If you’re crazy about Christmas, and count St. Nick as one of your heroes, then it’s time for you to visit Santa Claus, Indiana. This town, which was established in 1856, has the world’s only post office to bear the name of Santa Claus. Chances are, the letters you sent to Santa has been routed to their post office. Because of this, a group of volunteers known as “Santa’s Elves” ensures each child receives a reply from Santa Claus, a tradition that has been around since 1914. The Post Office also prints the only official Santa Claus postmark, a Santa Claus picture postmark that’s available only during the Christmas season.
Of course, the whole town has capitalized on the whole Christmas theme. There’s Christmas Lake Village, where the street names are all themed after the season as well. The area’s 3 lakes are called Christmas Lake, Lake Holly, and Lake Noel. There’s also Holiday Village and Santa’s Lodge, a Christmas-themed hotel.
There are a lot of attractions to be found in the area as well, majority of which are also themed towards Christmas. There’s the Santa Claus Museum, Frosty’s Fun Center, Mushie’s Car Museum, Christmas Lake Golf Course, Lake Rudolph Campground and RV Resort and Santa’s Candy Castle. You can also find the Lincoln Boyhood Home & National Memorial and the Lincoln State Park here.
The biggest draw in this area is the Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari. This park, which was originally built by the late industrialist Louis J. Koch in 1946, holds the distinction of being the world’s first theme park. It offers three wooden roller coasters, water rides, even free sodas and sunscreen!
Visiting during the month of December has added perks, of course. You’ll get to join in an old-fashioned Christmas celebration. And there’s the town’s annual 14-mile Festival of Lights which takes place around the first or second week of December.