Toddler Approved

Posted on July 12, 2016

When traveling with toddlers, there are two things we know for sure:  1) due to the unpredictability of kiddos at that precious age, you never know what’s going to happen and 2) when it comes to choosing your travel destination, you have to remember that one size doesn’t fit all. At such a young, curious, and unpredictable age, it's crucial to know what the area you're visiting has to offer. The good news is, the town of Santa Claus and sites throughout Lincoln’s Indiana Boyhood Home are about as family-friendly as it gets and there are plenty of activities for your young travelers to enjoy. As a mom or dad, we know you’re busy enough as it is (that’s an understatement), so we’d like to make it easy and give you the toddler-friendly layout of the land when you’re visiting this area. Here are ten toddler-approved things to do and see here:

1. Visit the Living Historical Farm at Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial. Toddlers will love hanging out with the reenactors dressed in pioneer clothing and they may even get to feed the chickens or pet a sheep! They’ll enjoy watching the various demonstrations such as tool-making or sheep shearing, depending on the time of year. 
2. Introduce them to the beauty of nature at Lincoln State Park. They can build a sandcastle on the beach at Lake Lincoln or explore plants and animals of all kinds at the Nature Center.
3. Stop into Santa’s Candy Castle and help them chat with an elf on the North Pole Network. They’ll be grinning from ear to ear when they receive their certificate recognizing them on Santa’s Good List. Then they can pick out their favorite candy or sip some yummy Frozen Hot Chocolate.
4. When in the town of Santa Claus, you have to visit the Big Guy, himself! Children can visit with Santa in the Santa Claus Christmas Store from May through December—it’s never too early to start dropping hints! And even if your little one isn't too sure about Santa yet, you can put your mind at ease knowing he's great with children of all mindsets. For Santa’s hours, click here.
5. Explore and play at Santa’s Toys. It’s more than just shopping or browsing—the store encourages children of all ages and their parents to come in and have fun.
6. Visit Santa’s Stables and ride Foxy the Pony. Or if the whole family wants to enjoy a trail ride, little ones can ride along with a trained guide.
7. Spend the day at Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari.  Between Reindeer Games, Holidog’s Fun Town, and Safari Sam’s Splash Land, there are plenty of toddler-friendly rides and slides.
8. Whether they’re actually interested in watching movies or just playing on a blanket under the stars while snacking on buttery popcorn, the Holiday Drive-in Movie Theater is always a fun place for tots.
9. Nothing is more fun than watching toddlers try to play putt-putt. Home to a giant melting snowman, Frosty’s Fun Center offers a Christmas-themed miniature golf course and is also a favorite lunch spot. They’ll be happy as a lark when their taste buds get a hold of some of Frosty’s delicious ice cream. 
10. At the Santa Claus Museum & Village, they’ll be mesmerized by model trains, historical artifacts, and the towering 22-foot-tall Santa statue. You can help them write a letter to Santa and in December, they will receive a reply!

Start planning your trip here. And if you have any specific questions or concerns, we're more than happy to help. Contact us here.