By Scott L. Miley, Herald Bulletin Associate Features Editor
SANTA CLAUS — My wife, 17-year-old daughter and I had been to Florida twice already this year; once for a soccer tournament, the other for Spring Break.
Our vacation time seemed like it had already been gobbled up for the year.
But summer has it own demands. By decree of the season, families must take a break from jobs and schools.
We opted to explore southern Indiana on a three-day midweek getaway. We’d previously been through the Holiday World amusement park and Abraham Lincoln sites but never stayed long enough to get to know the area.
This time we stayed one night at the Lake Rudolph RV camp next to Holiday World and the next at the comfy Leavenworth Inn bed and breakfast along the Ohio River.
We soared as high as 135 feet to slide down the new Pilgrims Plunge water chute and as deep as 200 feet underground to walk through Marengo Cave. We kept the whole drive to about 520 miles and still managed to get back to work on a Friday.
Day One: Logging Lincoln
The two historical figures battling for recognition in this area are the teenage Abe Lincoln and the ageless Santa Claus.
On our first day, we decided to give Abe his due.
The Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial on Indiana 162 is an efficient memorial honoring the years (1816-1830) that Abe lived on his family farm.
After the four-hour drive from Anderson, kids of any age will be ready to run the half-mile trail from the welcome center to a working historical farm. While there, follow the Trail of 12 Stones with bricks and rocks from various Lincoln-related sites.
That evening, we caught a dress rehearsal for the new play, “Lincoln,” at the Lincoln State Park located across the highway from the national memorial. The play opened to the public June 12. (See accompanying article.)
We traipsed back and forth between the Lincoln sites and the town of Santa Claus, all within five miles of one another.
Santa Claus, the town, was known as Santa Fe in 1852 when locals wanted to set up a post office. But there was already an Indiana designation with that name. As lore goes, townspeople gathered in a church to discuss their dilemma. A wintry wind blew open the doors. They heard sleigh bells and came up with Santa Claus.
That first night, we stayed at Lake Rudolph Campground and RV Resort, checking into a snug rental RV that could sleep eight. The campground opened in 1958 to accommodate Holiday World visitors and now has 216 rentals for families, 200 hook-up sites and 40 tent sites.
Wooded and quiet, we never felt crowded by neighbors. But bring your own bed linens, kitchen towels, TV or radio.
We were in the pool by 4 p.m., well before the summer sun sets.
After the dip, we avoided the town’s sole chain restaurant, Subway, and ventured to Frosty’s Fun Center for a cheese-filled pizza and game of miniature golf. The Christmas-themed greens never angled in our favor.
Budget for Day One
— Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial, $5 per family or $3 per person. Web: www.nps.gov/libo
— Lincoln State Park production of “Lincoln:” Producers Circle with center seating, Amish-style meal, souvenir program and Matthew Brady-style photo of your family is $42.95 for each adult, $40.95 for seniors and $38.95 for ages 7-11. Box office: 800-264-4223. Web: www.LincolnAmphitheatre.com
— Lake Rudolph Campground, RV rental, $120 for a Tuesday night in June. Web: www.LakeRudolph.com
— Before leaving Anderson: Call for “Lincoln” ticket availability (800) 264-4223 and to reserve a spot at Lake Rudolph, (877) 478-3657.
Day Two: Splashin’ Around
Southern Indiana’s best tourist spots came about thanks to families headed by strong businessmen. Holiday World was founded in 1946 by Evansville industrialist Louis J. Koch. His grandson, Will, runs the operation now.
The Koch mark is everywhere, they created the popular waterside gated community of Christmas Lake Village. A similarly popular name is the late Jim Yellig, who portrayed St. Nick for years and was the face of this town of now 2,000 residents.
Yellig is recalled fondly at the Santa Claus Museum, a not-for-profit in a nearby shopping center that offers a quick history of the area.
Volunteers at the museum are the folks who last year answered 35,600 letters sent by children to the post office in Santa Claus. Children receive a special message stamped with the town’s postmark. For two years, volunteers have also answered e-mail messages, said museum curator Sue Hurst.
On the morning of our second day, we had an ample buffet breakfast at St. Nick’s Restaurant in the basement of Santa’s Lodge, an inn filled with Christmas decorations.
Not tired of the Santa theme, we drove a mile east of town to a spot on Ind. 162 often missed by amusement park visitors.
Santa’s Candy Castle was built in 1935 to promote such Curtiss Candy Co. treats as Baby Ruth. A school was once held at the castle so Santas could learn how to go down chimneys.
Santa’s Candy Castle is a precious little shop offering 25 flavors of hot chocolate mix and 31 flavors of candy canes. You can buy all the candy canes for $12.95 or go for one. The red-and-yellow buttered popcorn candy cane is Santa’s favorite, we’re told.
By 11 a.m. on a hot Wednesday, we were ready for Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari, the two separate but connected parks. Mid-week was a convenient, stress-free time to visit both. Employees always find a smile and keep the park spotless. Making the place even friendlier are free, unlimited soft drinks and suntan lotion.
My 17-year-old daughter and her female friend led the way, working our way up on the thrill level of roller coasters. We could leave our swimbag in cubbies at each ride. But beware, one of our pairs of sunglasses had clearly been picked up, we hoped by mistake.
The Raven (opening in 1995) is the first wooden coaster to ride. Holiday World’s current co-owner and chief cheerleader Pat Koch, often seen on TV ads, was assisting in working the ride. The Legend (2000) has more curves and twists.
The knockout is The Voyage (2006), a stunning wooden coaster that leaves you weak. Holiday World pumped $1.6 million into the 2-minute, 45-second ride that measures 1.2 miles with three 90-degree turns. The most dramatic drop is the first at 154 feet with a descent at an angle of 66 degrees.
Saving the afternoon for Splashin’ Safari, we entered about 1 p.m. Get the newest ride, Pilgrim’s Plunge, out of the way first. As the world’s tallest water ride, there was a 30-minute wait but a roof protected us from the sun. Riders get into a boat that is raised by an elevator 135 feet to a slide. Off you go on a 45-degree drop. Taking in the wait rime, we preferred other rides.
The top water attractions for us are Zinga and the seven-story Bakuli. Both slides sent us on four-passenger tubes through dark chutes before depositing us into big slippery bowls. There’s two “lazy rivers” and we chose the calmer one at the back of the park because it had fewer children.
Worn out by 6:30 p.m. closing time, we found a perfect bed and breakfast on Ind. 62 about 30 miles to the east along the Ohio River. The 16-room Leavenworth Inn, high on a bluff, overlooks Horseshoe Bend and about 20 miles of the river.
With the inn’s vast DVD library and shelves of best-selling books, we settled in at the Magnolia Suite, which had one room for the girls and one for the parents. For a breather, I borrowed one of the bikes for a little ride along paved trails before taking a short walk with my wife.
Budget for Day Two
— St. Nick’s Restaurant, $8.95 breakfast buffet, drinks extra.
— Holiday World and Splashin’ Safari, if purchased on the web, $35.95 for one-day admission. Under 54 inches tall, pay $27.95; the same if you’re 60 years of age and older. Our meals were about $8 each. Web: www.holidayworld.com
— Santa’s Candy Castle, about $6 for mocha and candy canes. Web: www.SantasCandyCastle.com
— Leavenworth Inn, weekday rates are $109 for a regular room, $135 for suites. Web: www.leavenworthinn.com
— Before leaving Anderson, make a reservation at Leavenworth Inn, (812) 739-2229 or (888) 739-2120.
Day Three: Down Below
The Leavenworth Inn has been owned by the Breeden family since 1958. Built in the late 1800s as a house, it overlooked grape vineyards in the fields below. An old wine cellar is still in the basement.
We met Breeden matriarch Annabelle at the family’s Overlook Restaurant that is a short walk from the inn. Though her five children are in various towns, she lives nearby.
They joke here that Leavenworth is a little like Noah and the Ark. Everything dates back to the flood.
They refer to the flood of 1937 when the town was swamped. A landowner donated ground so folks could move on top of the bluff. Through various owners, the Breedens now own the inn, restaurant, a bank and who knows what else.
The Overlook Restaurant, a former chicken hatchery, offers a breakfast with a spectacular Hoosier view of Kentucky. After a square omelet and fresh biscuits, we headed north. Within an hour of being on that high bluff, we descended 200 feet beneath ground at Marengo Cave.
There are four caves in the area. But nearby Wyandotte is among those on state-owned property closed this year due to White-nosed syndrome, a fungus that is killing bats.
So the best choice is the privately-operated Marengo Cave because it is also associated with Cave Country Canoes.
The last time I was in Marengo was 1987 when I ran a God-awful biathlon: a 7-mile canoe race followed immediately by a 6-mile run. One mile of the run was through Marengo Cave. You could hear runners slipping on rocks and hitting their heads on the ceiling.
There has not been a run in the cave since then.
This time, the cave journey was easier, slower and safer for me.
Of the two daily tours, we preferred the Crystal Palace walk that has more colorful features packed into 35-minutes than the longer Dripstone tour. However, we did see a 4-inch long cave salamander on the Dripstone trip, slowly slithering on our path with its neon orange body and black specks.
Recent rains prevented us from canoeing, so we sat with the national landmark’s Carol Groves who filled us with history tidbits about Indiana’s No. 1 natural attraction.
Our favorite story: Tour guides always stop at a underground passage in the Dripstone Trail where visitors can toss a coin into the muddy ceiling. The roof glistens with nickels, dimes and pennies.
In 1982, a tour group of 27 stopped to toss coins. A masked gunman appeared on a ledge and shouted, “This is a holdup!”
Of course, the visitors thought it was part of the tour.
The thief got angry and fired a gun into the ceiling, knocking coins off the roof. The bandit took wallets and the guide’s flashlight, leaving the tourists in the dark. They used a cigarette lighter to find a light switch.
The tour guide recognized the voice of the gunman as a former employee who was soon arrested.
Knowing that a daring robbery was conducted just 27 years ago added more suspense to our adventure.
After three relaxing days, we were home by 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. Sadly, I still had to work Friday but felt so much more refreshed.
Budget for Day Three
— Marengo Cave walking tours run from $7 to $11 for a child and $13 to $21 for adults. Get a $2 discount on the combo by purchasing online. Web: www.marengocave.com
— Cave Country Canoes rides would have been $22 per person for the half-day, seven-mile canoe trip or $25 for the two full-day, 21-mile journeys. Kayaks are slightly more. Web: www.cavecountrycanoes.com
— Before leaving Anderson, reserve a canoe or kayak at Cave Country Canoes in Marengo, (812) 365-2705.
