This Saturday, Wekiva Island will be closed until 5:00 p.m. for our annual Fall Egg Fest. We’d love for you to join the fun—grab your ticket and be part of the festivities. After 5:00 p.m., the Island will reopen and welcome guests as usual.
There is no shortage of holiday events in Orlando. But at Wekiva Island, we’re confident in saying there’s no other holiday event in Central Florida like ours.
Why? Because Wekiva Island’s Winter Wonderland is a TRUE Florida experience. Here, guests can enjoy a 30-foot Christmas tree and Christmas Tree Forest next to swaying palm trees. Visitors can kick back in chairs on a riverside boardwalk as “snow” floats through Christmas lights.
This year, we’re celebrating 10 years of our family-friendly Christmas event. This festive month of holiday fun is a labor of love, and it has grown into something truly special. Today, we wanted to take a moment to recognize that with the architect behind the event, our manager, Carrie Vanderhoef. Read more below.
Question: This is the 10th year for Winter Wonderland. What does that mean to you?
Answer: This whole thing started from a random idea I had to have a Christmas Boat Parade, and when over 500 people showed up for it, it was chaos! I remember standing in the crowd of people and thinking, “Oh, this is a disaster, I have six boats and one paddleboarder for this.”
We were not at all prepared, our staff was getting slammed, the line to the food truck was 50 people deep, and it was an absolute operational disaster. I was thinking I was in so much trouble…and then Bill Weinaug came through the crowd yelling “CARRIE! CARRIE!”
I thought for sure at that moment I was going to get yelled at, and he said “OH MY GOD! THIS IS FABULOUS! LOOK AT HOW HAPPY EVERYONE IS!”
I looked around and saw that people were having a great time and they were smiling and just enjoying themselves. The next day, I sat down and talked to our staff, and they were saying how great it was, and the feedback from the community was so positive. That is when we realized that there was potential and a need for a holiday event in this area. We started brainstorming, and woo, it has grown from that boat parade to real snow slides to Santa’s Workshop!
Q: What is something special you’re looking forward to for this year’s event?
A: That first moment of seeing a little kid walking into Santa’s Workshop and seeing Santa and running to him…every time I see that, I get tears in my eyes and say “This is why we do this.” It’s just that pure joy!
This year, we really upgraded Santa’s Workshop! Mrs. Claus got an upgrade to her vintage stove from one of the squatter’s cabins down river, and Santa got a fireplace!
Q: There are tons of special events all month. What’s one of your favorites?
A: Every year, I am really excited about our Toy Drive. We collect toys for Kids House of Seminole County, and it makes me proud to know that the donations go to local children. My favorite event is Stories with Mrs. Claus. The kids are so excited to see her, and they pay attention to about a half a book and then are just asking the silliest questions and are wandering and looking around. Then, Santa makes a surprise visit, and they just get so excited! It’s fun to see that excitement. We also added Donuts with Santa this year, so I’m looking forward to having that as a great value for families.
Q: What’s a lesser-known part of Winter Wonderland? What’s an “insider tip”?
A: The Grinch visit! Think theme-park-quality Grinch who is in character the entire time. Bring him an onion and he will eat it! The cost to visit is just $5 a person, which makes a visit affordable for families. Our Winter Wonderland experience is top notch and not as expensive as a theme park ticket!
Q: Do you have any fun memories of the event in past years?
A: That one time Santa fell in the river… Or more seriously, the first time I finished Santa’s Workshop, and I sat in Santa’s Office and thought “Oh, this is going to be special.”
Q: Why does Wekiva Island keep putting this event on for the community?
A: We keep doing this year after year because we love it! Just seeing how happy people of all ages are as they walk around in awe. I had a man stop me last year and tell me that he wishes his kids and grandkids were young again so he could bring them to see what we do. Then he said that he wished he was a kid again so he could experience it. After he said that, he gave me a hug, said thank you and walked away.
That is why we do this…simply because it makes people feel a special sort of holiday magic.
We’re so thankful to Carrie for her vision on this event and all of our staff members who make it happen. We can’t wait to kick things off and celebrate with all of you. Click here to see the full schedule, and make sure to come out for some holiday magic with us.
This Saturday, Wekiva Island will be closed until 5:00 p.m. for our annual Fall Egg Fest. We’d love for you to join the fun—grab your ticket and be part of the festivities. After 5:00 p.m., the Island will reopen and welcome guests as usual.
Join Wekiva Island and 3 Daughters Brewing this Saturday for a seafood feast benefiting the Central Florida Zoo. Enjoy a pound of jumbo shrimp, clams, corn, potatoes, sausage, and three pours of beer, all for $45!