I have only been to the Constitution Village during the Christmas season when they have the Santa's Village. I loved it as much as my children! They have several activities for the kids and the decorations are perfect. The staff is friendly and everything is well maintained. I do recommend getting there early or be prepared for lines.
It was a very enjoyable time with my four grandsons aged 5-9. It was quite crowded. The attractions were cute. Reindeer were great. There were lots of Picture taking scenes such as snowmen to put your face in, Santa's sleigh to sit in, presents to stand in front of, etc. Frosty the Snowman and the Gingerbread man were walking around waving at the kids. Ms. Claus was very nice; she had a very soothing voice and was a joy to listen to as she read the children a story. They got to write a wish list for Santa and place it in the special mail box. Elves walked around through out the village. Gift shop was crowded but seemed to have lots to choose from. Parking is off the street and you must walk a little ways to get to the entrance. Tickets (5 dollars each) can be bought on line or when you get there. We spent about 2 hours there but could have been less if there were not so many people. We did not stay in line to see Santa because of the crowds BUT we did find a back entrance and were able to see him up close as he saw the other children..my kids were fine with that.
We only went here at Christmas when they had Santa's Village. It rocks! My kids are older now, but still want to go. Don't miss it if you've got little ones.
If you are interested in History. This is the place you might want to visit coming to Huntsville. I took my dad and we had a great time. The staff ist wonderful and has great stories to tell. If you like to know how things worked in the past you will love this place. We took tons of pics. They also have a little gift store.
A very engaging staff, very knowledgable, accessible, and willing to take a million questions! There are many great historical exhibits, really nice buildings, excellent facilities! Definitely worth the trip!
We have been before, but this year our kids are 5=4 and 6. Our 4 year old still loved it and thought everything was great. Our 6 year old said it was "babyish." We got there right when they opened and stood in line to see Santa for about half an hour. They had a cartoon playing for the kids to watch in line. I loved the Santa. He was very kind and genuine. You can see your pictures online the next day to decide if you want to buy them but they also let you take your own. So nice!Mrs. Clause read a story. We wrote Santa a letter asking for toys. The reindeer smelled awful. Ha! The snow machines were okay. The craft was not as good this year. It was just a bookmark to color with crayons. Gingerbread cookies with icing. And goofy characters dressed up...that my 4 year old liked. Not a good place for strollers - too crowded. Food to purchase is mostly sweets. $5 a person to get in.
4 of us "older" adults did the Twickenham Breakfast Trolley while I had guests visiting. Overall, it was a good experience but wedging into the small seating was near excruciating! The trolley is apparently made for folks of that time period and not for the 5'8"+ that each of us are. They also had the oft mentioned issues of it being quite warm in there and the annoying static from the wireless microphone that deterrred from the overall experience. Narrator was good,driver was careful, all the folks at Constituion Village check in were friendly and helpful, the trip was informative and interesting, but I think I'll walk next time.
The site is a re-creation of the buildings that stood in this area of town, so it it disappointing from a historic perspective that none of the buildings are original. The period-costumed guides do an excellent job of conveying the history of the constitutional convention. However, the tour seems more geared towards kids and family and less for history enthusiasts who want to learn about Alabama becoming a state.
We took my fiance's 19 month old granddaughter to Santa's Village Saturday night. They opened at 5 and we thought if we arrived at 5, we woud avoid some of the long lines...wrong! It From the time we arrived to get in the ticket line, then moved straighted into the line to see Santa, it took 1.5 hours. Fortunately, a friend of mine happened to be in line in front of us so we enjoyed talking to her and her boyfriend and son while we waited. Santa was the real deal and the photographer worked hard to try to get the baby to look at him for the picture. I think the part she enjoyed the most was seeing all the other children while we were in line and getting the candy cane after pictures. Next was Ms. Clause's Kitchen - I think if Mrs. Clause had been in the kitchen and if the girls that were helping with the cookies were dressed as elves, it would have been better, but she liked the cookie. Overall, this was a fun event, but not as much going on as in past years when I'd taken my now almost grown children.
My niece asks me every year to take her to Santa's Village! She loves decorating (and eating) a cookie, looking at the live reindeer, having her picture made with all the characters, and writing her letter to Santa. The line for Santa is a little long, and we haven't waited in the past, but it's a neat experience! Also, we love the fake snow!