In the South, you can enjoy an old-fashioned Christmas with southern charm and hospitality. Some southern cities have snow. However, even without snow, the historic buildings decorated for the holidays create a picture postcard atmosphere. You will also enjoy holiday foods that are Southern favorites, such as sweet potato pie and pecan pie. You can select several of the seventeen suggested vacation spots to experience a Southern-style Christmas.
Childersburg, Alabama
In Childersburg, Christmas in the Desoto Caverns offers tours, a laser light show, synchronized music, and carolers. You can also enjoy activities above ground.
Fayetteville, Arkansas
Fayetteville sponsors the Lights of the Ozarks Festival in the downtown area. Enjoy the lights, pony and carriage rides, other festivities, a craft show, and food.
Key West, Florida
Key West is a fun vacation with its pastel houses and a special vibe. However, palm trees with holiday lights create a different holiday atmosphere. You can view the light displays on the Conch Tour Train Holiday Lights Tour and the hour-long Old Town Trolley Holiday Lights Tour. Enjoy the Key West Christmas lighted boat parade and the Christmas Classic Car Show. Stroll around the Nautical Harbor Walk of Lights, take a tour of the historic inns, and visit the retro 40s and 50s decorated Harry S. Truman Little White House. Take a selfie with the unique community Fishing Buoy Christmas Tree. The Lobster Trap Christmas Tree resembles wooden crates stacked in a pyramid with lights, a pine garland, and red bows. When you’re ready for a break, enjoy the sandy, not snowy, beaches.
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta offers multiple light displays. You can view light displays at ATL Holiday Lights, the Garden Lights, Holiday Nights at the Atlanta Botanical Garden, Holiday in Lights at Centennial Olympic Park, Fantasy in Lights at Callaway Gardens, Lakeside Lights Spectacular at Margaritaville at Lanier Islands, and A Stone Mountain Christmas. The Fernbank Museum of Natural History offers multiple Christmas trees, and the German Christkindl Market provides a unique shopping and dining experience. For kids, Atlanta features Priscilla, the Pink Pig Ride at the Lenox Mall Macy’s parking garage. The pig-shaped bubble-gum-colored train takes kids around the upper level. You can ice skate at Centennial Olympic Park and the roof at Ponce City Market rink.
Dahlonega, Georgia
Dahlonega offers lights, a Christmas tree, a parade, horse-drawn carriages, caroling, and shopping at small-town businesses. You can choose local wines, homemade candles, and antiques. Enjoy the holiday celebrations at local bed and breakfast on the Christmas Bell Inn Tours. Be a participant with or a spectator of the mass of Santas running in the Santa Dahlonega Dash 5k. Dahlonega provides a holiday atmosphere used in a televised movie.
Helen, Georgia
Helen, located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, celebrates its Bavarian flavor in its Christmas celebration. The Christmas tree lighting includes local music groups and a visit by Santa and Mrs. Claus. You can enjoy a view of a Victorian-era Christmas at the Hardman Farm State Historic Site and shop the German Christkindlmarkt. Play mini golf on a course lighted for the holidays at Alpine Mini Golf, and ride the Georgia Mountain Coaster to get another view of the Helen lights. Visit the Festival of Trees at Unicoi State Park and participate in the Breakfast with Santa. Stay in town for New Year’s Eve to see the dropping of the Edelweiss.
Thomasville, Georgia
Thomasville provides local shops and cobblestone streets as a backdrop for its Victorian-style Christmas celebration. Their celebration includes a live nativity, carriage rides, carolers, performers, musicians, a visit from Santa, and live reindeer. Enjoy toasted marshmallows and roasted chestnuts. Be sure to take selfies using the props set up around town.
Bardstown, Kentucky
In Bardstown, you can view lights, carriage rides, train rides, candlelight tours, and the Christmas tree lighting. Enjoy a visit with Santa, music, dining, and shopping after the tree lighting ceremony. Join the nightly Candlelight Tours of the My Old Kentucky Home. You can also tour local homes and whiskey distilleries. Kids can visit Santa at the Old Nelson County Courthouse and at the Kentucky Railway Museum on a Santa Express excursion. Take a North Pole Express train ride with Santa on the My Old Kentucky Dinner Train, and on New Year’s Eve, ride the My Old Kentucky Dinner Train’s New Year’s Eve Excursion.
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington features four miles of light at the Kentucky Horse Park, a parade, carriage rides, and shopping at holiday markets. Kids can enjoy brunch with Santa at the Kentucky Castle and ice skating in Triangle Park. The Bluegrass Railroad Museum in Versailles offers a 90-minute train ride with Santa. The train ride passes elves and holiday scenes. Go to Millersburg and visit Christmas at Mustard Seed Hill for gingerbread house displays, lights, and music.
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville offers multiple light displays, including Lake Forest, the one-mile Winter Illuminations at Beckley Creek Park, and the Gardens Aglimmer At Waterfront Botanical Gardens. You can also view the Lights Under Louisville light display at the four-million-square-foot Louisville’s Mega Cavern with its 17 miles of passages and the half-mile Winter Woods Spectacular at Iroquois Park. Visit the Conrad-Caldwell House for a Victorian Christmas experience. Enjoy ice skating, outdoor movies, and karaoke on the ice at the Fête De Noël Winter Holiday Festival. Take your kids on a Cookies with Captain Santa Riverboat Cruise. The decorated paddle wheeler adds to the holiday vibe.
Natchitoches, Louisiana
Natchitoches features the Festival of Lights. The Festival started in 1927 when a single lighted artwork was created and displayed along the east side of Cane River Lake. Now, the display has grown to over 100 pieces. The Festival also includes a parade, festival queens, carriage rides, a boat parade, and fireworks every Saturday from before Thanksgiving through New Year’s Eve. In 1965, Natchitoches added a Santa Claus house.
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans knows how to celebrate holidays, and Christmas is no exception. The Celebration in the Oaks at City Park offers a train ride around the 25-acre light display among the 600-year-old moss-covered oak trees. You can tour historic buildings and homes decorated for the holidays and ride the decked-out street cars and steamboats. Visit LUNA Fête in Lafayette Square to view the high-tech displays. Kids enjoy sailing with Santa on the Steamboat Natchez and ice skating and ice slides at the indoor NOLA ChristmasFest. Indulge in a Creole four-course Réveillon dinner and view the Christmas Eve bonfires on the levee to guide Papa Noel to New Orleans.
Oxford, Mississippi
Oxford features the Gingerbread Village with hundreds of gingerbread displays at the Ford Center of the Performing Arts. You can also enjoy its parade, lights, and ornament auction. The Oxford town hall is in the center of the town square. So, they string their Christmas lights from the town hall roof to the buildings surrounding it in all directions. They have also added a Holly Jolly Holiday festival featuring carriage rides, sculptures, caricature drawings, ice skating, a holiday market, and visits with Santa.
Ashville, North Carolina
Asheville invites you to tour the Biltmore Estate decorated for Christmas and visit the National Gingerbread House Competition at The Omni Grove Park Inn. Take a carriage ride and view the lights around the historic downtown. Enjoy the Winter Lights display at North Carolina Arboretum. At the Arboretum, you can participate in a treasure hunt at the Baker Exhibit Center Connections Gallery and buy the ingredients for s’mores to roast over fire pits on the grounds.
Raleigh, North Carolina
In Raleigh, enjoy the Nights of Lights drive-thru display at Dorothea Dix Park. Join the Walking Historic Oakwood Candlelight Tour of historic homes and the Downtown Raleigh Illuminate Art Walk. View the parade, go ice skating at the Red Hat Amphitheater, and enjoy shopping at The Merry Market at Moore Square. Kids will enjoy riding on Santa’s Reindeer Roundup Express train and searching for Rudolph and the other eight reindeer.
For more light displays, you can visit Magic of Lights at Walnut Creek, the lighting of nearby Lake Forest, the Williams family Lake Myra Christmas Lights display in Wendell, and Wendell Wonderland also in Wendell. While in Wendell, you can enjoy trolley rides, music, and a craft market.
Go to Cary for the North Carolina Chinese Lantern Festival at the Koka Booth Amphitheatre with over 20 large Chinese Lanterns and a Chinese Dragon floating on the lake. You will enjoy displays of Chinese culture with dance, drum, martial arts, and acrobatic exhibitions. Cary also offers a Victorian Christmas with carolers, music, and activities for kids at the Page-Walker Arts and History Center.
Complete your visit to the Raleigh area on New Year’s Eve by joining the First Night Raleigh celebration. Enjoy a Ferris wheel, sleigh rides, music, and the giant copper acorn drop.
Charleston, South Carolina
In Charleston, you can visit the Edmondston-Alston house and view the other decorated homes and buildings. Enjoy the Holiday Festival of Lights, the parade, the Charleston Christmas Market, and the Holiday Parade of Boats. Kids will enjoy the kids-size Christmas village at Magnolia Plantation. It includes a gingerbread house, candy factory, elf bunk house, and Elfementary School. The Christmas Train provides a 15-minute ride around the village, and Santa and Mrs. Claus are there to welcome guests.
Gatlinburg, Tennessee
Gatlinburg provides a Christmas vacation experience in the Smokies. Rent a cabin for a mountain life experience. Enjoy the Gatlinburg Trolley Tour of Lights, and view the lights of Gatlinburg from Skylift Park. Ski, snowboard, and shop. Gatlinburg features products from local artisans.