A Hidden Gem

When most people think about a vacation they think Orlando, Florida, Walt Disney World, or SeaWorld, Aquatica, etc. Some think about Six Flags or Kings Island, or Kings Dominion. These are all fun parks.

However, there is a hidden gem in Spencer County, Indiana, that most people have never heard of and have never been to. And it is historical because it was the first theme park in the United States.

Louis J. Koch, of Evansville, Indiana, created the world’s first theme park as a retirement project in Santa Claus, Indiana. Koch had nine children and he loved children, holidays, and celebrations.

Santa Claus Land opened August 3, 1946. The theme park included a toy shop, toy displays, a restaurant, themed children’s rides, and, of course, Santa. Koch’s son Bill soon became head of Santa Claus Land, and it has been a family business for many years. Over the decades, Santa Claus Land flourished. Children from across the country came to sit on the real Santa’s knee and whisper their Christmas wishes.

Many famous people have visited Santa Claus Land too. In 1955 Ronald Reagan stopped by to visit. Many other famous people have visited the park as well. As the park grew, the Koch family knew Christmas was not the only theme possibility for the park.

In 1984, Santa Claus Land expanded to include Halloween and July Fourth sections, and the park’s name was changed to Holiday World. In 1993, Splashin’ Safari Water Park was added. It covers nearly 40 acres and features three water coasters and two wave pools, a river, family raft rides and water slides, plus several interactive family-waterplay complexes. The park, which was named the nation’s #1 Water Park by USA Today, also offers free sunscreen.

In 1995, Holiday World introduced The Raven wooden roller coaster. It has been voted one of the world’s top wooden roller coasters each year since. In 2000, the park added The Legend wooden roller coaster. Also, in 2000, Holiday World became the first park in the world to provide free, unlimited soft drinks.

In 2004, the highly coveted international Applause Award which honors “foresight, originality and creativity, plus sound business development and profitability,” was presented to Holiday World and Splashin’ Safari, the smallest park to ever receive the award.

In 2006, the park introduced a Thanksgiving section, and it included a record-breaking new wooden roller coaster, The Voyage, which helped catapult the park’s seasonal attendance record past the one-million mark for the first time. In 2013, TIME magazine named The Voyage the nation’s best wooden roller coaster.

Today, the parks cover 125 acres and has been repeatedly named the World’s Friendliest and Cleanest. In 2007, and again in 2012, Consumers Digest named Holiday World the nation’s “Top Value Park.”

In 2010, the park opened its first water coaster, Wildebeest. It was voted the #1 Water Park Ride in the World every year through 2022. In 2012, the park opened the Mammoth, the World’s Longest Water Coaster. It was named the #1 Water Park Ride in the World in 2023. In 2020, the Cheetah Chase, the World’s first Launched Water Coaster opened and won the title of the #1 New Water Park Ride in the Golden Ticket Awards.

America’s first launched wing roller coaster – Thunderbird opened in 2015 at the park. In 2021, the park celebrated its 75th birthday.

Throughout its existence, Holiday World has set high standards for the theme park industry, with a steadfast adherence to the values established in the company’s cornerstones: safety, service, cleanliness, and friendliness.

Santa Claus Land is located three hours from Indianapolis, St. Louis, Cincinnati, and Nashville. The park is family-oriented, with historic sites, a theme and water park, museums, caving and canoeing nearby.

The park is still owned and operated by the Koch family, who got it all started seven decades ago in 1946. Parking is free. Soft drinks and sunscreen are always free. Lake Rudolph Campground and RV Resort is located next door. There are cabins and cottages for rent and a free shuttle to carry you to the parks.

The town of Santa Claus includes the Santa Claus Museum, the Santa Claus Post Office, the Santa Claus Christmas Store, Christmas Lake Golf Course, and Santa’s Candy Castle.

Four miles down the road from the parks is another hidden gem most folks don’t know about and that is the boyhood home of Abraham Lincoln. There’s a national park, a living history farm, a state park, with a lake and a beach. And Lincoln’s mother, Nancy Lincoln, is buried on the grounds of the state park.

So, the next time you are looking to take a vacation and don’t know where to go. Think about Spencer County, Indiana. You just might be surprised!