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November 30, 2021

Top 10 Christmas Towns To Visit In The U.S.

The Holiday season is about to begin and what better time to start making your list of Holiday destinations you want to visit? I know, I’ve started mine! What’s not to love about this time of year? Listening to Christmas music, taking in all of the twinkling lights, and sipping hot cocoa are just a few of the perks of the Holiday season. There are so many amazing places to visit this Holiday season but if you are looking for charming towns that go all out for the Holidays then you are in the right place…

Christmas Towns To Visit This Holiday Season
 [show]
  • 10 Christmas Towns To Visit This Holiday Season
    • Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
      • Bethlehem Christkindlmarkt
    • Stockbridge, Massachusetts
    • Solvang, California
      • Julefest
    • Asheville, North Carolina
      • Christmas At Biltmore
    • Frankenmuth, Michigan
      • Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland
    • Jackson, Wyoming
    • Helen, Georgia
      • Helen’s Christkindlmarkt
    • Durango, Colorado
      • Durango & Silverton Railroad
    • Leavenworth, Washington
      • Leavenworth Reindeer Farm
    • St. Augustine, Florida
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Want to know more about the Christmas holiday origins check out: The Celebration Of Yule

10 Christmas Towns To Visit This Holiday Season

1. Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

This charming Pennsylvania town is a given, but did you know that it’s known as “Christmas City”? The town boasts horse-drawn carriage rides and a “Christmas City Stroll” to take in all of the sparkling lights. Check out the town’s annual Christkindlmarkt for even more Holiday cheer!

Bethlehem Christkindlmarkt
  • 2021: Every weekend from November 19 – December 19
  • Buy Tickets In Advance HERE
  • Handmade goods, live Christmas music, handmade German ornaments, nutcrackers, and collectibles

2. Leavenworth, Washington

The winter wonderland Bavarian village of Leavenworth will put you into the holiday spirit immediately. This town transports you to the snowy magical streets of Europe during Christmas. Don’t miss out on the town’s sleigh rides, and lighting ceremonies. Oh, and this place even has its very own reindeer farm!

Leavenworth Reindeer Farm
  • 10395 Chumstick Highway, Leavenworth, WA 98826
  • Cost: $25 General Admission
  • If you are planning on visiting during November or December it is best to book tickets early
  • Book HERE
  • Complimentary cocoa, cider, and cookies are included in ticket prices
  • Santa hangs out here during Nov and Dec and you are welcome to take photos with him, but bring your own camera

3. Stockbridge, Massachusetts

If you are looking for a classic Norman Rockwell holiday, then you can’t do better than Stockbridge. Every year the town recreates Rockwell’s 1967 “Stockbridge Main Street At Christmas.” This recreation happens during the town’s annual Christmas festival, but it’s unfortunately been canceled for 2021. While the festival may not be happening this town is still full of Christmas charm.

Frankenmuth, Michigan

Often referred to as “Michigan’s Little Bavaria” Frankenmuth goes all out for the Christmas season. The German roots of this charming town make it a guarantee that their Christkindlmarkt is epic. Enjoy the whimsical light displays, and don’t forget to visit Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland before you leave.

Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland
  • 25 Christmas Ln, Frankenmuth, MI 48734
  • Mon – Thurs: 10 am – 7 pm, Fri: 10 am – 8pm, Sat: 9 am – 9 pm, Sun: 12 pm – 6 pm
  • Bronner’s is the world’s largest Christmas store

Solvang, California

Solvang will transport you with its quaint European streets. Every year the town hosts its Julefest, where you can go on a festive holiday lights tour and listen to live holiday music. Sounds magical!

Julefest

  • 2021: November 27 – January 1, 2022
  • Complete with tree lighting ceremony, parade, candlelight tours, and a tree burn at the end of the season.

Asheville, North Carolina

Can you imagine the Biltmore Estate all decked out for the holiday season? Well, you don’t have to imagine it! The lavish Vanderbilt mansion is covered in garlands, ribbons, and thousands of twinkling lights every holiday season.

Christmas At Biltmore

  • 1 Lodge St, Asheville, NC 28803
  • This Holiday season also offers the Van Gough Alive exhibit
  • There are 2 options for the Christmas tours at the Biltmore
    • Daytime Celebration – $106 – $339 – Buy tickets HERE
    • Candlelight Christmas Evenings – $106 – $330 – Buy tickets HERE

Jackson, Wyoming

You’ve undoubtedly seen photos of Jackson’s famous antler arch sparkling with holiday lights. But this entire town does a pretty impressive light display. It is focused around the town square and a magical display of thousands of twinkling lights.

Tip: On New Year’s Eve they do an awesome torch parade of ski instructors who fly down the town’s 2 ski-resort mountains with torches burning.

Helen, Georgia

This Bavarian town at the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains is the perfect stop on any holiday trip. Check out the towns Festival Of Trees, Kinderfest, or their very own Christkindlmarkt.

Helen’s Christkindlmarkt
  • 2021: November 27-28, December 4-5
  • Free Admission

Durango, Colorado

To really get into the holiday spirit, take a steam-engine ride through the snow. *Immediately thinks of White Christmas* The rides include a Polar Express inspired trip for the kids or you can take a weekend Christmas tree run. On the second option, you can cut your own tree and get it transported back to town, while you enjoy the train ride. How cool?

Durango & Silverton Railroad

The Polar Express Ride –

  • November 19, 2021 – January 1, 2022
  • Book and Find Price For Fares & Seats HERE

St. Augustine, Florida

If you are looking for a warmer Christmas season getaway then check out St. Augustine. Take in the historic cities gorgeous light display. And because it’s the south make sure to hitch a ride on a golf cart for the cities, Nights Of Light tours.

Honorable Mention:

  • New York City
  • Woodstock, Vermont
  • Breckinridge, Colorado

There are so many amazing options for travel during the Holiday season! Take advantage of this magical time of year and check out one of these charming towns. Have you been to any of these places during the Holiday season? Which was your favorite? Happy Holidays!

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Posted In: Mountain West, New England, South, United States · Tagged: Christmas, Christmas Towns, Holiday, Holiday Travel, United States

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Hi! I'm Vanessa, a 30 something, sunset chasing traveler. I'm here to inspire you to travel wherever, whenever, and with whoever you can. My Huskies, Loki and Freya are usually along for the ride. I have a soul that likes to wander, a desire to experience the unknown, and a curiousity to discover things off the beaten path. I hope you'll stick around for awhile!

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I stayed in Bar Harbor for six months and I still I stayed in Bar Harbor for six months and I still got my first Acadia October wrong. 😅

Here’s what nobody tells you: One facility at a time, across the back half of October closes down for the season. The shuttle goes first. Then campgrounds. Then Jordan Pond House. Then the visitor center. And suddenly all that gorgeous foliage has arrived…along with some closed doors.

If you don’t know the order, you can spend your day driving Park Loop Road desperately hunting for parking and never actually getting out of the car.

Trust me. I’ve done it. 🤦🏻‍♀️

Know the schedule, though, and you get the perfect fall version of Acadia: low golden light, fewer tour buses, fall color, and Cadillac Mountain reservations disappearing by the end of the month.

So I wrote it all down.

Sixteen pages. Every 2026 date verified. Foliage timing (and the best way to track it), the full closing calendar, where the light hits, what’s still open after October 25, 3 different itinerary suggestions, and how to do it all with a dog.

Going to Acadia this fall? This is the guide I wish I’d had the first time. 🍁

Comment FALL and I’ll send you the link to both the blog post and the guide. 🍁🧡🍁
They’re called red dogs, and you can actually watc They’re called red dogs, and you can actually watch them stop being one.

Bison calves are born bright cinnamon-orange, nothing like the dark brown adults. They’ve been called “red dogs” for generations because, well…look at them. 😂

Every one of these was photographed the same evening in Lamar Valley. The bright ones are younger. The darker calves are already changing, brown faces and legs, that shoulder hump starting to come in.

Same herd. Same evening. Calves born weeks apart.

By fall, you won’t be able to pick them out.

And because Lamar during calving season turns everyone into an amateur wildlife photographer: 25 yards. A cow with a calf is not the time to test how fast you can run.

Zoom lens. Not zoom feet.

📍 Lamar Valley, Yellowstone National Park 🦬
Acadia has 45 miles of roads where cars are absolu Acadia has 45 miles of roads where cars are absolutely not invited.

And honestly? More national parks should take notes.

John D. Rockefeller Jr. built Acadia’s carriage roads between 1913 and 1940 because he wanted to explore Mount Desert Island without sharing it with automobiles. Crushed stone, 17 stone-faced bridges, roads carefully curved around the landscape instead of bulldozing through it.

Basically: a billionaire built the world’s prettiest bike path and we all get to use it. Cool.

🚲 Class 1 e-bikes permitted 

Eagle Lake is the classic - about six miles around the water, with views that fully justify the hype.

But Witch Hole Pond is my favorite. Smaller, quieter, marshy, beaver-y, and usually a whole lot less “excuse me, are we all stopping here?”

And if you really want to get away from the crowds, head out on the quieter side of the carriage road system.

Rent a bike in Bar Harbor and go.

I highly recommend @coastalkayakingacadiabike they rent bikes specifically for exploring Acadia’s carriage roads and can help you figure out what route (and what bike) makes sense for your day.

It’s one of the best things to do in Acadia that doesn’t require a reservation, a permit, or a 4am alarm.

Just a bike, some crushed gravel, and 45 miles of “wait…why doesn’t every national park have this?”

Save this for your Acadia trip. 🚲
I’ve been to 22 national parks, which is obviously I’ve been to 22 national parks, which is obviously enough to have strong opinions and not enough to be an official National Park expert. 

So naturally, I ranked them.

These are my completely unscientific national park rankings, based on scenery, dogs, road-trip vibes, questionable decisions, and how personally offended my knees felt afterward.

Basically, I’ve spent a lot of time driving around the country looking at rocks, wildlife, mountains, and occasionally wondering why I thought that hike was a good idea.

And if you’re a fellow millennial who plans trips around national parks, takes the scenic route on purpose, and thinks a good road trip is a perfectly reasonable personality trait…

Hi 👋🏻 We should probably be friends. 🥾🏕️
Unpopular opinion: Bryce is better than Zion, and Unpopular opinion: Bryce is better than Zion, and I am fully prepared to defend this position 😂🏜️

Everyone books Zion. It’s the one on the list. The one your coworker did last spring. The one with the 7am shuttle line, the permit lottery, and the hike everyone has the same photo from.

It’s incredible. It’s also basically a logistics internship.

Bryce? You just drive there.

Pull over. Walk 20 feet. And suddenly you’re standing over thousands of hoodoos glowing orange and pink as the light moves across them.

If I had one day:

→ Sunrise Point for sunrise. Yes, the name is that literal.

→ Sunset Point later in the day. Same amphitheater, completely different light.

→ Wall Street + Queen’s Garden. The one to do. You drop into the hoodoos instead of just looking at them. Under three miles and wildly worth it.

→ Bryce Market & Grocery for lunch. Not fancy. Actually good. And you don’t have to drive 40 minutes for food.

I’ll give Zion the hiking variety. And nothing at Bryce touches the Narrows ir Angels Landing…

But if you want to stand somewhere that looks like the planet got bored and started making things up?

Bryce. Every time.

Tell me I’m wrong. 🧡

📍 Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah
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