A Christmas day out at Brighton Pavilion. Photograph: Barcroft Media/Getty Images
I'M DREAMING OF A ...Family Christmas
From coal mines to castles, no visitor attraction's festive events calendar is complete without a visit from the man in red. Sizergh Castle in Cumbria has transformed itself into a one-stop winter wonderland where you can visit Santa in his grotto, see a pantomime of Sleeping Beauty and take a spin on the outdoor ice rink (Santa at Sizergh, 3, 4, 10, 11, 17, 18 December, normal admission plus £5 per child, booking essential. Sleeping Beauty, 10, 11 December, adults £5, children £3.50, booking essential, 015395 60951, nationaltrust.org.uk).
Tatton Park in Cheshire will be pulling out all the stops this year: the mansion will be decorated in an opulent Venetian theme and the Home Farm will play host to Father Christmas. Entry is free after 5pm on 9 December for his arrival, which will be celebrated with a lantern parade, live music and carols. Children will love the chance to meet Santa's two real reindeer and to see the farm's own rare-breed animals playing a starring role in a "live" nativity scene (Father Christmas at the Farm on 10, 11, 17, 18, 24 December, adults £5, children £4, 01625 374400, tattonpark.org.uk).
There will be a Dickensian flavour to festivities at Brighton's Royal Pavilion this year. Guests will be encouraged to wear fancy dress for a festive tour of the palace and will encounter costumed characters en route to their rendezvous with Father Christmas (17-22 December, adults £9.80, children £5.60, plus £6.70 to meet Santa, 03000 290902, brighton-hove-rpml.org.uk). Finish your visit with a turn on the Pavilion ice rink and a warming hot chocolate in the Alpine-themed cafe.
When he's not using his sleigh to get around, Santa can often be spotted using more conventional transport. Meet him on a festive cruise with Ullswater Steamers in Cumbria (18 December, £16pp, 017684 82229, ullswater-steamers.co.uk) or on a steam train on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway (3, 4, 10, 17, 19, 20 December, £13.50pp, booking essential. 01751 472508, nymr.co.uk).
The Llechwedd Slate Caverns in Snowdonia may not be an obvious place to stumble upon Santa but organisers promise that the short train journey into the underground grotto deep in the Welsh mountains will be magical (3, 4, 10, 11, 17-24 December, adults £4.75, children £8.50, 01766 830306, llechwedd-slate-caverns.co.uk).
But the prize for most unusual location for a Christmas grotto has to go to the Royal Navy Submarine Museum in Gosport, Hampshire. Santa will be taking up residence on HMS Alliance this weekend, complete with elves and toy-making workshops (3, 4 December, £9pp, family £24 in advance, £10pp family £30 on the door, under-threes free, 023-9251 0354, submarine-museum.co.uk)
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