I had never heard of "Santa's Workshop" before, and had no idea what it really was. Charlotte's post provided us with some history of the creation of the park itself. I went on the "North Pole's" website and came upon a map of the park:
http://www.northpoleny.com/#!explore-the-park/c10fk
I was not expecting this huge layout at all! It's an entire establishment - complete with shows, rides and attractions, a Christmas in July celebration, and a chance to eat breakfast with Santa. You can even buy a letter for your kid for $6.00 from 'Santa,' choosing from 6 different prewritten templates.
I found it really amusing and kind of ironic that something so commercialized and materialistic exists in such a natural and wild place. But as Terrie said in the beginning of Chapter 8, "nature was no longer enough." People coming to the park didn't want to exclusively experience their outside surroundings - they wanted something to do and something for their children to do. The new theme parks popping up in the park were simply designed to "lure tourists and their dollars."
I had never heard of this before! Not that I have spent a ton of time in the park, but this was very interesting.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting that there is a tourist attraction in the park that is definitely meant for the winter season. When I think about the rush of tourists into the Adirondacks I think about summer--both for outdoor recreation and simply driving through. The Water Safari is a good example of this, and I know that a lot of the smaller businesses close down in the winter because they are designed for tourists. A winter tourist attraction is not the norm in the park, but it is a good sign of the tourist industry stretching beyond the summer.
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