Visit the Town of Santa Claus, Indiana’s Christmas Headquarters
Santa Claus, Indiana, is the most festive community in Southern Indiana! Throughout the entire holiday season, the whole town becomes its own North Pole steeped in holly, jolly Christmas traditions!
See the incredible Santa Claus Land of Lights at Sun Outdoors Lake Rudolph, experience Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire at Santa’s Candy Castle, visit Santa Claus Museum & Village to write a letter to Santa, or schedule a Reindeer Encounter at Santa’s Reindeer Ranch. See all of the town’s special holiday events at Santa Claus Christmas Guide.
Take a Horse-Drawn Carriage Ride through Ritzy’s Fantasy of Lights in Evansville
Evansville’s historic Garvin Park has been transformed into a fantasyland with more than 90 spectacular light displays, some soaring 25 feet tall! Incredible animated scenes capture the magic of the season. Want to make it even more special? Enjoy the sparkling lights from a horse drawn carriage ride!
Open November 27 through January 1. All proceeds from Ritzy’s Fantasy of Lights benefit the Easterseals Rehabilitation Center.
Hit the Snow at Paoli Peaks
Many people are familiar with French Lick Resort’s holiday traditions, such as the West Baden Light Show and Christmas Village, but there’s another winter wonderland just down the road from French Lick. Dash through the snow on skis, a snowboard, or an innertube at Paoli Peaks, a premiere ski resort. The 65 acres of Southern Indiana rolling hills make it the best shredding, sledding, and skiing in the area. Go ahead, let out your inner child, and play in the snow.
Visit the Best Candy Store in the US
Schimpff’s Confectionery in downtown Jeffersonville is still rolling out vintage sweets after more than 130 years and was recently named the No. 1 Best Candy Store in the Country by USA Today 10Best! Their signature homemade hard-candy Cinnamon Red Hots are always popular, as are their caramel-covered marshmallows called Modjeskas. Their fish candies, a Christmastime favorite, make great gifts!
While you’re there, enjoy a milkshake in the Deli Lunch Room, order a soda from the vintage 1950s soda fountain, watch a live candy making demonstration, and visit the candy museum—one of only a handful in the US!
Experience a Vintage Christmas at One of Our Historic Homes
Christmas is the perfect time to visit one of Southern Indiana’s stately historic mansions. See Reitz Home Museum in Evansville, Culbertson State Historic Site in New Albany, and Howard Steamboat Museum in Jeffersonville all decked out in Victorian holiday decor. In Vincennes, visit Grouseland, one of Indiana’s oldest houses and the former home of President William Henry Harrison.
If your style is more rustic, don’t miss the Holiday Open House events at Vincennes State Historic Sites in Vincennes (December 5), Lincoln Pioneer Village in Rockport (December 6), the Historic Lindley House in Paoli (December 7), and Shubael Little Village near Cannelton (December 13).
