Santa’s Christmasland at Kraynak’s in Hermitage, Pennsylvania, opened for the 2023 holiday season on Sept. 10.

The 300-foot hall of “rooms” each with a different holiday theme celebrates 60 years, having first opened in 1963.

If you’ve never been, know that the garden center and year-round store delights children of all ages with its incredible displays that include animation, smell, lights and all sorts of decorations.

The displays change yearly (in fact, they also do displays for Easter).

It’s free to walk through, but good luck if you only go to see the display! The garden center transforms into a massive Christmas shop — everything from items for the dog, outdoor decorations and little Christmas village displays. And, of course, toys!

Slide through the photos to see some highlights this year!

If you go…

2525 E State St.
Hermitage, PA, 16148

Hours
Monday through Saturday: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Sundays: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

• The Christmas display is open through Dec. 31.
• Go early. The store and display are open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. It’s best to go early in the day or afternoon as the crowds tend to pick up in the evening.
• Plan for parking. Parking is available, but it might take a bit of going aisle to aisle to find a spot. When it’s crowded, some people park in the shopping center across the street, but fair warning, there are signs posted indicating that parking is for shopping center customers only.
• Find a map in the store or save this image to help you navigate the many, many rooms through this maze. There are so many different areas of the store that it is incredibly easy to get lost. If you’ve ever been in a Las Vegas casino, it’s pretty much like that: you can’t see the exit or daylight, and just when you think you’re nearing the end, another area opens up.
• Wear comfortable shoes. Sure, it’s not the size of a casino or a mall, but with the amount of people and all of the different rooms and stuff to see, you likely will do a lot of standing and walking up and down aisles.
• There are a few registers throughout the store that allow you to check out. I usually have no wait at a main checkout lane and actually saw a line at one somewhere in the depths of the store. But I’ve been told the registers in the main store can back up.
• Unsure when Santa first arrives. Will update when known. Santa is in the very back of the store in a room with no other rooms beyond it. You can get your photo with Santa, and you’re able to take your own photo, but the store requires you to pay for a photo from them before taking your own photo. Makes sense – Santa has to earn some money, too!
• Find a buggy (cart, shopping trolley, etc) or basket early. Once I entered the Christmas displays and then into the store, I could not locate a buggy or basket anywhere, and I needed one very badly.
• Strollers and wheelchairs will fit through the aisles, but it might be a tight fit in some areas. If you’ve got one of those SUV strollers (the two-kid-wide ones), you might want to use something else or be prepared to always say “excuse me” when you bump into someone.
• Be merry! Sure, there are lots of people and noise, but it’s the holiday season and everybody wants to see the spectacular displays and Santa! Take a deep breath, pause, sing “Jingle Bells” and then get your merry on!