Walking into a Christmas wonderland is how you feel when visiting The Village at Anne Ellen Christmas Tree Farm for the first time. It’s a truly magical place, from the life-size gingerbread house and the miniature Village decked out like a Hallmark movie to a hayride with lights all around. There’s so much packed into their Village that you can spend hours visiting Santa’s house, the post office, a life-sized igloo, his sleigh, and picking out a fresh-cut tree from the farm. Read on for more about our trip to the farm, which felt like we entered into a real-life Hallmark movie (minus the snow). (featured photo taken at Anne Ellen Christmas Tree Farm)

Spend The Evening In This Winter Wonderland

Take in the thousands of lights

There are over 30,000 Christmas lights on the property, and once November starts, the entire farm gets a glow-up with trees, decorations, and an illuminated walking path. It’s truly beautiful, and as the lights move in the trees, they look like falling snowflakes, adding to the atmosphere of a picture-perfect holiday village. 

Enjoy Santa’s 4D sleigh ride

Want to feel the magic of Christmas? New this year to The Village is a 4D sleigh ride for everyone to enjoy. And this isn’t just any sleigh ride—join Santa on an immersive journey where you fly through the night sky, help him deliver presents around the world, and take in his flight firsthand. You will experience the whoosh of the wind, the twinkling stars, and the jingling of the bells, feeling like you are truly part of Santa’s magic sleigh ride. 

Get on board at the Train Room

The Village has charming buildings like a life-sized gingerbread house, an igloo, and Santa’s house. But one of our favorite stops was the Train Room. In this building, a miniature village is set up, resembling a small town you see in a Hallmark movie. Every detail is included, from different shops and places to people and snow, and we enjoyed looking over the scenes and finding small parts, like a horse-drawn carriage and people skating in each snowy vignette. We followed along, pointing out every adorable spot as we watched the train race through the tracks. 

Write to Santa at the North Pole Postal Company

We followed the path and found the North Pole Postal Company, with pieces of paper and pencils so kids have a chance to write their letters to Santa (and the adults could, too!) Inside the Postal Company is an old-school postal sorting wall with spots for mail, set up to look exactly like a Post Office. The best part? My daughter finished her letter, put it in the mailbox, pressed the button, and watched the letter fly to the North Pole on the large television on the wall—it was a total wow moment, and the kids around us were all in awe of the display. Although we didn’t get a visit with the big guy, we did see him from afar, and families were gathered around while kids sat next to him on his couch for a memorable photo. 

Play around with light-up games

Once we left the post office, we headed to the bridge over the glowing river, where we passed Santa’s Coal Mine, a walk-through experience where Santa’s elves are hard at work. As you enter, you’ll hear the sounds of the workers mining the coal that fuels Santa’s sleigh and see etchings on the wall drawn by some of the most notable elves in Santa’s crew. Next up is the Christmas Shooting Range, where you can watch your “bullets” turn the targets into beautiful colors. Each kid receives a gel blaster and goggles before standing at the ready and taking turns shooting gel bullets at the targets—the color changes when they hit the mark, making such a fun design. My daughter loved emptying her gel blaster and watching the targets get lit up in vivid and bright hues. 

Stop for a sweet surprise 

We walked past the hot cocoa area to the Candy Cane Factory, a walk-through display featuring Santa’s elves busy at work making the holiday favorite sweet. Down the way is the Maple Shack, which goes through the steps to making the delicious treat, from finding suitable trees for tapping on the farm to boiling the sap to make the syrup. After leaving the Village, we checked out all the trees waiting to be taken home and decorated. Besides the pre-cut trees, you can also cut down your own from the field with a hand saw they provide at the stand. We also made sure to stop in the shops (there are three), which offer a fantastic display of holiday decor, ornaments, toys, and food. 

What to know before you go

The Anne Ellen Christmas Tree Farm Village is open until December 30, Wednesday through Sunday, from 5 PM to 10 PM. It is recommended to dress in layers because everything is outside and there are no heaters in The Village. Tickets are $23.46 for 13+, $12.80 for children aged 3 to 12, and free for those 2 and under. Tickets should be purchased online ahead of time for a time slot. In the event of bad weather, the Village can close, so make sure to check ahead on social media. You can visit the shops until December 30, which are open daily. And don’t miss an opportunity to visit the tree farm to find the perfect Christmas tree— the farm is open 9 AM-8 PM from Monday-Sunday through December 24. You do not need a reservation to visit the tree farm or the shops.

Learn more about the Anne Ellen Christmas Tree Farm Village on their website, Facebook or Instagram.

Anne Ellen Christmas Tree Farm
114 Daum Rd.
Manalapan Township, NJ 07726