Santa's Candy Castle, Santa Claus

Everything about Santa's Candy Castle is magical, including its location: Santa Claus, Indiana. Back in the 1850s, this wasn't the townspeople's first choice of name. They were hoping for Santa Fee, but the post office regretfully informed them it was taken. On Christmas Eve, the folks gathered at a town meeting, trying to think of a new name. Suddenly the sound of sleigh bells rang out, the children exclaimed, “Santa Claus!” and the new name was born. The town, featured on Ripley's "Believe It or Not" in the early 1930s, is even more unbelievable today.

That's thanks to Santa's Candy Castle, a red-brick castle built in 1935. Its structure looks straight out of a fairytale, and its contents do too. The candy-filled paradise stocks 31 flavors of gourmet hot chocolate, alongside handmade confections such as salt-water taffy and myriad other sweets that make tasty gifts. A more modern computer lab inside helps kids connect to the North Pole, see if they're on the Good list.