Posted on May 9, 2019
It doesn’t matter whether you are eighteen or thirty-eight years old; spending some quality time with your best friend is always a great idea.
If you’re thinking about road tripping with your best friend and like the sound of a magically charming, rural destination packed full of childhood nostalgia, the Santa Claus, Indiana, area, and sites throughout Lincoln’s Indiana Boyhood Home may just be the perfect best-friend road trip you’ve been looking for.
At the Santa Claus Museum & Village, you can write a letter to Santa and receive a response by December. Or, explore the museum and read the letters written to Santa dating back to the 1930s!
At Santa’s Candy Castle, take on the Avalanche Challenge together and finish off 64 ounces of creamy frozen hot chocolate. If you’re feeling extra competitive you can race to see who can finish one first or upgrade to the Fire and Ice Challenge, adding fiery hot popcorn to the mix.
At Santa’s Stables, the two of you can go on a gentle, friendly horseback ride through quaint, wooded trails. You can’t help but smile when you’re hanging out with horses with names like Donut and Foxy.
You and your best friend could go hiking at Lincoln State Park. There are six different beautiful, scenic trails to choose from (or hike them all!) and they vary from easy to moderate. If you’re not afraid of heights, take the Lake Trail to the fire tower and climb up above the trees for a breath-taking view of the area’s rolling, forested hills.
If you’re feeling a bit bolder, the two of you can take on Santa’s Express Ziplines, a rock climbing wall, or a bungee jumping feature at Santa’s Lodge.
Before heading back home, stop by the Santa Claus Christmas Store, pick out best friend ornaments, and personalize them. There are ornaments depicting just about anything you could dream of, no matter what symbolizes your friendship. Find ornaments inspired by food, sports teams, animals, cartoon characters, and more.
For a comprehensive list of things to do in this area, click here.
This blog post has been updated from June 2016.