Santa’s Magical Kingdom offers open-air wagon alternatives to carriage rides through Christmas lights near St. Louis. Choose individual seats on our holiday wagon or reserve a private wagon for your family. Our Santa Express Train gives train fans another way to ride on select early-season weeknights.
Quick Answer: Shared wagon and train tickets start at $18 per person. Book a wagon or train ride for two or more people, and we waive your vehicle admission. Our published ride options are wagons and a train; choose these for an open-air lights outing rather than a specifically horse-drawn experience.
Our season runs from November 20, 2026, through January 3, 2027, with separate ride schedules and excluded dates. Compare the current ride schedules before choosing your night.
A Wagon Alternative to Carriage Rides Through Christmas Lights
The appeal of carriage rides through Christmas lights is sharing the view while someone else drives. At our Kingdom in Eureka, the Old Fashioned Holiday Wagon gives your family an open-air view of millions of lights, with everyone free to watch.
The wagon offers 360-degree views without a windshield framing the displays. The parent who usually drives can point things out with the kids. Grandparents can join the outing as passengers, too.
For a family picturing a hayride through Christmas lights, the outdoor wagon format may suit the evening you have in mind. We call it the Old Fashioned Holiday Wagon; the published description does not specify hay-bale seating.
Our Christmas wagon rides near St. Louis depart from Jellystone Park St. Louis Eureka, beside Six Flags, off I-44 at Exit 261. Check our directions and visiting information when planning the trip.
Choose the Ride That Fits Your Family
Start with one decision: do you want individual seats or the wagon to yourselves?
| Ride | Published Price | Capacity | Choose It For |
| Old Fashioned Holiday Wagon | $18 per person | Up to 36 across tandem wagons | Individual seats and larger groups |
| Private Wagon | $75 for the first two, then $18 each | Up to 12 | A wagon reserved for your party |
| Santa Express Train | $18 per person | 24, seated three per row | Train fans visiting on eligible weeknights |
Shared Wagon: Individual Seats With an Open View
An open-air wagon ride lets you book the seats you need without reserving an entire wagon. Other families may join your departure. Each tandem wagon seats 18, with up to 36 riders across the pair.
This is the lower-priced wagon option when your family wants the outdoor experience and does not need exclusive use. A larger party should check available seats together before anyone books separately.
Private Wagon: Just Your Group Aboard
A private wagon ride reserves the wagon for your party. Choose it when the evening brings cousins, grandparents, or visiting relatives together and having your own wagon matters.
The private option costs more than the same number of shared seats. That extra buys privacy, rather than a different published light-show route. Confirm your head count and preferred departure before collecting everyone’s payment.
Santa Express: An Early-Season Train Option
The Santa Express Train runs Monday through Thursday, November 23 through December 10, at 5:30 and 6:00 p.m. Its three-person rows suit a different seating arrangement from the wagons.
Choose this ride around the train schedule first. If your family needs a weekend or a later December visit, compare the available wagon departures. Our Santa Express guide covers the train in more detail.
What Your Ride Booking Covers
When you book a wagon or train ride for two or more people, we waive your vehicle admission fee. You pay for the ride instead of adding the standard family-vehicle admission to that booking.
Driving through without a ride costs $35 per family vehicle Sunday through Friday or $40 on Saturday. Ride tickets follow the per-person or private-wagon pricing above. Check your final checkout total before paying.
The reason to choose a ride is the experience: everyone watches together while someone else drives. The admission waiver makes the offer easier to compare, but does not mean a ride always costs less than driving.
Children age 2 and under ride free on an adult’s lap. If your group arrives in several vehicles, call 636-938-5925 to confirm how the waiver applies to your arrangement.
Plan Your Alternative to Carriage Rides Through Christmas Lights
Choose an operating ride date before promising the children a particular evening. The light show opens nightly during the season, but the rides have their own calendars.
The shared wagon has no rides on December 5, 11, 12, 13, 18, 19, 20, 23, or 24. Private wagons exclude December 5, 12, 19, 20, 23, and 24.
Shared wagons start at 6:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday through December 10. After December 10, and on operating Friday through Sunday nights, they start at 5:30 p.m. Departures continue every half hour until 10:00 p.m.
Private wagons run every half hour from 5:30 to 10:00 p.m. on operating dates. An advertised operating night does not guarantee space on your preferred departure.
Check available rides and reserve your departure once your family agrees on the date.
Arrive for Check-In, Then Browse
Arrive 30 minutes before your ride. For a 5:30 p.m. departure, the published arrival time is 5:15 p.m.
- Drive into the Kingdom as though you are touring the lights in your car.
- After the first tunnel, tell the team member at the Gingerbread House that you have a ride reservation.
- Park where directed, then check in at the desk inside Kringle’s General Store.
Rides leave on schedule. If traffic delays you, call 636-938-5925; a later departure may not have space. Finish check-in before shopping or joining another line.
Dress for Sitting Outdoors
Bring warm layers, hats, gloves, and footwear suited to the forecast. Keep children’s extra layers within reach for the walk from parking to boarding.
We provide blankets, and you may bring your own. Choose the ride with the weather in mind: rides run rain or shine. Guest cancellations and refunds are unavailable unless SMK cancels because of snow, ice, or other unforeseen circumstances.
Add Cocoa, Santa Photos, and the Drive Afterward
Your ride night can include more than boarding and heading home. The rides skip the added half-mile section of the Kingdom, but ride guests may drive back through before leaving. That pass lets you see the section with the third tunnel from your own car.
Keep closing time in mind when choosing a late departure. The show closes at 10:30 p.m. through December 24 and at 10:00 p.m. from December 25 through January 3.
At Kringle’s General Store, browse gifts and personalized ornaments. The snack shack serves freshly baked chocolate chip cookies and hot cocoa. Because rides board at the store, a treat can fit around your reservation without another drive.
Professional Santa photos run nightly inside Kringle’s from November 20 through December 23. Treat photos and snacks as separate purchases when planning your budget.
Bring your child’s wish list for the North Pole Mailbox during the drive afterward. Then give the evening a personal follow-up at home.
Turn the Outing Into a Personal Message From Santa
A personalized letter from Santa gives your child something to open after the lights night ends. Our Letters from Santa service uses details about your child, including their name, accomplishments, interests, and Christmas wishes.
Use a real detail rather than a broad compliment. Perhaps your child helped a younger sibling get ready, shared a blanket, or tried something new that evening. Describe what actually happened when you provide the personalization details.
That gives the message a connection to your family’s Christmas. The ride supplies the shared experience; the letter can recognize the small moment you were proud of.
You can choose a classic and warm, playful and funny, or heartfelt tone. Preview the letter before completing your order so you can check the details and wording. The service offers digital delivery or a printed letter by mail; review the current options when ordering.
The mailbox and the personalized-letter service are separate. Dropping off a wish list does not automatically order a reply, and a ride reservation does not include a personalized letter. A parent or guardian places that order separately.
Create your child’s personalized Santa letter using a detail from this year’s outing.
Reserve the Ride, Then Give the Memory a Follow-Up
For an open-air alternative to carriage rides through Christmas lights, choose shared seats or a wagon reserved for your family. Settle the date and departure first, then leave room for the drive afterward and the extras your family wants.
Book your ride through the lights. After your visit, bring one detail from the evening into a personalized message from Santa.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are These Horse-Drawn Carriage Rides?
SMK lists wagons and a train as alternatives to carriage rides through Christmas lights. The published descriptions do not establish horse-drawn service.
Does the Wagon Have Hay Seating?
SMK’s alternative to a hayride through Christmas lights is the holiday wagon. Its published description does not specify seating on hay bales.
Can Our Party Join a Shared Departure?
An open-air wagon ride allows individual seat bookings rather than a whole-wagon reservation. Confirm enough seats remain together before booking for several households.
What Does Private Use Mean?
A private wagon ride reserves the wagon for your group of up to 12. Choose private use when sharing with other parties would not suit.
Which Ride Has Three-Person Rows?
The Santa Express Train seats three per row, with 24 riders overall. Consider that layout when deciding how your family will sit together.
Can We Ride With a Baby?
Children age 2 and under ride free on an adult’s lap. Consider the outdoor conditions when deciding whether the outing suits your baby.
Must We Reserve Ahead?
Book SMK’s alternatives to carriage rides through Christmas lights online for a scheduled departure. Do not assume another departure will have space for your party.
What Time Should We Arrive?
Arrive 30 minutes before departure, except for 5:30 p.m. riders, who should arrive at 5:15 p.m. Check in before browsing at Kringle’s.
Can We Cancel for Rain?
Rides operate rain or shine. The published policy permits no guest cancellations or refunds unless SMK cancels for snow, ice, or unforeseen circumstances.
Do Two Riders Still Pay Car Admission?
SMK waives vehicle admission when you book a wagon or train ride for two or more people. Confirm arrangements for multiple vehicles before paying.
Does the Ride Include Every Display?
The ride skips the added half-mile section. Guests may drive back through before leaving to see that section, subject to the show’s closing time.
Can Santa Mention Our Evening?
A letter from Santa uses details you provide about your child. Include a real moment from the outing and check the preview before ordering.
Does the Mailbox Order a Reply?
Dropping a wish list in the North Pole Mailbox does not place an order. A parent or guardian orders the personalized reply separately.
