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    The North Pole Experience

    3.5 (272 reviews)
    Open 9:00 am - 5:00 pm

    The North Pole Experience Photos

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    Helping Santa's elves.
    Laurie G.

    Expensive but very enjoyable for the family. The ride through the portal was exciting and the yeti-os were delicious. Sometimes it was hard to hear what the elves were saying due to poor acoustics but great fun nonetheless.

    brittini a.

    Amazing, my kid had a blast. Was great to see him light up with the Christmas spirit and cheer. Staff all friendly and very into character. Pictures with Santa time with the elf's. Mrs claus donuts were are favorite. We got the extra to take home but forgot to get them or they forgot to give so they are mailing them to us. We also got the ornament that all the helpers Santa and Mrs. All signed. Great experience over all, from the bus ride and portal to the end we would love to return next year. They have a gift shop as well.

    Atul S.

    Had to take our son here and overall liked the experience. The staff keeps well engaged. Kids love it and well-managed sequence of events for kids and families. Overpriced store for sure but we ended up getting a couple of items anyways. I wouldn't blame their business model. Overall recommended at least once in a lifetime.

    Mrs Claus

    This experience is really cute. If your kids get restless this might be better for them than the Polar Express train. I would recommend this for the average 4, 5, and 6 year olds. Mine is 7 and while he enjoyed it, i think he's just slightly too old for it to be "magical" - but make the call based on your own kids. The free bear is great but this years bear's face looked a bit like a monkey! You don't need to check in to the bus an hour before! But if you do you can kill time in the North Pole gift shop and the hotel gift shop. Parents please don't bring kids if they can't walk through on their own - they need to be old enough to experience and remember it, if youre spending that much money! I do think the time slots are a bit close together. My recommendations for the people that plan this: (1) build in time for a bathroom break at the beginning upon arrival and at the end before boarding the bus again (2) give the elves mic packs, it was a little hard to hear and you can't keep the kids attention off they can't hear, (3) give more time to the bear dressing, Mrs Claus, and letter writing rooms, as these are more interactive. The pacing for the other rooms are just fine - any longer and you will lose them! All in all, time well spent in Flagstaff, er, the North Pole!

    Jolene C.

    Our family of 7 had an amazing time. From the check in area inside of the Little America Hotel, where the decore was brilliant to take family pics, to the trolley ride through the portal to the North Pole. The entire experience throughout Santa's workshop was amazing!!! My kids had a blast interacting with the elves, Mrs. C, and they had a ton of fun searching for Scout Elves. Meeting Santa was magical! He was just the best interacting and having fun with our entire family. The elves taking our family pics really put in a ton of effort as well to make sure we got a good photo. We will definitely look back on this memory fondly for many years! We highly recommend this Christmas adventure.

    Desiree G.

    I think this experience was far better than the Polar Express Train ride! Each room offers a unique experience. It is very interactive and the kids get a teddy bear!

    Classic toys in the workshop when you first enter

    This was our second year going with our now six year old, and it was incredible both times! Some of the older reviews just do not match our experience. From start to finish, this is a highly immersive and curated experience where even as an adult, I felt the magic. The elves were all great, highly engaged and focused on making the experience memorable. The vintage toys, the sleigh, the reindeer crossing over as you wait for your Santa time - everything just works. Our daughter absolutely loved every second of it, and frankly so did all of the adults! I limited the photos I'm posting, because there are people in most of them and I want to be respectful. But this is absolutely worth the money in my opinion!

    Woah! Check out the mail Santa gets!
    Elleyne M.

    YESSS Las Vegas peeps and anyone looking for a memorable and classic holiday experience like non other! The North Pole Experience checks all the boxes and isn't a world away. Or is it? :) You board the Santa shuttle with other guests and a dedicated team of elves. The elf on the microphone tells you all you need to know about the magic portal that brings you to the North Pole from Arizona within minutes. You arrive to Santa's workshop where you get to help create toys for the workshop, fabulous holiday decorations, delectable donuts, snowman soup aka hot chocolate, a personalized Santa visit with photos, and a keepsake bear before taking the portal back to where you started. I must add that Little America Hotel was wonderful for this experience! This is where the shuttle leaves from and we really liked the accommodations. Furthermore, we had a delicious dinner at the Silver Pines restaurant located on-site and it felt so Christmas everywhere. The decor is beautiful and I highly recommend the experience in the late afternoon or evening so you can see all the glistening lights. Lastly, the staff of elves and their dedication to this experience really makes it all seem so real! If you're looking for a heartfelt, magical, lovely family holiday time, The North Pole experience is it :)

    This was the highlight of the weekend. My grandchildren ages 6 & 8 were totally in awe with this experience. I would recommend doing the polar express first because after the North Pole Experience the polar express was as my 6 year old said" boring". They kids enjoyed every single minute of the North Pole experience. It created a magical atmosphere and pure joy for them. I would recommend this highly for your Christmas season.

    Leslie M.

    Very cute Santa experience in Flagstaff. I took my family and my kiddos loved it. I felt it was kinda crazy being rushed from one room to the next, but I get it. It's like an amusement park and the line/group has to keep moving. My favorite part was meeting Santa. Oh my, he was a great looking Santa and he was so nice. A cute perk was that the kids got Teddy bears. Too cute.

    Timmy H.

    We had a magical experience yesterday at the NPX. My boys are 2 and 7 and unexpectedly, both of them had fun. I was worried we'd feel rushed but it didn't feel like it at all. The kids were dancing and eating with Mrs. Claus, they prepared gifts with the elves and they went to Elf University. Santa Claus (8:20pm 12/7) took his time to listen to what the kids wanted for Christmas. They had so much fun! A recommendation? Do it at night!

    kathy j.

    It was cute. I didnt like that they tell you to be there 45 minutes early and then really you could just arrive on time as we watched groups that did that. I dont like my time being wasted. Kids got a cute bear.

    Santas sleigh
    Courtney L.

    Okay friends! A lot of the reviews on here are SO negative. I find that really sad... I believe the problem that people complain is because they took their kids at an age that is too young. If your child wants to run wild and has difficulties paying attention or respecting rules then this may not be the experience for you until they hit the appropriate age. It's like taking your kids to Disneyland when the are "free" 3 and under I'm sorry but your setting yourself up for a miserable trip, don't doc the establishment or employees because your trying to pinch pennies. This is the same for this experience! You have to remember your not the only one in the room, there has to be a time limit for each family so everyone can "share" the experience. My family and I had a great experience. our son is 12 and daughter is 7, now my son knows the story of Santa but still played into the experience and made it magical for his sister. Each kid develops at different ages so finding that "ideal" age is important for this kind of experience. Personally the ticket prices were decent for the experience that comes with it. I purchased the commemorative ornament (tip- take it with you through the entire experience because the elves will sign it) along with the yetti-O's donut kit. The ornament and the kit are very nice quality for what you pay. From checking in, the trolley (charter bus) ride, to the entrance into santas workshop all the way through the entire experience was so much fun! Each room has something interactive to do, the elves were nice, fun and engaging. I am very big on making sure our family picture is taken with a legit bearded Santa and the one we got to meet was awesome! He was engaging with both kids, a nice bear was given to both of them and questions asked about what they want for Christmas along with what was their favorite part of his workshop? We did not feel rushed at all. They had special touches smells, sounds, little scouter elves in each room that didn't go unnoticed by my husband and I. All these little details added to the experience. We would highly recommend this experience and will do it again I'm sure. Thankfully we chose the perfect age for our daughter before that child's innocent Christmas spirit is gone. My only other tip I would recommend for first timers would be to go at night time. We did an early morning time slot and now having gone through the whole thing I think night time would make the experience even that more magical.

    Elf University

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    Ask the Community - The North Pole Experience

    How much time should we allocate for this experience? We are so excited!!

    We boarded to leave at 2:20. By 4pm were waiting a few minutes for our return trolley, and were back by 4:20.

    Any coupon codes or discounts available for the 2017 year?

    There was a discount code earlier in the season when tickets first went on sale. I am not aware of any coupon or discount codes now.

    What's the best time to take the "tour"? One reviewer said the 540pm was recommended, Wonder why?…

    I have only gone once, and it was during the day. Been told by many, evening is much better. Might be more crowded, but worth it.

    View All 4 Questions

    Review Highlights - The North Pole Experience

    As soon as arriving at Little America hotel, there are signs all around to check in for North Pole experience.

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    Lowell Observatory - Telescope that found pluto

    Lowell Observatory

    4.2(300 reviews)
    2.6 mi

    We've been to Flagstaff so many times now, but never got a chance to visit the Observatory. My son…read morehost a huge fan of physics and space wanted to visit this place. We went just before two hours of the closing time and wish we came in a little earlier. This three floor observatory is so beautiful and informative from the gigantic telescope to play area for the kids it is a must visit for everyone. Our favorite part was looking at the galaxies from the large telescope in the night. We got to see the nebula and it was so cool. It just made us feel how tiny we are in this massive space. I loved how once you buy the tickets you could step out and come back so that's a great advantage to take specially when you want to do both during the day and the night.

    If Yelp allowed it, I'd give Lowell Observatory a billion stars... mostly because that's about how…read moremany we actually saw. The dark skies over Flagstaff reveal more stars than Hollywood on Oscar night. Seriously, you look up and suddenly realize the universe has been showing off this whole time and you've just been missing the show. The telescopes were the real headliners. One was locked onto Jupiter, and we could see it in crystal clarity along with three of its moons just casually hanging out like cosmic roadies. Another telescope pointed us toward the Pleiades--also known as the Seven Sisters--which looked like the universe spilled a little glitter across the sky. The staff deserve their own constellation. Knowledgeable, friendly, and incredibly helpful, they explained everything without making the rest of us feel like we'd failed Astronomy 101. The outdoor show was informative, fun, and moved so quickly we almost forgot we were sitting in the cold... almost. Let's just say the temperature was sub-planetary, but the experience was stellar. Bottom line: if you're anywhere near Flagstaff, orbit on over to Lowell Observatory. It's an out-of-this-world experience that will leave you starry-eyed and over the moon.

    Photos
    Lowell Observatory - Often times conferences and classes are in hotels, just being at the observatory was an awesome experience and I'm curious to see more

    Often times conferences and classes are in hotels, just being at the observatory was an awesome experience and I'm curious to see more

    Lowell Observatory - The conference room is open to the outdoors; at one point there was sun light and they shut the door, but the Forrest was in view. Fresh air

    The conference room is open to the outdoors; at one point there was sun light and they shut the door, but the Forrest was in view. Fresh air

    Lowell Observatory - Driveway to the observatory

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    Driveway to the observatory

    Kitt Recital Hall - Piano soloist on a different date

    Kitt Recital Hall

    5.0(1 review)
    2.0 mi

    This summer my husband and I attended 4 classical music concerts at Kitt Recital Hall: three in…read moreJune and one in September. This is a very well-designed recital hall. The acoustics are excellent. The stage is large. There are no pillars blocking anyone's view. This is a great place to hear a concert. There is an area near the entrance to the recital hall that accommodates people who need handicapped seating. All the seats in the recital hall are comfortable cushioned seats. The incline of the recital hall is fairly steep. This means that you are likely to have an unobstructed view even if a tall person sits in front of you. This also means that you need to be careful when moving to your seat, especially because the rows are spaced fairly close together. It is not easy to get past people who remain seated when you are trying to reach your seat. We usually sit either on the left aisle or right aisle; there is no center aisle. All the concerts we attended had unassigned seats. The lobby could use more seating. None of the lobby seating has backrests, although it is often possible to lean against the lobby wall. The parking is confusing. There is a paid parking garage across the street from the recital hall. We parked there once. The other times we parked in the surface parking lot for the music school. This lot is west of the recital hall. We attended concerts during the summer when the university was not in session. We went to at least one nighttime concert, when we figured classes were not in session. The signs said the surface parking lot was restricted to people with permits, but we never got a ticket. It is not easy for nonstudents like us senior Flagstaff summer visitors to find out about the concerts at Kitt Recital Hall. I don't recall whether I ever saw them advertised on www.flagstaff365.com. I found out about most of them by word of mouth. Tickets are purchased from a Northern Arizona University website. Next summer we will try to locate a NAU music school website, or an NAU events website. The concerts would be better attended if they received more publicity. The excellent June piano concerts were sparsely attended. We attended a September concert that was packed with recently returned students. We always bought our tickets online. There apparently is a box office, but I don't know its hours.

    Photos
    Kitt Recital Hall - We arrived early to get good seats

    We arrived early to get good seats

    Kitt Recital Hall - Many music students attend concerts at Kitt Recital Hall, but the concerts are open to the public

    Many music students attend concerts at Kitt Recital Hall, but the concerts are open to the public

    Kitt Recital Hall - Comfortable but steep seating

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    Comfortable but steep seating

    The North Pole Experience - theater - Updated May 2026

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