world of holidays

For most people, going on vacation with three young children doesn't sound like, well, a vacation.

But with my husband traveling and school coming to an end, the kids and I were care free for a week! So we decided to pack up and head to Holiday World! You know... Holiday World? OK. It might not be the most famous amusement park in the midwest, but I have to say, we LOVED it!

Holiday World is an amusement park where each section of the park has a holiday theme. It has lots of roller coasters and water rides, but our favorite parts were the little kid rides that are small enough even a 2-year-old has lots of thrilling options. The little canoe ride was my personal favorite.

But the BEST thing about Holiday World is how the owners have gone out of their way to make it so family friendly. All of the drinks are free! Visitors just stop off in one of the drink stations, grab a cup and fill it with a fountain drink. The food is not ridiculously overpriced, like at many similar attractions. And they even have big pump bottles full of FREE sunscreen! We especially appreciated this in the water park section.

We also loved how Holiday World is planted smack in the middle of southern Indiana fields and farms with almost nothing around it. The little town of Santa Claus, Indiana, boasts little more than a couple of hotels, a "Holiday Foods" grocery store and a couple of restaurants, most of which have a Christmas-inspired name.

Up until recently, our two boys have been afraid to go on any rides much larger than those found on a swingset. So, it was great to see them run from little airplanes to bumper boats to the carousel. And for me, a few days with no telephone to answer, no mail to open, no dishwasher to load and no beds to make is a great vacation!