 |
Photo By Steve Ramos
|
Young Theo enjoys a boy's life at Holiday World in
Santa Claus, Ind.
|
A father/son road trip is the topic of the summer's best-reviewed movie. In director Sam Mendes' The Road to Perdition, hit man Michael Sullivan (Tom Hanks) and his oldest son, Michael Jr. (Tyler Hoechlin), hit the road in Depression-era Chicago. It was a journey fueled by violence and revenge.
I also took a father/son road trip this summer, although my 4-year-old son Theo and I weren't dealing with the same stressful circumstances as the Sullivans. This trip was a chance for me to spend some time with Theo after too many evenings apart.
Santa Claus, Ind., is a small town tucked away in the rolling farmland of Southwestern Indiana. Its original name was Santa Fe until its townspeople discovered that another, older Santa Fe, Ind., demanded a name change. So its Christmas-loving townspeople picked Santa Claus, and the town's status as a kitschy roadside attraction was born.
Santa Claus' small post office stays busy answering children's Christmas letters. There are two giant Santa statues on each side of town. One is tucked away on a hillside off Route 245. The newer statue stands prominently in front of the town's municipal building.
This rural town's main attraction is Santa Claus Land, promoted as the world's first theme park when it opened in 1946. There are children's rides and picnic areas, plus Santa greets visitors at the front gate. Theo, who takes Santa Claus very seriously, was thrilled.
Our drive there was exactly what one expects when traveling with a 4-year-old. Piles of candy and chips took over the backseat, and there were frequent rest stops, guessing games and fast-food restaurants where we met countless church youth groups.
Through a child's eyes, anything different is the source for quick laughter. Theo and I howled at a truck painted with a picture of a large rabbit holding a loaf of "Bunny Bread," simply because we'd never heard of Bunny Bread before.
At an Indiana tourist center off I-64, Theo and I said hello to Betty the map lady, who sat in a back room knitting a sweater while we figured out the distance to Santa Claus. While Betty knitted, Theo and I grabbed one of every pamphlet, looking at Indiana attractions like the Dan Quayle Center and the John Dillinger Museum, places we'd never visit.
Later in the evening, at a roadside motel, we stayed up late (10 p.m.) and watched a grown-up movie on TV (Escape from L.A.). Theo and I wrestled and enjoyed extended pillow fights. I set no limits on the Kool-Aid or Oreo cookies. This was a "boy's rule" trip, which meant we could yell words like "poop," "butt" and "underwear" just for the fun.
The next morning, after breakfast and a photo alongside the newer Santa statue, Theo and I walked through Santa Land's front gate. The park changed its name to the more universal-sounding Holiday World in 1984 after adding sections celebrating Halloween and the Fourth of July. Still, when a short-sleeved Santa greets you in 90-degree heat, you can't think of the park as anything else but Santa Land.
Theo had no time to talk to Santa or listen to his storytelling. There were souvenir shops to visit and arcade games to play. I promised Theo I'd win him a stuffed animal at a skeeball game. My best efforts were good enough for an empty-handed second-place. On the next game, Theo played solo and beat four adults and teen-agers, earning himself a stuffed Tweety Bird dressed like the Statue of Liberty. I don't think he was ever more proud. Tweety never left his hands.
Holiday Village recently added two wooden roller coasters and a water park to its old-fashioned rides like the Indian canoes, Flying scooters and pint-sized Freedom Train, where adults have to squeeze themselves into miniature passenger cars.
 |
Photo By Steve Ramos
|
Holiday Village might not have the immense scale of more famous amusement parks, but it's quaint, clean and comfortable. For a 4-year-old and his dad, it's plenty big.
We took mostly interstates out to Santa Claus, but our trip back was a meandering journey along the Ohio River on Indiana Route 66. We passed small riverside towns like Cannelton and Rocky Point, places made up of little more than intersecting roads and gas stations connected to general stores. Through the Hoosier National Forest, we passed dogs, deer and a turtle crawling down the middle of the road. An eagle flew high above a car.
We drove close to two hours without any approaching traffic. While Theo napped in the backseat, I watched the beautiful countryside unfold before my eyes.
Printer-friendly version
