(SANTA CLAUS, INDIANA) — Did you know there’s a place in America that celebrates Christmas all year long?
Imagine Christmas stores, reindeer, bright lights, candies, chestnuts roasting and so much more. Well, that’s exactly what to expect in Santa Claus, Indiana.
Named after the big man himself, Santa Claus wasn’t the town’s original name. Originally known as Santa Fee, the town’s application for a post office was rejected back in the 1850s. The reason? There was a different town named Santa Fe, Indiana.
Legend has it that on a cold December day, the folks in the town gathered in a small, log church on Christmas Eve to discuss a new town name.
“Suddenly, a gust of wind blew open the church doors and the sound of sleigh bells drifted inside. The children ran to the door and shouted, “Santa Claus! Santa Claus!” The decision of what to name the town became clear. The name was accepted by the United States Post Office Department. The Santa Claus, Indiana, Post Office was established on May 21, 1856,” according to the Santa Claus, Indiana website.
Nearly 170 years later, here we are. Deemed “America’s Christmas Hometown,” Santa Claus has a population of roughly 2,600 people. However, the magical Midwest getaway welcomes more than 1 million people per year!
In this article, I’m going to tell you why. In doing so, let’s dive into where you can stay, eat, and experience Christmas magic along the way.
Where to stay: Around The Corner 108 – Santa Claus, Indiana AirBnB
A beautiful duplex in a quiet neighborhood, Around the Corner 108 is in the perfect location for your visit. Located in a duplex neighborhood right behind Santa’s Lodge, the rental property offers two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a full kitchen, spacious living room and outdoor patio.
As a family of four, this was the perfect amount of space for us. The main bedroom has a king bed, plenty of closet space, and a private bathroom & shower.
Bedroom #2 is also spacious, fitted with a queen bed that also has a full size pull out mattress underneath. The living room area also an air mattress. The second bathroom is connected to the living space, and while you’ll need to bring your own shampoo and conditioner, hand soap is available on the sink, and a bar of soap in the top left drawer for showers. There’s also a closet with a washer and dryer.
The kitchen is great. It has all the utensils you could need, especially if you plan to enjoy meals inside the house. There’s a stove, oven, fridge & freezer, microwave, dish washer and more.
If you’re traveling with kids, there are games for them to enjoy, as well as a travel pack n’ play, kids’ dinnerware, and a clampable high chair.
Proximity to everything is key. Staying here, you’ll be roughly 2-5 minutes from everything! We really enjoyed our stay, and thank Jodey for being a great host.
Where to eat: The Chateau | Mariah Hill, Indiana
With a castle-like facade, step into The Chateau, located just 10 minutes from Santa Claus in Dale. Order off the menu, or enjoy the dinner buffet with fried chicken, fish, pork, green beans, mashed potatoes & gravy and a full salad bar that was fantastic.
Our server was wonderful, and the food was great! Like I said, you can order off the menu and get a chicken philly cheesesteak, which Rachel enjoyed, or chicken nuggets & fries, which Bennett ate. I’ve got a seafood lover in my daughter Mattie, which makes this dad happy. She chowed down on the fish, mashed potatoes and green beans with me.
S&S BBQ & Pizzeria | Santa Claus, Indiana
Right in what I’d call the town’s main shopping area, North Kringle Place, you’ll find S&S BBQ & Pizzeria. We’re two-for-two on buffets and salad bars! The salad bar was packed with all the great toppings you’d want. This time, we enjoyed a pizza buffet! S&S also owns Annie’s Ice Cream and Coffee Shop which is in the same building. S&S is decorated all out, not for Santa, but for The Grinch! Once again, the staff was super great and welcoming. Make sure to get the fried green beans as an appetizer! The bread sticks are also perfect for kids to enjoy.
Santa Claus Brewing Co. | Santa Claus, Indiana
When Santa’s taking a break from eating cookies and drinking milk, he’s probably hanging out at Santa Claus Brewing Co., enjoying local bites and craft beer.
Santa Claus Brewing Co. held its official ribbon-cutting on November 23, 2022. Here you can find chicken wings, sauced or dry rub, burgers, appetizers and more. The craft beers rotate, and are all brewed by St. Benedict’s Brew Works in Ferdinand, Indiana. I enjoyed the Munich Dunkel, which was right in the middle in terms of bitterness. Not too hoppy at all, I thought the beer was smooth and enjoyable.
Fat Santa’s Pizza & More! | Santa Claus, Indiana
Located across the street from Santa’s Lodge, Fat Santa’s Pizza & More is a nice spot to order a pizza, have a soda, and enjoy the festive red & white diner-like chairs inside. There’s also an arcade inside! I really enjoyed the Santa’s Supreme (no onions or tomatoes), which was topped with black olives, beef, pepperoni, Italian sausage and mushrooms. The cheese curds we ate were great as well! Ice cream is available as well, but with a 5-hour drive we were about to embark on, we held off. Maybe next time!
Where to enjoy Christmas magic | Christmas in Dale
Located at 301 N. Main St. in Dale, Indiana – this is an epic, free way for your family to experience Christmas lights and music in a home lights show.
The lights will dance to synchronized music. The display is 40+ minutes and starts over once it’s done. Tune your car radio to 100.3 FM to listen along!
The hours are…
Sundays-Thursdays: 5 – 9 p.m. (CST).
Fridays & Saturdays: 5 – 11 p.m. (CST)
The show continues on through January 3!
Santa Claus Christmas Store | Santa Claus, Indiana
We caught Santa climbing into the chimney! On top of the Santa Claus Christmas Store, of course. Inside you’ll find countless gifts, decorations, exhibits, while being able to take a photo with Santa Claus! There’s also a bakery to buy fudge, cookies, chocolates and more. We got the cotton candy fudge and candy cane fudge. On the far right side of the building is an ornament store which has just about every ornament you can imagine!
Santa Claus Post Office | Santa Claus, Indiana
Got a letter to send through USPS? Why not take a selfie in with Santa before heading inside? There’s an actual post office on North Kringle Place, and Rachel sent off one of her packages! In front of the building is a large Santa Claus statue holding a United States Post Office sign. The Post Office is just up the street from the Christmas Museum, S&S BBQ & Pizzeria and Santa’s Toys.
Santa Claus Land of Lights | Sun Outdoors Lake Rudolph | Santa Claus, Indiana
This has to be the best way to learn about the story of Rudolph! Drive through the woods of Sun Outdoors Lake Rudolph and see a spectacular lights show along the way. Through the drive, you’ll read different signs about Rudolph that match the lights sparkling in that section. Enjoy multiple light-up tunnels while driving through a smooth car path in the woods! There appear to be cabins you can rent in this area! Seems like a very cool place, and right next to Holiday World!
Saint Meinrad Archabbey | Saint Meinrad, Indiana
This was an amazing highlight of our trip. One of only two Archabbeys in the United States, and one of only eleven across the world – Saint Meinrad is a Benedictine Monastery with more than 60 monks living, working and praying here.
It was founded in 1854 by monks in Switzerland who came to Southern Indiana at the request of a local priest.
Saint Meinrad is revered in Catholicism as the “Martyr of Hospitality.” In 861, he was murdered by robbers who came to his hermitage. Although he invited them in for food & drink, he was killed, and the robbers fled in fear, taking nothing.
The public is invited to tour the Archabbey grounds for free. Our family really enjoyed the beauty of the buildings & grounds, reflecting on the history and connecting with God.
It’s just 15 minutes from Santa Claus.
Santa’s Toys | Santa Claus, Indiana
If you haven’t done all your Christmas shopping yet, here’s the place! Suited with every toy you can imagine, Santa’s Toys is located on N. Kringle Place and offers a wide array of options for families and kids to enjoy. From more affordable, $2 or $3 toys, to Melissa & Doug toys, to dinosaurs, spaceships, trains and more, Santa’s Toys is stocked with toys.
While we were there, Santa’s Reindeer Ranch brought two of the reindeer for people to come and see.
Santa’s Candy Castle | Santa Claus, Indiana
No doubt about it. If you’re a candy fan, you’ll LOVE Santa’s Candy Castle. They have just about everything you can imagine, and probably more. I love sour candies, so I went with the “Sour Boogers” and the Lemondrop Ropes. Both were fantastic! Bennett takes after his dad and also got something sour; Icee-flavored sour gummy bears. The highlight of the show for all of us? The frozen hot chocolate at the end of the store. Before you head out, stop by the food area and get you one of these. It was 10/10. So good in fact we drank it so fast I couldn’t grab a photo. Sorry! Guess you’ll have to stop by and try it for yourself. They were also holding a fun event, roasting chestnuts on an open fire! There was a great crowd listening to Christmas tales.
Santa Claus Museum & Village | Santa Claus, Indiana
Another major highlight of the trip. Only mentioned last because it was the last thing we did before grabbing pizza and heading out of town! I prefer to list things out in chronological order. There are multiple things you can do at the Santa Claus Museum & Village. First, stop by the original Santa Claus Post Office. Inside you’ll be greeted by one of Santa’s elves! Your kiddo can write a letter to Santa, place it in the mailbox and ring the bells! This lets Santa’s elves know that your letter has been sent. Santa’s elves will then write you back! You can mail your letter to the post office from wherever you are and get a response. Address it as such…
Santa Claus | P.O. Box 1 | Santa Claus, IN 47579
After sending off your letter, head down the hill to the Museum! Santa and Mrs. Claus are inside and will be happy to speak with you and take a photo. My son decided it was time to breakdance when he met them, so they got quite the show. The rest of the museum is filled with antique items, history about the town, a mini train museum and gifts you can buy in the shop.
After the Museum, head back up the hill to the 1800s church. On the way, stop by the mistletoe overhang to give your hunny a smooch!
We met Pat Koch, known as the “Chief Elf” keeping the magic of Christmas alive. She is the daughter of “Santa Jim,” co-founder of Holiday World, the local theme park! It’s said that Pat has helped answer thousands of letters to Santa, and she told us all about the history of the church and the town.
After speaking with Pat, we took the path up to see the large Santa Claus statue at the top of the property.
This is the perfect destination for families to enjoy the Christmas spirit, whether it’s in the holiday season or year-round. We hope to get back soon over the summer to experience the waterpark and roller coasters at Holiday World! I also saw that there’s what appears to be a dinosaur path on the property. Stay tuned to learn more!
Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!
Matt Sheehan Official 