The North Pole Experience, which opens its second season on Friday, does more than look the part of a magical journey to Santa's workshop come to life.
Families work alongside Santa's helpers to create actual toys, which are left behind for delivery to area children in need.
And at an elevation of 8,500 feet, real snow frosts the alpine community of Greer through most of December.
"We wanted to build a family tradition," says Scott Pace, a former toymaker who was inspired when his twin daughters, then 5, asked to could go to the "real" North Pole.
Pace and his partners, Allan Johnson and Tucsonan Jeff Saffer, own the century-old Molly Butler Lodge and launched the North Pole Experience last year.
The experience begins with a buffet dinner, followed by a festive trolley ride to a spirited, sensory-loaded destination that's part Norman Rockwell, part "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory."
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Details range from the sound of oversized gears in the workshop to a faucet that dispenses peppermint-scented water. "Each year we're going to make improvements," Pace said.
Storytelling with Mrs. Claus awaits back at the lodge. Families staying at the lodge also see Santa at breakfast the next morning.
The attraction drew "several thousand" in its first season, Pace said, estimating about 22 percent were from Tucson.
"Most of the people coming this year heard about it from friends who went last year," he said. So far, reservations have come in from Australia, England, Germany and Switzerland in addition to around the United States.
Inger Sandal
If you go
• What: The North Pole Experience lets families visit Santa's workshop in Greer.
• When: The experience runs from Friday to Jan. 1. Tickets for 2011 also go on sale Friday.
• Cost: Tickets start at $74; $62 for ages 2 to 18, which includes a buffet dinner at Molly Butler Lodge. Friday and Saturday, the two busiest days, are $10 more. Molly Butler Lodge cabin rental packages start at $440 for a family of four, two adults and two children, and include a night's stay, four dinners and breakfasts with Santa.
• To get there: Greer is about a 245-mile drive from Tucson. Drive north on Oracle Road (Arizona 77), turn west at U.S. 70 (look for signs for Globe). In Globe, be on the lookout for signs and turn east on U.S. 60 toward Show Low. When you're in Show Low, turn east onto White Mountain Boulevard (Arizona 260) through Pinetop-Lakeside and turn south onto Arizona 373, or the Greer turnoff.
• Reservations: 1-888-NPX-SANTA. (1-888-679-7268)
• Bonus: Greer is only 12 miles from Sunrise Ski Resort, which is expected to open in early to mid-December.
