Guide to visiting Santa Claus, Indiana

Santa and his elves aren’t the only ones who celebrate Christmas 365 days a year. There’s a small town in southwestern Indiana where every season is the holiday season, and there’s as much Christmas cheer in June as there is in December. Welcome to Santa Claus, Indiana.

Related: From Alaska to New York City, here are 10 of our favorite US Christmas markets

At less than 7 square miles and with a population of about 2,500 people, Santa Claus manages to pack a lot of Christmas spirit into a small area. There’s a post office where you can write letters to Santa (and get a response from his elves), a holiday-inspired theme park, a massive holiday decor shop, and a candy store with every goody and gumdrop imaginable.

What’s even more extraordinary than finding a winter wonderland more than 3,000 miles from the North Pole is that it never set out to be “America’s Christmas Hometown” in the first place.

A Christmas miracle

In the 1850s, when the town now known as Santa Claus was large enough to apply for its very own post office, residents settled on the name Santa Fee. Unfortunately, the application was rejected because the name was too similar to an already established town in northern Indiana called Santa Fe.

According to local legend, while the townspeople were discussing new names at church on Christmas Eve, the church doors blew open and sleigh bells could be heard ringing outside. The children began yelling that Santa Claus must be outside, and the town had its name.

Related: 12 festive hotels for people who really love the holidays

After submitting a new application, the Santa Claus, Indiana, post office was officially established on May 21, 1856. The rest, as they say, is history (well, history and a bit of Christmas magic).

Putting Santa Claus on the map

Despite the fortuitous turn of events, Santa Claus didn’t immediately embrace its namesake. That didn’t happen until 1914 when the town’s then-postmaster, James Martin, began responding to letters addressed to Santa that found their way to the town’s post office, according to the Indiana Historical Bureau’s “Indiana History Blog.”

Daily Newsletter

Reward your inbox with the TPG Daily newsletter

Join over 700,000 readers for breaking news, in-depth guides and exclusive deals from TPG’s experts

Martin’s antics caught the attention of Robert Ripley of “Ripley’s Believe It or Not” fame. He featured the town in one of his newspaper cartoons in 1930. The legend — and volume of letters — only grew from there. Christmas-themed tourist attractions began popping up all over town, many of which you can still visit to this day.

Related: 10 holiday destinations for festive family fun

Walking in a winter wonderland all year long

Today, a colorful Santa statue atop a “Welcome to Santa Claus, Indiana” sign greets guests as they drive into town. It’s one of more than 20 Santa statues that you’ll find around town as you explore the attractions, scenery and year-round festive fun.

Here are some of the most popular spots to check out if you visit.

Santa Claus Museum & Village

The Santa Claus Museum & Village is where you’ll find some of the town’s original buildings, including the 1856 post office that started it all. The building no longer functions as a true post office, though you step inside to write and mail a letter to Santa. Every single letter is answered by a team of volunteer “elves.” If you can’t visit in person, you can also mail your letter from home.

You can also learn more about the town’s history inside the museum building, visit the original 1880 Santa Claus Church and see the town’s tallest Santa statue, a 22-foot-tall granite Santa carved in 1935.

There is no admission fee to visit the museum, but they do accept donations.

Santa’s Candy Castle

After Ripley’s mention garnered some major publicity for Santa Claus, Santa’s Candy Castle opened in 1935 as the town’s first tourist attraction. It’s often billed as the first themed tourist attraction in the country.

The exterior looks as if it were pulled straight from the pages of a fairytale. This is appropriate because the inside holds every child’s fantasy: an entire building of wall-to-wall candy. You’ll find nostalgic and current favorites, a room filled with practically every model of Pez dispenser, and weird yet wonderful sweets like lollipops with worms inside and some of the world’s spiciest candies.

While you are stocking up on sweets, pick up some of Santa Candy Castle’s signature popcorn flavors and a frozen hot chocolate. (It’s the perfect treat to cool you down if you visit during the hot summer months.)

Holiday World

If you visit Holiday World today, you’ll find lands themed to popular U.S. holidays like Thanksgiving, Halloween, Independence Day and, of course, Christmas. When it opened in 1946, however, it was dedicated solely to Christmas and went by the name Santa Claus Land. Guests could meet Santa, visit a toy shop and go on kiddie-sized rides.

Santa Claus Land predates Disneyland by nine years and is often lauded as the world’s first theme park. There are amusement parks that opened prior to Santa Claus Land, but none with a cohesive theme.

The family-owned and -operated park continues to grow in both size and popularity. You’ll still find plenty of kiddie rides, but the park also has three award-winning wooden coasters — The Raven, The Legend and The Voyage — the country’s first launched wing coaster called Thunderbird and a 40-acre water park. Parking, soft drinks and sunscreen are free at this family-friendly park that regularly receives accolades for its friendliness and cleanliness.

For the 2024 season, Holiday World will open a new coaster in the Thanksgiving section of the park called Good Gravy. Among other maneuvers, the gravy boat-shaped coaster cars will travel through a giant can of cranberry jelly and sail past an 18-foot-tall rolling pin along the nearly 1,500 feet of track. The park is also adding a play area for kids adjacent to the new ride, which is expected to open May 4, 2024.

Holiday World tickets start at $54.99 and include free admission to Splashin’ Safari Water Park (open seasonally). Preschoolers are eligible for a free season pass.

Santa Claus Christmas Store

You’d be hard-pressed to find more Christmas decor, toys, collectibles and ornaments than you’ll see on display inside the Santa Claus Christmas Store. In addition to shopping for friends and family or bolstering your own decor collection, you can purchase fudge and other holiday treats.

The Santa Claus Christmas Store is open from May 1 through Dec. 31. On select days, you can meet Santa for a photo and a quick rundown of your holiday wish list. You can check Santa’s availability on the store’s Facebook page.

Santa’s Toys

If you are shopping for little ones, Santa’s Toys has everything you need and then some. This ultimate toy shop carries toys for kids of all ages, including games, puzzles, wooden toys, stuffed animals and more. There are even tiny shopping carts that your kids can fill up with their favorites as they navigate the aisles.

Places to stay

When visiting Santa Claus, Indiana, you could stay in nearby Louisville, Kentucky, or Evansville, Indiana — both of which are only about an hour away. But if you want to keep the holiday fun going after a day spent exploring, you can stay right in the middle of it all.

If you love camping, Sun Outdoors Lake Rudolph is just next door to Holiday World; it offers tent and RV camping, as well as cozy cabins. If you prefer a more traditional hotel stay, Santa’s Lodge is only about a mile away and offers complimentary continental breakfast and fun outdoor activities like fishing, swimming and a playground. For a home-away-from-home feel, opt for Santa’s Lakeside Cottages.