Driving through Arizona, you can find many abandoned places sitting just a stone's throw from the highway. Ghost towns, vestiges of once thriving businesses, and neglected tourist stops are scattered around the state, slowly being reclaimed by nature. One tourist stop that we're going to look at today happens to be a former, year-round Christmas destination named after our favorite jolly man in a red suit.
This is what remains of the little destination, Santa Claus. In fact, you may have passed it a few times while traveling to Lake Mead or Las Vegas where it sits along Highway 93, about 20 minutes north of Kingman.
It was established in 1937 by Nina Talbot, a real estate agent who planned on the area eventually transforming into a resort town complete with a unique attraction and a subdivision.
By focusing on making every day Christmas, children and their families could experience the joys of the holiday. Could you imagine waking up each morning to your favorite childhood holiday?
Within a short period of time, the little highway stop became a tourist destination for a generation of families traveling the highway. Among the attractions were a restaurant, an inn, a train for children to ride, and a chance to see Santa all year long.
Talbot's dream was short-lived. Perhaps it was the novel attraction or attempting to sell land property in a very arid environment in an isolated area but Talbot never managed to create her dream subdivision. In fact, she sold the town after 12 years where it operated for a couple more decades through the 1970s before slowly falling into ruin.
Eventually, the town closed, was removed from maps, and was put up for sale. Evidently, it is still waiting for a lucky buyer.
These days, you can still find the original buildings sitting along the highway slowly decaying under a harsh desert sun. The buildings are covered in graffiti, windows are shattered, and the paint is slowly fading.
Despite the haggard appearance, the town still attracts tourists but now those of a different variety. Instead of antsy children and their parents, you might find photographers, videographers, or "urban explorers" wandering the premises to capture what remains of this once merry destination before the rest of it succumbs to time and nature.
Want to see another abandoned place in Arizona? You might want to check out Two Guns, which you can read about in Nature Is Reclaiming This One Abandoned Arizona Spot And It’s Actually Amazing.
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