentine still, a general store, a church, a school, a bar, and 75 to 80 worker houses. It also had a post office, railroad depot, and a water tower, according to the website www.Ghosttowns.com.

During the Great Depression, the Robbins family went bankrupt and the town was abandoned. In the 1960s, the track was no longer in use and served as a storage area for railcars as well as access to the nearby power plant. This is a stretch that is now operated by The Florida Railroad Museum. Of course, during the holiday season, the only evidence of the long-gone town is ruins illuminated with decorative lights.

By 10:00 p.m., the kids and grandma were ready to head home. We boarded the train, sang a few more Christmas Carols, and headed home, happy to already be in our pajamas so we could quickly hit the hay.

I’m not sure if we will do the North Pole Express again, but I definitely am grateful for the experience this year. It was a wonderful way to celebrate Christmas with the entire family.