For our final stop on our coast-to-coast Christmas tour this holiday season, I headed up to Valencia today for Six Flags Magic Mountain's "Holiday in the Park." Holiday in the Park has been running since November 23, but today was the first day of the "Taste of Holiday in the Park" food festival, which brought me - and my appetite - to Magic Mountain.
Taste of Holiday in the Park features more than two dozen specialty food items, but you can't buy them individually. The "tastes" are available in packages of six and 10, with six tastings selling for $29.99 and the 10 for $39.99. (If you have Six Flags' All Season Dining Pass, you can get the packages for $10 and $15, respectively, with the use of a Meal and Snack credit.) Tastings are served in three main locations around the park: Full Throttle Sports Bar, Ace O Clubs, and Twisted Wiches, with additional soups, snacks, and desserts also available at Plaza Ice Cream & Shakes, Twin Charged Tacos, and Snack Trax. (Look for the "Taste of Holiday in the Park" sign for the separate serving area at each location — don't get into the main queues.)
The festival runs from 1-7pm daily through December 29. The timing's a bit odd in that 1pm is already getting late for lunch, and a 7pm close means no late-evening snacking. And there is no way that I am eating 10 tastes of anything by myself in six hours — even six tastes in that time is a stretch. So I would suggest sharing a package and making this a progressive dinner around the park.
My picks? Of the items I ate today, two wowed me. First, the Honey Buttered Ham Biscuit Sandwich at Full Throttle Sports Bar.
It's a buttery, flaky biscuit (yeah, I went there), filled with spiral-sliced ham, Swiss cheese, and a touch of honey butter. And it will haunt my dreams now, for it was so good. But it wasn't even my favorite thing today, since that honor goes to the Deep Fried Caramel Apple Pie at Ace O Clubs.
Screw you, Ronald, for getting rid of your fried pies. This beauty reminded me why fried apple pies were the number-one dessert of my youth. Drizzled with caramel sauce and topped with a dollop of ice cream, this treat made me feel young enough to spend an entire day riding roller coasters.
And what better time and place to do that? While the main appeal of Holiday in the Park lies with its Christmas lights, let's not overlook that this is the perfect time of year to visit Magic Mountain. My Theme Park Misery Index is equal to major rides' average wait time plus the day's average temperature. (Anything over 200 screams "help me!") With most top wait times and the temperatures coming in under 60 today, though, this day itself seemed like Santa's gift to roller coaster fans.
But let's not forget those lights.
The big show happens every 10 minutes in DC Universe, where Magic Mountain runs its "Rockin' Universe" production.
If you would prefer live music performances, you will find them at "Snowy Nights" at the Full Throttle Plaza.
At several locations around the park, you can toast marshmallows for S'mores over fire pits.
And the Toy Soldiers have a smile and a wave for everyone in Holiday Square, at the park's entrance.
There's plenty to see throughout the park, which is good because I needed to walk off that fried pie. Holiday in the Park starts nightly at 5pm and is included with park admission. It runs through January 5.
Get Tickets: For discount tickets to Six Flags Magic Mountain, visit our officially authorized Six Flags Magic Mountain tickets page.
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