We found a winter wonderland in the middle of Pennsylvania that is absolutely worth the drive!
Koziar’s Christmas Village is situated on a farm in a very rural area of Bernville, Pennsylvania. The farm doesn’t open until after dusk. The first awesome part of your trip is driving down a dark, vacant road and coming upon acres of magical holiday lights. That’s when you know you’ve reached the Tri-State Area’s version of the North Pole.
There are more than a million lights that illuminate the Koziar property, lining everything from the lake to the barns to the walkways to the trees. When you pull up, you see Santa scaling the side of a silo. Character versions of Rudolph and Frosty greet you to say hello. There are very clean, very spacious restrooms to the right of the entrance, alongside the first set of snack shops and gift shops. Then, you get to follow the arrows around the pathways to check out every corner of this dazzling scene.
There are both indoor and outdoor train displays. You’ll get to tap into some nostalgia at the areas dedicated to Raggedy Anne, Charlie Brown and The Wizard of Oz.
Displays show what Christmas would be like in the jungle, under the sea, in the Wild West, in the mountains or in a city.
There are international displays as well, showing how Christmas is celebrated around the world, including at the beginning of time in the prehistoric dino area, and in the time of Jesus through the Nativity. You can read about “The Little Drummer Boy” or the story of “The Nutcracker,” or even learn about Christmas in Revolutionary War times.
There’s a special pathway that has each scene from “The Twelve Days of Christmas” painted on the building wall, with interactive displays on the opposite side. One of the prettiest windows showed dancing marionettes for 10 Lords A’Leaping.
You can pick up a hot drink at a snack shack or buy Koziar’s merch like hats and gloves. Spoiler alert: the gift shops are gorgeous! Each is set up with its own decorations of Christmas trees, stuffed dolls, nutcrackers and train sets. Even if you don’t buy anything (which you definitely will!), you’ll want to spend a few minutes browsing.
You can spend two hours, easily, walking around and taking in the sights and sounds. Christmas carols play in different areas of the park. There are plenty of designated photo ops, but you can take a picture anywhere and you’ll have the perfect backdrop for your family Christmas card.
There are many snack shops throughout the village that sell everything from hot dogs and nachos to hot cocoa to fudge and popcorn, but considering the drive is anywhere from 60 to 120 minutes from Central Jersey, you should pack some snacks for the ride. There are shopping centers and a Wawa nearby, but a lot of the drive is open highway.
Koziar’s celebrated its 75th anniversary last year, and has won the 2021 Best of the Best Award from the American Bus Association, the “Must See” Award from PA Holiday Attractions and has been featured on The Today Show.
Koziar’s Christmas Village is located at 782 Christmas Village Rd., Bernville, PA. The season begins the first weekend of November; hours through Thanksgiving are 6-9 pm Fridays, 5:30-9:30 pm Saturdays and 5-9 pm Sundays. From Thanksgiving through January 1, the hours change to 6-9 pm Mondays-Fridays, 5-9:30 pm Saturdays and 5-9 pm Sundays. Tickets start at $11 but there is an additional $4 fee on prime nights.
Check out the beautiful village on Instagram.
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