Rally the corgi has sniffed out the best Christmas events for kids in Ridgedale for 2026, and here is what he found: 2 family events. They are Christmas Lights Scavenger Hunt (November 11) and Grinch Takeover Kids' Club (November 11). We check every date on the host’s own website, and each listing links straight there. For the rest of the state, see our Missouri Christmas events for kids guide.
What Rally found in Ridgedale
- 2 Christmas events for kids in Ridgedale
- Season: November 11
- Every date checked on the host’s own site on Nov 10
What are you looking for?
All 2 events
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Ticketed and paid Christmas events for kids in Ridgedale
Admission, tickets or a fee apply. Where a host has not posted a price yet, the listing says so.
Holiday lights
Christmas Lights Scavenger Hunt
- When: Wednesday, November 11, 2026, 7 to 8 pm
- Where: Swimmin' Hole Lawn, Big Cedar Lodge, 190 Top of the Rock Road, Ridgedale, MO 65739 (opens in maps)
- Cost: No price listed on the organizer's page
Expand to see the parent tip
Teams of family and friends solve riddles that send them racing between holiday light displays around the Big Cedar Lodge property. Each stop calls for a team picture before the next clue, and the finish line is back at the Swimmin' Hole Lawn. The top three teams win prizes, and every group that finishes gets a glowing consolation prize.
The hunt is on Wednesday, November 11, 2026 from 7:00 to 8:00 pm. It is open to overnight guests and to the public. The page does not list a price or any sign-up.
Parent tip: This is an hour of moving around the resort grounds after dark in November, so dress kids in warm layers and shoes they can run in. Bring a phone with battery left, since every clue stop needs a team photo.
- Host
- Big Cedar Lodge (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Swimmin' Hole Lawn, Big Cedar Lodge, 190 Top of the Rock Road, Ridgedale, MO 65739 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Ridgedale events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Ridgedale daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Ridgedale.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy policy (opens in a new tab)
Rally’s Christmas research
Rally the corgi has 1 more Ridgedale event researched for you.
- New events every week We research new events daily and send you one email a week with the new ones we find in Ridgedale.
- Exclusive access to free events Find the free Christmas events in Ridgedale before they fill up.
- Unlock the filters Find Santa visits, free events and weekend plans in one tap.
- Rally’s Christmas Eve Express and a free advent calendar Get early access to Rally the corgi’s Christmas Eve tracker, plus a free digital advent calendar to count down to Christmas.
- One-tap add to calendar Save any event to your Google, Apple or Outlook calendar so you never miss it.
Coming up on this page
- 1 Lights
- 1 Crafts
- 1 Story time
- 1 Zoos and museums
Enter your email to get new Christmas events in Ridgedale every week.
Holiday event
Grinch Takeover Kids' Club
- When: Wednesday, November 11, 2026, 5 to 8 pm
- Where: Kids' Nature Discovery Center at Fun Mountain, Big Cedar Lodge, 190 Top of the Rock Road, Ridgedale, MO 65739 (opens in maps)
- Cost: No price listed on the organizer's page
Expand to see the parent tip
The Grinch and his crew take over the Kids' Adventure Club at Big Cedar Lodge for an evening of holiday crafts, games, music and stories, with a few Grinch-style surprises along the way. The playful question running through the night is whether his heart will grow three sizes before it ends.
The resort calendar lists it for Wednesday, November 11, 2026 from 5:00 to 8:00 pm at the Kids' Nature Discovery Center at Fun Mountain. The page gives no price, age range or booking details, so call Big Cedar Lodge at (800) 225-6343 before you go.
Parent tip: Three hours over the dinner hour is a long stretch for young kids, so ask the resort ahead of time whether food is included and whether parents stay or drop off. The page does not give an age range, so confirm that too.
- Host
- Big Cedar Lodge (opens in a new tab)
- Address
- Kids' Nature Discovery Center at Fun Mountain, Big Cedar Lodge, 190 Top of the Rock Road, Ridgedale, MO 65739 (opens in maps)
- Confirmed
- On the host’s page, checked
New Ridgedale events every week
Rally researches Christmas events in Ridgedale daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Ridgedale.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy policy (opens in a new tab)
We check every event above on the host’s own page for the date, time and cost, plus the things parents ask about, like sign-ups and ages. Looking for a Santa train instead? Those are on our Missouri Christmas train rides page.
See every event on a December calendar
Plan your December
When each Ridgedale Christmas event for kids happens
The first is Christmas Lights Scavenger Hunt in Ridgedale on November 11; the last runs to November 11. Each bar spans an event’s dates, not every hour in them, so check the host’s page for times.
- Christmas Lights Scavenger HuntRidgedale · Nov 11
- Grinch Takeover Kids' ClubRidgedale · Nov 11
Looking further afield? Our Missouri Christmas events for kids guide lists every event we have found in the state, and we have city guides for Springfield, MO, Neosho, Joplin and Climax Springs. The national search sorts every event by distance from your town.
A story for the drive home
A morning with Santa or an evening of holiday stories tends to end the same way: tired kids, a long drive and one more book before bed. Our picture book follows Rally the corgi on his first train ride to see his grand-paw-rents, and every page is painted by hand. If your family is spending December missing someone, it was written for that too. For the car, print our free corgi and train coloring pages.
A bedtime story after seeing SantaRally Takes the Train is a five-minute rhyming picture book about a corgi’s first ride on a California train, hand-painted in watercolor. $16.99 on Amazon, ages 0 to 8.
Buy on Amazon2026 Christmas events are coming in late November
More Christmas events arrive in late November. We add them here as soon as we confirm them.
The story of Christmas in Ridgedale
Ridgedale sits about ten miles south of Branson on U.S. Route 65, roughly half a mile north of the Arkansas state line. Christmas activity for families here is found at Big Cedar Lodge, the resort on Top of the Rock Road that fills its calendar with Santa photos, a Grinch evening and a hunt through its light displays.
How Ridgedale celebrates
Christmas in Ridgedale centers on Big Cedar Lodge, the resort at 190 Top of the Rock Road that Wikipedia lists among the community's attractions. Its event calendar opens the season in November 2026 with Photos with Santa in the Falls Lodge Lobby on November 10. The following evening the Grinch takes over the Kids' Adventure Club at the Kids' Nature Discovery Center at Fun Mountain, and a Christmas Lights Scavenger Hunt sends teams around the property's holiday light displays before finishing on the Swimmin' Hole Lawn. The resort runs all three, and it states that the scavenger hunt is open to the public as well as overnight guests.
Fun facts about Christmas in Ridgedale
Ridgedale is an unincorporated community in southern Taney County and part of the Branson micropolitan area. Its first post office opened in 1912 and closed the same year, then reopened in 1933 and has stayed open since. The community is home to the Big Cedar Lodge golf resort, owned by Johnny Morris, the owner of Bass Pro Shops.
Traditions today
- Photos with Santa at Falls Lodge: Santa meets families in the Falls Lodge Lobby at Big Cedar Lodge on November 10, 2026 for an afternoon of photos.
- Christmas Lights Scavenger Hunt: Teams solve riddles among the resort's holiday light displays and race back to the Swimmin' Hole Lawn on November 11.
- Grinch Takeover Kids' Club: The Grinch and his crew host an evening of holiday crafts, games, music and stories at the Kids' Adventure Club on November 11.
A fact for kids
Ridgedale's first post office opened and closed in the very same year, 1912. It did not come back until 1933, and it has been open ever since.
Questions about Christmas in Ridgedale
When was Ridgedale founded?
The Wikipedia article gives no founding date for Ridgedale. The earliest date it records is 1912, when the community first had a post office. That office closed the same year, reopened in 1933 and has remained open continuously since then.
Is Ridgedale a town?
Ridgedale is an unincorporated community rather than an incorporated town. It lies in southern Taney County, Missouri, and is part of the Branson micropolitan area. Its ZIP code is 65739, which is the one Big Cedar Lodge uses in its address.
Where is Ridgedale, Missouri?
Ridgedale lies approximately ten miles south of Branson on U.S. Route 65, about one-half mile north of the Arkansas state line. It is in southern Taney County, and Big Cedar Lodge, where the Christmas events are held, is at 190 Top of the Rock Road.
What is Big Cedar Lodge?
Big Cedar Lodge is a golf resort in Ridgedale owned by Johnny Morris, the owner of Bass Pro Shops. It hosts the Christmas events listed here, using spaces such as the Falls Lodge Lobby, the Swimmin' Hole Lawn and the Kids' Nature Discovery Center at Fun Mountain.
What happens in Ridgedale at Christmas?
Big Cedar Lodge's calendar lists Photos with Santa on November 10, 2026, followed on November 11 by the Grinch Takeover Kids' Club and a Christmas Lights Scavenger Hunt among the resort's holiday light displays. All three take place on the resort property.
Who organizes Christmas events in Ridgedale?
Big Cedar Lodge organizes all three of the listed events and posts them on its own event calendar. The resort can be reached at (800) 225-6343, the number shown on its event pages, for questions about cost, ages or access.
Are Ridgedale's Christmas events open to the public?
The Christmas Lights Scavenger Hunt on November 11, 2026 is stated to be open to both overnight guests and the public. The pages for Photos with Santa and the Grinch Takeover Kids' Club do not say, so confirm with the resort before visiting.
What do kids win at the Christmas Lights Scavenger Hunt?
The first, second and third place teams each receive a prize, and every group that finishes the hunt receives a glowing consolation prize. Teams solve riddles, take a picture at each light display and race back to the Swimmin' Hole Lawn to finish.
Sources
- Ridgedale, Missouri, Wikipedia
- Photos with Santa, Big Cedar Lodge
- Christmas Lights Scavenger Hunt, Big Cedar Lodge
- Grinch Takeover Kids' Club, Big Cedar Lodge
Keep the Christmas magic going: track Rally the corgi on Christmas Eve, print free Christmas coloring pages, learn how to say Merry Christmas in 100+ languages, find train museums to visit with kids, or browse Christmas events in every Missouri city.
Ridgedale Christmas events for kids: questions parents ask
What are the best Christmas events for kids in Ridgedale to start with?
All three listed events are at Big Cedar Lodge. Start with Photos with Santa on Tuesday, November 10, 2026 from 1:00 to 5:00 pm in the Falls Lodge Lobby. The next evening, November 11, brings the Grinch Takeover Kids' Club from 5:00 to 8:00 pm and the Christmas Lights Scavenger Hunt from 7:00 to 8:00 pm.
Are there free Christmas events for kids in Ridgedale?
Big Cedar Lodge's pages for Photos with Santa, the Christmas Lights Scavenger Hunt and the Grinch Takeover Kids' Club do not list prices, and none is labeled free. The scavenger hunt page says it is open to both overnight guests and the public. Call the resort to confirm any cost.
Where can kids meet Santa in Ridgedale?
Santa holds a meet and greet in the Falls Lodge Lobby at Big Cedar Lodge, 190 Top of the Rock Road, on Tuesday, November 10, 2026 from 1:00 to 5:00 pm. Families can take group photos or pictures of just the children with him.
Are there Christmas lights to see in Ridgedale?
Yes. Big Cedar Lodge has holiday light displays around its property, and the Christmas Lights Scavenger Hunt on Wednesday, November 11, 2026 from 7:00 to 8:00 pm turns them into a game. Teams solve riddles, take a photo at each display and race back to the Swimmin' Hole Lawn.
Do Ridgedale's Christmas events need tickets or sign-up?
The Big Cedar Lodge event pages do not mention tickets, reservations or registration for Photos with Santa on November 10, 2026 or for the scavenger hunt and Grinch Takeover Kids' Club on November 11. Because the pages are brief, it is worth calling the resort at (800) 225-6343 first.
Can families who are not staying at Big Cedar Lodge join the events?
The Christmas Lights Scavenger Hunt on November 11, 2026 is stated to be open to both overnight guests and the public. The pages for Photos with Santa and the Grinch Takeover Kids' Club do not say either way, so check with the resort before making the drive.
Are there Christmas train rides for kids near Ridgedale?
Santa trains and holiday train rides have their own guide: Rally Takes the Train’s Missouri Christmas train rides guide. This Ridgedale guide covers Santa visits, story times, light shows and other events off the rails.
How do you confirm these events?
We list an event only after we find this season’s date on the host’s own website or an official city or tourism calendar. We last checked every listing on November 10, 2026. Hosts change details, so always confirm on the host’s page before you go.
Event names belong to their hosts. Rally Takes the Train is a family picture book and is not affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsed by any host listed here. Confirm dates, times and prices on each host’s own site before you go.