At the weekend we made a visit to Carmarthen’s Winter Wonderland to celebrate Isabelle’s birthday. We had lots of fun seeing Santa and ice skating. Read on to find out more:
Visiting Carmarthen Winter Wonderland
Carmarthen Winter Wonderland can be found at Carmarthen Park along Morfa Lane (behind Tesco Extra). Car parking can be found at St Catherine’s Walk (postcode: SA31 1GA). We travelled by train and then a short walk to the venue.
Entry to Winter Wonderland is free, so you can wonder in and enjoy the atmosphere. There is a charge for Santa’s Grotto, Ice Skating, rides and refreshments. We booked our visit to Santa’s Grotto and Ice Skating online.
The park is decorated nicely with special touches such as candy cane lane.
Santa’s Grotto
A visit to Santa’s Grotto costs £6 and includes a gift and a photo each. As we’d booked our time slot there was only a small queue with one family ahead of us.
Santa’s helper manning the grotto was in good humour and entertained the kids while they waited. When he asked Caitlyn’s name she replied “Me?” (checking if the question was directed to her) which resulted in lots of giggles from the girls each time he called her “Me”!
He gave the girls an edible Christmas Cookie medal which was an unexpected treat.
Then it was time to see Santa! He was lovely and took time to talk to the kids individually. He reminded the kids that although they might not get the presents they asked for he would do his best to make sure they has something fun to play with.
We chose a group photo which meant we got four copies so enough for me, Jo, Mum and Ceri. He then gave the girl’s each a present (a wrapped selection box).
Overall, I think the Santa’s Grotto is a lovely experience and a good price at Carmarthen Winter Wonderland. We’ve paid more in the past to see Santa at Folly Farm (currently £8.50 in addition to the entry fee).
Rides at Carmarthen Winter Wonderland
The place you may spend your money is the fair. The rides run on a token system. Pop to the box office to choose your rides and buy the tokens. Small kids rides and prize stalls cost two tokens (£2). The dodgem cars cost four tokens per car (£4) and adult rides are £3+.
The girls went on the dodgems but it would have been expensive if they’d gone on lots of rides. If you do decide to go on rides, set a budget and stick to it.
Ice Skating
If you’re planning a visit to Winter Wonderland I recommend that you book your ice skating slot in advance online. A one hour skating session costs £10, children, £12.50, adults and £35 per family (with discounts at weekend). For large group bookings you will get the 11th ticket free for every 10th ticket booked.
You need to arrive 20 minutes before your session starts. We handed in our tickets and paid for a skating aid for Izzy (£4). All 3 to 7 year olds need to be accompanied by an adult. There are workers on the ice at all times which is reassuring if you do need a hand- I would have definitely needed help getting up if I’d fell over!
The older kids soon got to grips letting go of the side and skating. Going around slowly with Izzy I had to keep holding on- it wasn’t easy at all. I’m glad we had a go and loved listening to the carols as we glides around the rink but I admit I felt relieved when Izzy wanted to come off the ice before our time was up!
Games Room
While we went to see Santa, Danny went to the Games Cube. This cost us 3 tokens (£3) for under 16s and 4 tokens (£4) for adults. I think this was with a weekend discount as online it says 5 tokens (£5 each) or 15 tokens for a family of four. The fully interactive gaming cube features the very best video games and consoles from the past 40 years. From Pong to Donkey Kong and Minecraft to Mario.
Food and Drink
There are lots of food choices around Winter Wonderland including a grill and coffee house. Prices are approximately £3 for chips and £4 burgers. There is also a bar with a cosy fire pit and evening entertainment available.
Carmarthen
After Winter Wonderland we headed into Carmarthen to watch a film at Vue. We watched Ralph Breaks the Internet as this worked out best time wise. We had planned to have a meal too as there is lots of choice at St Catherine’s Walk but had a train crisis and had to run for a train (which we subsequently missed- oops!).
Overall it was a lovely day. We’ve been to Cardiff Winter Wonderland before and found it very busy. I liked the way that Carmarthen Winter Wonderland was small enough to get around everything easily but still with plenty to do. The indoor ice rink is a great idea too as it can be enjoyed whatever the weather! Have you visited Carmarthen Winter Wonderland?
What a brilliant place – more to do at yours than ours – loving the silly pictures