The second annual Christmas at the Ranch is underway in Santa Margarita.
From November 29 through December 22, holiday train rides and attractions will take place at Santa Margarita Ranch.
Railroad Superintendent Jeff Badger said this year's festivities will exceed last year's.
"It's bigger and better than we ever expected from last year," Badger said. "There are several other railroads that run Christmas trains, but not on the scale that we're doing here at Santa Margarita Ranch."
One of the Santa Margarita Ranch owners, Steve Rossi, shared how the two events will differ.
“Last year, we put the whole event together in three weeks, so we did as much as we could to create Santa's barn. This year, we really started putting everything together in February, so we created Santa's Village," Rossi said.
Guests can expect more food vendors and larger gathering spaces this year. An additional steam train and passenger car will also create more opportunities
to ride.
For guests who need an earlier start, train rides start at 3:45 p.m.
"The lights make the magic come alive, but we understand there's some kids that you just don't want to be out late at night, so we did try to do as much as we could visually that also is effective during the day," Rossi said.
Some of those daytime activities include pony rides, letters to Santa, and games like cornhole and Bocce ball.
Tickets must be purchased in advance to come on-site.
Steam train rides cost $40 for adults and $25 for children. Rides in the cab of the steam train cost $100 per person.
You can purchase tickets and view available time slots here.
Proceeds from the event will benefit Vintage Traditions Foundation and AGM Community Partners.
