There’s a moment, right before the train pulls out of the station at DiDonato’s Family Fun Center, when everything suddenly feels like Christmas. The lights go quiet for a second, the conductor calls out over the crowd, and kids lean forward in their seats as if they already know what’s coming. Then the music starts, the wheels click, and the entire track ahead glows like someone painted Hammonton in pure holiday magic.
DiDonato’s has been doing this winter train ride since 2016, and every year it feels a little bigger, a little warmer, a little more chaotic in that very New Jersey, very family-holiday way. The train cars aren’t fancy, but that’s exactly why people love them. Everyone piles in—coats, hats, strollers, the whole crew—and the conductor gives this small nod before sending the carts into a tunnel of lights that looks like someone emptied an entire Christmas warehouse onto the property.
It’s not a fast ride, which is the point. You glide through these old-town holiday scenes, each one a little brighter than the last, with the kind of decorations that feel like they’ve been collected over years, maybe decades. Kids always find something adults miss—a snowman waving behind a fence, a tiny wooden post office, a house with lights tucked carefully around the window frames. Even if you’ve been before, you usually spot something new.
Some people skip the train at first and head straight into the walkable Holiday Village. It has this slower pace that doesn’t rush you at all. You wander around, hot chocolate in hand, and just sort of take in the whole thing at your own speed. The lights stretch out farther than you expect.
A new thing this year is the Pin Deck, which sits off to the side and feels a little like a nod to parents who have earned a small break. They serve boozy milkshakes—surprisingly good ones—and a big scoop-style sundae that kids instantly get quiet around. There’s also pizza, hot dogs, fries, and the kind of snacks that make sense when you’re out in the cold looking for something warm and simple.
They set up a Holiday Movie Tent, too. It’s not huge, but it’s cozy, and somehow a Christmas movie always hits different when you’re bundled up with winter air drifting in each time someone opens the flap. And before leaving, pretty much everyone ends up poking around the toy market. It has the mix of candy, plush toys, books, and random little holiday novelties that make kids stop and stare.
For 2025, they’re running on a pretty packed schedule: November 15, 16, 21, 22, 23, 28, 29, 30, then straight through December 3 to 23. The doors open at 4:45 p.m., and the whole thing wraps at 8 p.m. most nights. Fridays and Saturdays stretch until 8:45. There’s a last-admittance cutoff too—something worth remembering if you’re driving from farther out.
Prices this year are $22.95 per person Sunday through Friday and $26.95 on Saturdays. Everything’s included: the ride, the lights, the visits, the village, the movie tent, and even a game of bowling. The extra shoe rental doesn’t cost anything either. If you walk up without online tickets, the door price bumps up, and if the night sells out online, that’s it—no walk-ins at all.
Santa’s around, and so are the elves, moving around the workshop with this easy energy. Mrs. Claus shows up too with her own stories and photos. Most kids end up with a little something from Santa, and there’s always a free cookie and a cup of hot chocolate somewhere nearby. There’s even a snowman waiting for pictures near the movie tent.
This season, they’re trying something new—Sensory Nights on December 3 and 4. It’s a toned-down version of the event, quieter, slower, with fewer flashing lights and less noise. A lot of families appreciate that option.
DiDonato’s Family Fun Center sits along 1151 S. White Horse Pike, but at night, you can spot the glow long before you reach the parking lot. It’s the kind of Christmas tradition that doesn’t need advertising. Word of mouth does most of the work.
And once you ride it, the reason becomes obvious.
The New Jersey Digest is a new jersey magazine that has chronicled daily life in the Garden State for over 10 years.