Santa makes first appearance of the season Thursday at Summit Mall

Santa’s coming! Santa’s coming!

He’s checking over his appointment book twice to see where he’s appearing next. And it seems the Akron area will be dominating much of his social calendar as Christmas draws near.

Those wanting to make a pitch for a Red Ryder BB Gun or a PlayStation 5 or simply have a picture taken with the Jolly ol’ Fella will have ample opportunity.

Santa’s schedule at Summit Mall

Santa arrives at the Summit Mall in Fairlawn on Thursday, Nov. 18 and will greet kids and kids at heart every day through Christmas Eve.

The mall is encouraging folks to make reservations ahead of time at https://www.simon.com/mall/summit-mall or wait socially distanced in line.

Families will have the choice to sit with Santa or maintain a social distance. Masks are optional, but Santa’s helpers will wear them.

Santa at Stan Hywet Hall

Santa will also make regular appearances at Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens at its Deck the Hall nightly event.

The attraction that features hundreds of thousands of outdoor lights and displays along with indoor decorations inside of the stately manor will run from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Nov. 26-28, Dec. 2, Dec. 9-23 and Dec. 26-30.

Santa and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer will appear in the Carriage House Courtyard. Guests can chat with Santa separated by plexiglass as part of Stan Hywet’s COVID-19 protocols. Masks also are required in all indoor spaces.

Admission is required for the Deck the Hall event and must be purchased in advance at  https://www.stanhywet.org/ or by phone at 330-315-3287.

Akron Zoo’s Wild Lights

Santa will be making nightly appearances at the Akron Zoo’s Wild Lights.

The nighttime event runs from 5 to 8 p.m. Nov. 26-28, Dec. 3-5, Dec. 10-12, Dec. 17-23 and Dec. 26-30.

Santa will be at the zoo during Wild Lights through Dec. 23 and then the Grinch, Snow Queen, Snow Princess and Snowman will take over to pose for pictures Dec. 26 through Dec. 30.

For more information or to purchase discounted advance tickets, visit https://www.akronzoo.org/. Tickets are also available at the zoo’s ticket booth.

Castle Noel

Santa loves history and will be a regular fixture over the holidays at the museum in Medina dedicated to all things Christmas.

Castle Noel, located just off Medina’s Historic Square, is home to a collection of Christmas movie memorabilia and Christmas window displays from New York City department stores, along with other holly, jolly stuff and good ol’ Saint Nick himself.

Museum tickets are required to check out the tour that ends with Santa atop a mountain with a slide, ala “The Christmas Story,” to end the day.

For more on Castle Noel and to reserve tickets, visit https://castlenoel.com/.

Santa and Archie the Talking Snowman

Santa will make an appearance at the city of Akron’s Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. the day after Thanksgiving.

The event, which will include fireworks at 7:30 p.m., is the official start of the city’s holiday festivities at Lock 3 in Akron, where the will be miniature golf along with an ice skating rink and other festivities.