Antler Academy
Yes, there really is a town called the North Pole and it’s only a 20 minute drive outside of Fairbanks. As one might expect, this is where you can find Santa’s House. Unlike its geographic counterpart, the town does in fact green up over the summer and if we’re to be honest, Santa’s house in the summer is a bit of a sad sight. It just looks a bit tired and out of place without snow banks and cold winter light. So here’s a photo of it in the winter:
Outside the house is a giant paper-mache-like statue of Santa with very bulgy eyes. We can’t help but feel there needs to be a Christmas themed Ghost Buster’s movie where it comes to life and takes on the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man. It’s worth taking a moment to reflect.
Despite Santa’s generosity on Christmas Day, it turns out he’s quite the capitalist the rest of the year. His house is basically a giant store of Christmas kitsch, mostly comprised of mediocre Christmas baubles and related holiday decor. The good news is, Santa is in the house and he’s the real deal. He’s ready to have a chat with the little ones and do a video with grandma warning the grandkids they’d better heed her words.
Seeing as how we work real hard on year round to keep ourselves on the naughty list, we weren’t here to see Santa (he would have only scolded us!). We were here for the Reindeer!
Just across the parking lot you’ll find the Reindeer Academy, where Santa’s reindeer hang out.
Tours start at the top of every hour and cost $3.50.
Fun fact: Reindeer and Caribou are actually the same species. Reindeer come from a line that were domesticated about 2,000 years ago:
“But while they may be same species, they are not the same animal. In part, this is a difference of geography: reindeer live in northern Europe and Asia and caribou in North America.
Some caribou herds undertake the longest migration of any terrestrial mammal on Earth, covering thousands of kilometers in enormous herds that travel between their breeding and winter grounds in the boreal tundra. These can be large animals that weigh hundreds of kilograms, with sizeable and proud antlers that rival those of moose.
On the other hand, some reindeer herds can live a tame and sedentary life, rarely moving beyond small pastures barely larger than a city block, all while under the watchful eye of their human herder. Like many species when compared to their wild counterparts, domesticated reindeer are docile, short-legged, stocky and seek out the company of humans.”
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The Antler Academy welcomes guests into the pen with the reindeer caretakers. A quick safety tour covers details like “Don’t grab onto their antlers,” and other common sense pointers
The staff are very well informed and are happy to share their wealth of knowledge – if you ask. For the most part they stand back and let you enjoy the close encounter, but if you engage them you’ll find they are most pleased to teach you about these interesting animals.
We learned that a reindeer’s four-toed feet have dewclaws, and that the entire hoof has evolved to spread out to distribute the animal’s weight like snowshoes. They’re also well adapted for digging in the snow.
Staff will provide you with a little cup of food pebbles for the reindeer to nosh on. Much like us anywhere we go, the reindeer are there for the food. No judgement.
They eagerly come up and start reaching for the cup and we just pour it into their mouths. They’re very accustomed to doing this and it goes quite smoothly.
Word of advice from the caretakers – don’t lift the cup over your head to keep it away from them. They may try and clamour onto your shoulders, possibly injuring you in the process. Hey, we get it. If someone held a container of Diane’s Korean Fried Chicken over their head to keep it away from us, we might be willing to take them down too. Again, no judgement from us, Blitzen. Do what ya gotta do.
There’s also a small possibility that they might suck your hand into their mouth while you’re feeding them. Fear not! Other than being gooey, your fingers will be safe. Why, you may ask.
Well, reindeer have no upper front teeth or incisors. They just have a hard palate and small incisors in the front of the lower jaw for nibbling foliage. At the back of the mouth there are large molars on the top and bottom to help grind their forage into a digestable pulp.
If you’re an animal lover or just generally curious about nature, this is well worth the visit!
Open Monday – Friday, from 9:45am – 5:45pm,
with a short closure from 12:30-1:15 for reindeer nap time.
Tours start every hour on the hour except for 1 pm, which starts at 1:15.
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