When you visit a charming, off-the-beaten-path destination, you’ll find that it makes for a great opportunity to engage with local life and enable you to get to know the area on a deeper level. Experiencing local places, products, activities, food, and meeting people from the community will make you feel right at home.
If the words organic, grass-fed, homegrown, handmade, or one-of-a-kind mean anything to you, then this list is for you. If you want to show your love for local when visiting the Santa Claus, Indiana, area, here are a few places where you can shop like a true native.
Shop like a local here:
Evergreen Boutique & Christmas Shop
The adorable Evergreen Boutique & Christmas Shop features a unique, hand-selected assortment of jewelry, scarves, handbags, and home décor. Some of their products, such as their distinctive, wooden Christmas ornaments, are locally made.
Pumpkins & More Farm Market
This farm market is open year around with seasonal changes to the hours of operation. You will find a wide variety of homegrown and homemade goodies including (but not limited to) grass-fed beef and other locally sourced frozen meats, farm fresh eggs, organic cheeses, jellies & jams, fruits, vegetables, and other treats. In addition, you will find candles, wooden crafts, potted plants, and other locally made items.
Lakeview Orchard
The Lakeview Orchard is a local, family-owned orchard near Rockport, Indiana. Known for juicy peaches, giant pumpkins, tasty apple cider, and more, this farm offers a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables throughout the year.
The Wineries
This area is home to two wonderful wineries, Pepper’s Ridge Winery and Monkey Hollow Winery and Distillery, which are each nestled in the quiet countryside, and offer locally grown and produced wines. Enjoy complimentary wine tastings at
At Monkey Hollow Winery and Distillery, enjoy wine, or newly distilled spirits. The patio is perfect for picnicking and overlooks the vineyard where the grapes are grown.
Pepper’s Ridge Winery is secluded amongst the trees and is located minutes away from the Ohio River Scenic Byway. A local favorite is their Lakeview Peach wine, made with fresh peaches picked from Lakeview Orchard only a few minutes down the road.
Saint Meinrad Archabbey Gift Shop
This gift shop is a local favorite for finding truly inspiring gifts. Some items, such as delicious confections and other one-of-a-kind keepsakes, are even handmade by Saint Meinrad monks as well as monks from around the country.
Steckler Grassfed Farm
Steckler Grassfed Farm is a local, family-owned farm which prides itself on operating a certified organic farm. The farm produces delicious raw aged cheese,
Steckler Grassfed “Bright Meadow” Organic Cheddar Cheese is produced from their own Dutch Belted dairy herd and each batch of cheddar is made by hand right at the farm creamery.This artisan cheese is aged for at least 60 days to develop its delicious, nutty flavor, and smooth texture.
When you purchase from this farm, you are guaranteed to take home food free of chemical fertilizers, antibiotics, hormones, steroids, or other foreign additives.
Find out what is open when here.