Santa will be arriving on Saturday, December 1 at approximately 12:30 pm in his special “sleigh”! After arriving, Santa will stroll into the museum’s Main Gallery where visitors may have their picture taken with him. Holiday arts and crafts will be available for adults and children throughout the museum, including a card making station. This year the U.S.Postal Service is joining the fun to help celebrate the season and the 100th Anniversary of airmail! Children of all ages can add a festive seasonal flair to their holiday cards or letters with a special postmark to commemorate the Santa Fly-In event and the 100th anniversary of airmail. USPS will offer an assortment of holiday and Air Mail stamps. Any letters postmarked during Santa Fly-In must be received by the USPS at the museum. For any parent looking for a reply from Santa to their child’s letter — complete with a North Pole postmark — our postal elves have got you covered. Just follow these steps:
1. Have your child write a letter to Santa and place it in an envelope addressed to: Santa Claus, North Pole.
2. Later, when alone, open the envelope and write a personalized response.
3. Insert the response letter into an envelope and address it to the child.
4. Add the return address: SANTA, NORTH POLE, to the envelope.
5. Affix a First-Class Mail stamp to the envelope.
6. Place the complete envelope into a larger envelope — preferably a Priority Mail Flat Rate envelope — with appropriate postage and address it to:
North Pole Postmark Postmaster 4141
Postmark Drive Anchorage, AK 99530-9998
Visitors who want to get a good viewing location inside the museum to see Santa fly in are encouraged to arrive well before the anticipated arrival time. Online ticket purchase is available via the Calendar of Events on the College Park Aviation Museum’s website.
Parking is free at the nearby airport lots and the museum/airport is walkable from the College Park – UMD Metro station.
Admission is a flat rate of $5/person, including children.
The Museum Shop is open for holiday shopping from 10 am – 5 pm.