10 Kid-Friendly Things To Do at Six Flags’ Holiday in the Park

The 4th edition of the Holiday in the Park winter festival at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson NJ is running now through January 1st, with more than a million glittering lights, dazzling holiday entertainment, delicious seasonal treats, Santa’s village and many of the park’s most popular rides.

It’s also a family favorite for us and we had the pleasure to take our two young boys there for a magical evening. So here are the best things to do when visiting with kids:

1. The Christmas Tree in the Main Plaza

Just as you pass the entrance gates, you’ll see the 50-foot tall Christmas Tree, and every half hour you can enjoy a spectacular light show with special effects and holiday music. It’s a great way for Six Flags to welcome its visitors. Around it, take pictures with the characters or revel in the falling snow.

2. The Carousel

It’s always a big attraction for kids. The carousel in the “Gingerbread Junction” is dressed up in brights lights, and you’ll get there by walking past the candy-cane lighted trees, to the left of the Christmas tree. Let them enjoy a spin or, why not, join them!

3. Deck the Halls

Keep going past the Carousel and you’ll get to the Deck the Halls area (by the carnival games alley), where everything is supersized! First walk through a giant inflatable snowman and then be dazzled by going inside an enormous ornament, standing next to a towering stack of presents, or taking photos with gigantic toys.

4. Take Pictures with Characters

Everywhere you go, you’ll meet holiday characters who are eager to take pictures with your kids. And you don’t have to wait much, there’s rarely more than 2-3 families in line. You’ll meet gingerbread people, the toy soldiers on stilts, the peppermint princess, Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, and many more. Your kids will quickly spot them!

5. Mirror Maze

A new addition in 2018, this is one of the coolest holiday attractions, which will delight kids and parents alike. You’ll have to walk back past the big tree, and it will be on your right as you head towards the Ferris Wheel. There’s complete mayhem inside as you get lost in the maze and spin around among dozens of reflections of you and your crew. Is it a passage? A window? A mirror? You’ll bump around a lot as you try to find out. Being new, it was probably our favorite Holiday in the Park attraction. This requires an separate fee of $5.

6. Ferris Wheel

What’s an amusement park without it’s Ferris Wheel? By taking the ride in the evening, you’ll see all the magical lights around you, with the close-by Polar Point and glowing-red Skull Mountain, the Christmas Tree and its light show, and the million of lights that are covering the park. Be careful because it can get cold at the top, especially when you stop for loading more passengers.

7. The Skyway

The cable car that takes visitors between the two ends of Great Adventure becomes a simple ride that does a round trip to the Frontier Adventures station (which is closed, so no unloading there). It’s yet another way to enjoy the full display of Six Flags’ Holiday in the Park decorations as you glide over the park. The kids will love playing Marco Polo in the dark with the oncoming gondolas!

8. Bumper Cars

Next to the Skyway station and the Ferris Wheel are another perennial family favorite, the bumper cars. Lines will be much shorter during this winter festival so don’t hesitate to take advantage of that, maybe do 2 rides!

9. Justice League Ride

Many coasters are open for Holiday in the Park, but if you want one that both adults and little children will enjoy you have to to Justice League: Battle for Metropolis. It’s an indoor ride without big accelerations or flips, just sitting in a car and shooting at various targets with laser guns. But there’s a lot of excitement, like in a 4-D simulator: quick turns, simulated car chases, surprises popping out everywhere (barrels rolling, a honking truck), making it quite enjoyable for the parents as well. And it gives kids a taste of adventure.

10. Poinsettia Peak and Polar Point

One of the main pathways of the park, to the right of the big tree, goes from the glittering blue lights of Polar Point, past the Ferris wheel to the bright red Poinsettia Peak, anchored by the red lit Skull Mountain and a big poinsettia tree. Along the way there are vendors, Santa’s house, characters for pictures and light shows.

More information about Holiday in the Park is available at www.sixflags.com/greatadventure

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