Ruins of Santa's Land (Gone)
Santa Claus, Arizona
You can still see a few buildings standing -- sad ruins of Arizona's Santa's Land, on an otherwise empty stretch of US Hwy 93 south of Hoover Dam. The holiday-themed touches have all but disappeared, and the property is fenced off.
Built in 1937, the small, Christmas-themed collection of gift shops and child amusements went out of business in 1995. In the early 1990s you could still feast on Dasher and Dancer omelettes, Santa Claus burgers, and purchase oil portraits of John Wayne.
What remains? Several vandalized buildings, a wishing well, and a derailed, graffiti-tagged, pink children's train -- the "Old 1225." Hand-painted renderings of Santa and his elves decorate the train, growing scarier with each passing season of erosion.
The steep-roofed main building sported a sign: "This is it! Santa's Land Office," but the "Office" appears to have been added later, as if someone tried to make a go of another venture. There was also a realtor's sign, hope against hope an investor will find a new use for this classic roadside property.
