I have never been an outdoorsy type person (and neither is my own family now!). My dad always wanted us doing outdoor adventures while we were growing up. I absolutely hated the tent-style camping, even though my better memories of that came from camp down in Kentucky during Junior High and not with my family. The pop-up camper my dad got later on in our youth was much better (he now goes to campgrounds in style with his RV – after the five of us were all grown and out of the house, of course). One of the camper adventures was to Lake Rudolph in Santa Claus, Indiana while we visited Holiday World, and that was one of my best campground experiences ever! I got the chance to take my own little family back and can’t wait to share with you the 7 reasons to stay at Lake Rudolph…. even for the non-outdoorsy types like we are!
1) It’s in One of the Most Magical Towns – Santa Claus, IN
Located in America’s Christmas Hometown, Sun Outdoors Lake Rudolph features 534 sites including hundreds of cabins and cottages, full-hookup RV sites, and tent sites nestled in a wooded setting with family-fun amenities. If you’ve never heard of Santa Claus, IN, it’s Christmas all year round there! Holiday World is at the heart of it all with Lake Rudolph being the best place to stay while you’re in town. Even though the main season for both the campground and theme park is April through October, you’ll see hints of Christmas joy everywhere. They also have Christmas Cabin Weekends at Lake Rudolph in December!!!
Forgot anything for your stay? No worries! Pop over to the Camp Store or go to the plaza across the way from Lake Rudolph. We did both during our stay! Our favorite local grocery store was Holiday Foods! We highly recommend checking them out after you get settled at the campground.
2) Lake Rudolph has a Ton of Options for How to Stay at the Campground
Guests don’t have to own an RV to stay. Lake Rudolph’s multiple family vacation rental options include 250 Cabins, Cottages, and Rental RVs. Wheelchair accessible cabins and cottages are also available. The resort also offers 244 full-hookup RV sites (the majority have a paved pad and patio) and 40 tent sites with water and electric.
We stayed in a Holiday Cottage, and that is the way to go “camping” in my book! We pulled up to see an attached screened-in porch, picnic table, fire ring, and charcoal grill in a cozy setting with tall trees set behind the cottage. There are two bedrooms, with a Queen bed in the main bedroom and a built-in bunkbed in the second bedroom. They provide pillows, pillowcases, and fitted sheets. The family room also includes a full size sectional sleeper sofa. There are two televisions with cable – one in the main bedroom and one in the family room. Plus, you get free Wi-Fi. If you have any issues (or are missing the TV remotes), they send staff right over on a golf cart to save the day!
The bathroom has a full size tub and shower, sink, and toilet. There is great air conditioning and heat in each cottage to make sure you’re always comfortable. The kitchen is fully stocked – full size refrigerator/freezer combo, oven/stove unit, microwave, toaster, sink, coffee maker, utensils, plates, cups, glasses, pots, and pans. To clean up, they provide you with dishwashing liquid and a broom.
What they recommend bringing with you when staying in a Holiday Cottage includes towels fro the bathroom and kitchen, blankets, food, coffee filters (we lucked out – coffee and filters had been left for us), lawn chairs (the screened-in patio has two rocking chairs!), trash bags (some of those were left for us during our visit), and charcoal. It is luxury campground life for sure! The fresh wood paneling smelled divine, and you can see in the pictures just how amazing and updated it all feels.
3) The Water Park Area & Other Family-Friendly Things to Do
In all honesty, you really don’t have to go anywhere else once you’ve arrived at Lake Rudolph. Santa’s SplashDown WaterPark, Candy Cane Cascades water slides, Dasher Splasher splash pad, Blitzen Bay pool, and Baby Blitzen kiddie pool are all on site to keep you cool and keep the whole family entertained. They also have mini golf, a fishing lake, paddleboats and kayaks to rent, playgrounds, gem mining sluice, horseshoe pits, basketball courts, rental golf carts, and game room. Just have to have screen-time, despite all of this? Guests have access to free Wi-Fi.
4) The Camp Store & More
Make sure you get a map when you check in at the front. The site is absolutely huge! If you haven’t been before, you’ll definitely need the map to find things like the camp store, outdoor pavilion, Blitzen Kitchen snack bar, air-conditioned bathhouses, laundromats, etc. The hospitality is incredible wherever you go around the campground, and it was all just as magical and fun as I remember as a kid. The entire staff at Lake Rudolph was impeccable – I didn’t meet a single person that wasn’t welcoming and friendly.
5) The Shuttles to Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari!
If you’re staying there while visiting the local them park like we were, you can get discounted tickets to Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari, and you have access to FREE Holiday World shuttles! This was the best time-saver, and I never want to visit Holiday World any other way from now on. The shuttle stops at several points throughout the campground, so you can pretty much walk to one within a few minutes wherever you’re staying on-site. With Lake Rudolph’s shuttles, you get dropped off and then picked up right at the entrance to the park! Easing on by the rows and rows and rows of cars in Holiday World’s parking lot, and watching all the families walking and walking to get to the entrance from their vehicles, makes staying at Lake Rudolph worth every penny to me! 😉
6) The Sense of Community
My clearest memories of staying at Lake Rudolph as a pre-teen are firmly rooted in how quickly the families and kids all bonded together during our time there. It was so refreshing, especially in this day and age, to have it feel exactly the same way 25 years later. Our fellow cottage neighbors were so fun and inviting everyone to grill out with each other. I love that there are planned activities, golf cart decorating and parades, and more. If you’re a campground goer, you’re family.
7) Pets are Welcome
Don’t want to leave your fur family at home? You don’t have to! They understand that your pets are family, too. That is why all types of Lake Rudolph’s vacation rentals are pet friendly. You just have to let them know you’ll be bringing a fur baby along, and there’s an extra deposit you’ll have to put down. Get all the details HERE. Along with their pet-friendly rentals… they also have a dog park! You’ll find plenty of spots for your pup to run and enjoy the campground with you. Did you know your dogs can hang at Holiday World while you’re there also? They can!
These were our 7 reasons to stay at Lake Rudolph. Let us know in the comments what your top reasons are after your own visit!
We know you’re ready to book your stay! Reservations may be made by calling toll-free, 1-877-478-3657 or 812-937-4458, or by visiting their website with the link below.
78 North Holiday Boulevard
Santa Claus, Indiana 47579
LakeRudolph.com
