The Tarheel state is a wide spectrum of beautiful countryside that spans from the Appalachian mountainside all the way to the coastal plains. For those looking for a snow-covered cabin hidden deep in the upper altitudes of Appalachia, there is no shortage of stunning scenery and charming villages nestled away in the west end of North Carolina. If the beach is more your vibe, port cities cut an outline of the eastern coast with lighthouses, aquariums, and boardwalks to fill out your holiday.

While it’s hard to narrow down such a quietly eventful state to a few towns, we will try to bring a variety of options from the more festive parts of the state with a special emphasis on small “Hallmark” hamlets to warm you from the winter chill. If you want a southern escape and a few extra pounds to bring in the new year (the barbecue is undeniable), North Carolina is the perfect choice.

If there is a more awe-inspiring view than Blowing Rock, the author of this article has yet to see it. Situated atop the Blue Ridge, the mountaintop town is a stunning piece of Appalachian majesty. With an area so incredible to look upon, it would be an unforgivable decision to offer little in the way of holiday options. Thankfully, Blowing Rock comes in as one of the premier Christmas towns in North Carolina.

No town in this list would be worth mentioning if it didn’t offer the annual Christmas parade and Blowing Rock is no exception. Starting off a winter season filled with Christmas-themed events, the Blowing Rock Christmas Parade takes place just seven days after Thanksgiving on Main Street. This begins a month filled with light shows, theme rides, music, great food, and much more.

Christmas in the Park might be the best-known event in Blowing Rock, and for good reason – the festival comes with several fun activities for parents, kids, and everything in between. Whether you want to stow away your kids on a hay ride, get memorable pics with ol’ St. Nick, play fair games, or even watch the lighting of the town, you can accomplish everything throughout the afternoon as a live band accompanies the merriment.

Driving into the town it’s hard to miss the countless tree farms with budding firs neatly planted across grassy slopes throughout the elevated region. This gives tourists and vacationers a unique chance to bring home a tree that is sown, grown, and cut just a few miles from Blowing Rock. This can be seen in the Festival of Trees, where various Christmas trees throughout town are individually decorated next to creatively crafted wreaths.

For the outdoorsman, you can spend time in one of the several hiking locations hidden around Watauga County. You can also spend time at one of the ski resorts in the area which offers skiing, snowboarding, and breathtaking views to relax into the evening with a cup of well-made coffee.

Main Street offers a holiday market that rivals anything with Christmas decor, lights, and evergreens littered with ornaments. The town center creates a wonderful holiday ambiance that will make you want to stay far longer than you need to. The shops stay open throughout most of the day and offer a litany of choices you won’t usually find outside of the holiday.

Tweetsie Railroad is the last and perhaps most attractive event we will be listing, which is a railway-themed amusement park that has been running for close to seventy years now. Christmas time is brilliant at Tweetsie Railroad, which is available on most days of December and is breathtaking for adults and kids alike. We recommend an evening trek on the train through carefully strewn Christmas lights that number close to a million. Santa will also be in attendance in his specially constructed gingerbread domicile.

Asheville is a mid-sized city along the western tail of North Carolina. Situated in a beautiful stretch of tree-covered mountains, the “Land of the Sky” surrounds the French Broad River. A beautiful place to visit any time of year (though especially in autumn), the city is a tourist destination year-round and puts its back into the Christmas celebration.

If you want to spend Christmas in America’s best impression of a fairytale castle, the Biltmore is the largest privately owned home in the entirety of the United States. The unimaginably large chateau offers daytime and nighttime tours, and the candlelit evening excursion is especially breathtaking. Take a walk through a home that has well over two hundred different rooms that are brilliantly decorated with wreaths, trees, and interwoven ivy.

Just past the gardens of the Biltmore estate lies Antler Hill Village, a more recent addition that adds a comfortable, vintage shopping area featuring several places to eat, shop and sip on wines from the surrounding area. For kids and kids at heart, you can pet animals, scale a rock wall and throw sand at your loved ones. The village itself is stunning in its own right and those that like to take their time will be greeted by countless Christmas lights as the sun drifts below the mountain peaks.

For the fans of festive, fun-filled trolleys, Asheville has a couple of options for you to consider. The first is the cleverly named Holly Jolly Christmas Trolley. It is a trip that takes a little over an hour and features several holiday-themed portions of Asheville with several stories, local tales, and songs you can enjoy without having to contend with freezing temperatures.

For a mature nature-themed trip, try the Jingle Bell Trolley which takes you through a slow, idyllic trip into the bustling trees before bordering the enchanting French Broad river. Both trips come with a well-trained guide to give you information about all the incredible things you will see.

There are no shortages of light shows, including those found at the Biltmore, NC Arboretum and Julian Park which would be the leading attraction anywhere outside of Buncombe county. You can spend time at any of the brilliant shopping districts throughout the city, such as Biltmore Village or Lexington Avenue, and enjoy several shops, goods, and food throughout.

For those interested in Asheville, Black Mountain is only a short trip away and a worthwhile destination on its own merits. The small town of 8,000 surrounds Lake Tomahawk with the Swannanoa running through it and is surrounded by colossal blue-capped mountains. For those trying to avoid the traffic and tourism of Asheville, Black Mountain is a wonderful place to spend your evenings with plenty of attractions to pass the time.

Starting off the festive month, they bring in the start of the Christmas season with a parade that ends with the Circle of Lights which features several confections, hot drinks, and baked goods. Walk off the vacation binge with a warmly-lit evening stroll around Lake Tomahawk to top off an eventful afternoon. Kids can enjoy music, hayrides, and Santa Claus on top of the serenely lit lakeside.

December 5th is the Holly Jolly event which takes place downtown and ensures people can enjoy the nighttime brilliance of a village strip laden with Christmas decor, lights, and more. To accommodate the heavy influx of after-hour foot traffic, most shops stay open until at least 8 p.m. Additionally, you have access to plenty of hot drinks and can drown out the silence and intermittent chatter with live music.

The bright lights of the Monte Vista Hotel are easy to spot (the neon sign stands a few feet above the building) and worth a closer look. The Deck the Trees event has different trees all uniquely decorated and judged once every year in December. The hotel also has several food options, tours, and plenty of souvenirs and trinkets worth a quick glance.

While in town, there are a few places you should eat far too much at. La Guinguette has a great French Onion soup, which is a hard dish to make well. For excellent southern food, the Black Mountain Bistro and Red Rocker Inn are must-visits. Finally, there is a great German spot called Berliner Kindl, for those into more European cuisine.

Hailed as one of the Best Ski Towns in North America, the quiet mountain village of Banner Elk is a sensational holiday destination for those looking to escape from the deafening clutter of inner cities and overwhelmed tourist destinations. With a population of 1,000 – Banner Elk is a poorly hidden paradise for vacationing families wanting to get away from just about everything.

Whether you want to eat at some of the best restaurants the south has to offer, go snowboarding, or hide in your quaint country cottage; there is plenty to fill your time in Banner elk. Before we get into all the Christmas cheer, let’s cover a few of the many celebrated dining options hidden around the modest township.

The Banner Elk Cafe & Lodge is a long cabin-style restaurant with a cobblestone foundation and a wide stone chimney outlining the exterior. Inside sits two different restaurants open all week (save for holidays) that feature a wide selection of foods, baked goods, and a wide selection of coffee options. Their wine choice is superb and craft beer enthusiasts will be more than satisfied with their local selection.

If you fancy yourself a person of culture and refined taste, there are two upscale restaurants worth a dinner in the small town. The first is the Artisanal; a brilliant rustic wooden building with cuisine that shifts with what’s available at any given season. The second is the Louisana Purchase on Main street, which puts a more upscale twist on several down-home delicacies. Banner Elk is known first for its skiing – but its culinary options are some of the best in the state.

Every weekend features folks singing Christmas carols, piping hot holiday refreshments, and the Christmas lights of the town’s preeminent evergreen tree, located in Main Park. You can wind down with a musical at “The History Banner Elk School” which features a local holiday show. After the worthwhile Christmas Parade on the Main strip, you can waltz over to the park for a light show featuring train rides (the town was built as a train stop) with illuminated tangles of arches comprised of ivy and string lights.

There are many rustic cabins and lodgings available and worth looking into it prior to visiting within close proximity to Blowing Rock. As the “Best Ski Town” reviews suggest, it is also a very good place to take in the slopes. While it may be one of the smaller towns on the list, it is the only town in the state with two local ski resorts. If you wanna hit the surrounding mountains at breakneck speeds, there are numerous resorts to choose from.

Getting out of the mountains for a bit, let’s take a look at one of the more well-known cities in the Northern Piedmont area of the Tarheel state. By no means cozy, Winston-Salem is a bustling city of 250,000 and is home to several important businesses and colleges. While it may not be the winter retreat some crave, its several holiday options make it a hard-to-miss option for those not interested in hairclip turns on poorly illuminated uphill roads.

If you wanna make yourself less conspicuous, leave out the “-Salem” when you bring up the city to locals.

Winston has enough holiday markets to decorate the better part of the Piedmont area that spans from late November until about a week before the big day. The Winston Junction Market offers the Jingle All The Way Market on the 10th, with the Handmade Holiday Market reserved for the 17th. You can also check out a showcase at the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds on the 3rd, which has a wonderful farmers market.

This is only a small slice of all the different options you have at your disposal and each December weekend prior to Christmas will have numerous markets spread across the city.

A conversation about Winston wouldn’t be complete without mentioning Old Salem. The restored Moravian community features countless holiday attractions that focus on the colorful history of the community. Outside of a delicious bakery and separate cafe, the quaint time capsule has a series of different shops to peek your head into or window shop around.

On the 17th of December, they have “Salem Night” which has star-shaped lights draping off the supports of Heritage Bridge. You can also enjoy a stroll in a horse-drawn carriage that takes you through the more enchanting parts of the old protestant community. You can also see how folks back in the day celebrated the holiday, such as doctors, families, and potters.

Ten miles south of Winston, you can experience the Tanglewood festival of lights – which is rolling into its thirties. This regularly attracts a huge crowd and for good reason, it has an incredible amount of holiday fun to take advantage of. You can walk under countless Christmas illuminations, take part in a foot race, grab a carriage or hayride, and even stay the night should you choose. For foodies, they have an entire event shaped around making S’mores just outside the souvenir shop.

The Stevens Center Theatre offers holiday-themed musicals annually and fans of the nutcracker will not be disappointed with the evening show. While in Winston, a visit to Korner’s Folly is a must as the beautiful and strange architectural achievement is something any visitor should take an hour to go through. As the sun begins to fade out, you can end the evening at the Paul J. Ciener Botanical Garden or take a drive through the city to see all the Christmas-themed lights glowing off the various skyscrapers.

Just past the lush, rounded peaks of the Appalachian mountains sits Morganton, a small charming city wedged next to the Catawba River in the Carolina foothills. While folks coming from the west may have to contend with the tumultuous roads of the western edge, Morganton is far easier to travel to than a place like Banner Elk. Just a short 30-minute drive from Hickory – a worthwhile destination in its own right – Morganton is a wonderful winter getaway for those looking for awe-inspiring landscapes and small-town comfort.

For those traveling a bit early in the season, the Winter Carnival on the 19th of November is a great stop while you wait for the Christmas spirit to liven up the surrounding area. Those that have a passion for authenticity and handmade goods will be in hibernal heaven with all the various goods at their disposal. These include but aren’t limited to baked goods that can drag you in by smell alone, fresh winter produce, and handmade decor and art.

Once you are done stuffing yourself with freshly made bread you can walk off the carbs with carnival games, ice sculptures, a visit with Santa, carriage rides, and more. Ending the night is the lighting of the memorial tree, followed by streaks of yuletide glow decorating the area. For those that enjoy outdoor cooking and backyard activities, there is also bean bag toss or cornhole depending on where you are from

In December, you can enjoy the quiet excitement of the downtown area before the Christmas Parade takes place around 6 P.M. The windows of the downtown shopping district are brilliantly decorated to attract you to various novelty shops, eateries, and more. Each year is a different theme and floats are numerous throughout the festive affair.

For those that want a fairytale evening with their loved ones, or simply want to pet a horse, the horse and carriage rides that go through downtown are a common stop for locals and tourists alike. Alternatively, you can take advantage of the extensive outdoor activities found throughout the enchanting landscape of the western foothills.

Keeping ourselves comfortably in the rolling hills, Forest City is an ambitious name for a town with little more than 7,000 people. Just next door to Spindale, Bostic, and Rutherfordton – Forest city works as a commercial hub for Rutherford County. As with most towns in the Western part of North Carolina, Forest City is breathtaking in the later months and a great spot to tuck yourself away in until the new year.

Keeping with Carolina tradition, the December holiday in Forest City comes with a Christmas Parade marching its way through the main strip and numerous carriage rides until the week before Christmas. For less enthused kids, they can take a trip on one of the hayrides available along the main road. Santa will be heavily present in most events in and around the blissful Piedmont town.

If you have ever had the urge to ice skate but have a phobia of frozen water, they offer an ice skating rink leading up to Christmas eve that uses a fake ice-like material, though skates are still heavily encouraged.

If given the chance, you should check out the lighting of the tree which is in front of a cascading fountain, surrounded by bushes covered in a mesh of Christmas lights. Rutherfordton also has its very own tree lighting, which is the oldest living tree in the state at the time of this article.

While in town, don’t miss out on Bennett Classics Antique Auto Museum if you are a nostalgic car enthusiast. You can stay at numerous hotels, cabins, and more in and around the town if you find it a suitable center for your Christmas excursions.

If you do pull through Forest City, make sure to stop at the Pavilion on Park Square. Whether you want to meander through dreamy lighting encompassed by beautiful architecture or simply wanna stow your children on the back of a tractor for a moment’s respite – every vacationer owes it to themself to take in one of Forest City’s biggest attractions.

Regularly celebrated as one of the best places to live in the Carolinas, Cary is an exceptional vacation spot during the holidays. Located in the center of the Triangle, the city of Cary has a population of 176,000 and is a worthwhile spot for anyone looking to spend time in a more metropolitan area that includes Durham, Raleigh, and Chapel Hill. Due to its proximity to many bustling Carolina cities, you will struggle to find time to be bored or idle unless you choose to.

They start the month of December with a series of events on the 3rd. Starting at 10 a.m., you can check out the city Gingerbread House competition which usually lasts until 4 p.m. After. You can stop into the Page-Walker Arts & History Center to listen to cultural Christmas tunes, munch on fresh cookies, and take a scenic jot on a horse-drawn carriage.

To end the night – if you aren’t suffering from a holiday sugar coma – you can catch the Tree Lighting Ceremony at the town hall. There will be various shows featuring gifted thespians, skilled, musical performances, and more. The event starts around 6 p.m and has enough  holiday entertainment to keep you and yours firmly enthused.

The Cary Arts Center regularly has shows throughout the holiday season that are suitable and entertaining for all ages. Whether you are a fan of the classics such as It’s a Wonderful Life to A Christmas Story, you will be more than pleased with the Cary Player’s performance. If you want a more graceful event, the Cary Ballet Company also regularly does multiple presentations of The Nutcracker.

The Cary Arts Center also has “The Motown Sound of Christmas” a few days before Christmas Eve which is a wonderful showing of various Motown songs with a Christmas theme. Never let it be said that Cary doesn’t take the arts seriously.

The Cary Christmas Parade is a two-hour, joyous affair that has been a staple of the city for over forty years now. The parade goes through a dense strip of Cary that features numerous restaurants, breweries, and bakeries to enjoy after the floats, firetrucks, and friendly faces have all come and gone.

Waynesville sits 30 minutes west of Asheville in the Appalachian countryside, tucked between two otherworldly peaks. Past the Blue Ridge and Smoky mountains sit a town of a little over 10,000 which takes its yuletide celebrations very seriously. For Christmas comfort food, snow-capped scenery, and festive fusions of lights and luminaries, Waynesville is a must.

The first stop for any enthusiasts of local entertainment is the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre, which has regular showings of Christmas plays and musicals toward the middle of the month. The play features mostly local talent and emphasizes showing the local artistic talent of Haywood and surrounding counties.

As we mentioned earlier in the article, various evergreen tree farms decorate the rolling hills of Appalachia and Waynesville is smack dab in the middle of several different options for those in the market. If you want a beautiful Christmas tree of your own, walking in any direction will likely bring a few farms into view. Some even offer alternative items to decorate your tree on top of the occasional free hot cocoa – which is the preferred kind.

We all have a soft spot for window shopping through cozy strips in modest towns and Waynesville takes full advantage of this universal passion. The main street of Waynesville is perfect for a mid-afternoon stroll through glowing Christmas orbs, festive decorations, and shimmering windows surrounded by charming brick shops.

Whether you need a general store, gift shop, cafe, restaurant, breweries, antiques, boutiques, or restaurants – you can find that and more along the heart of Waynesville. The best time to experience this is during the Waynesville Christmas Parade which runs through Main Street on the 6th annually.

If the frigid air and altitude are causing a violent reaction from you and yours, you can take a break from the cold at the Strand of Lights. The car-oriented activity is a long stretch of glimmering decorations that you can drive through, under, and around. You will have to get a ticket ahead of time, though it is well worth it to be surrounded by Christmas cheer in every direction.

Just outside of Charlotte sits Concord, a city of 100,000 with numerous parks, and holiday activities. Widely praised as one of the best places to live in North Carolina, the city features numerous winter activities and has one of the most well-known light shows in the country. For those who want suburban charm close to the biggest metropolis in the state, Concord is a fantastic holiday trip.

Fans of Nascar may be familiar with Concord for its iconic Charlotte Motor Speedway, though you may not know that the venue hosts one of the biggest light shows you will see in the nation. With a light count between 3 – 4 million (our sympathies to the person counting), you can drive around and into the Nascar venue which eventually leads onto the historic raceway itself.

The event is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for vacationers and regardless of whether you like racing or not, these illuminated left turns are an essential part of any holiday trip through the Cabarrus County area. At the track, you can also check out the Speedway Club, an upscale restaurant with a gorgeous view of the sparkling stadium.

For those that enjoy getting out on the ice, Concord Mills has a great rink located at the Speed Park. Speaking of, Concord Mills is one of the biggest shopping stops in the state with over 200 stores. You could spend most of your holiday trying to navigate through the countless stores, restaurants, and bodegas found inside.

After you spend far too much you can splurge on a bit more at the Sea Life Aquarium which features its own Christmas event which has Santa Claus in full scuba attire. It also has the Sea of Lights which is an aptly named light show with a brilliant aquatic take on the Christmas pastime.

If you want a fun destination for the kids, The Cabarrus Arena hosts a Christmas Festival with live performances, playgrounds, bumper cars, bounce houses, and pictures with Santa. There is also a free toy giveaway getting back to the heart of the holiday and far more. The entire event is free and a welcome addition to any lax schedule.

If you can’t have Christmas without cozy train rides, then stop into Village Park throughout December for a quarter million lights and luminaries. The park is sprawling with glowing trees, and spitting fountains as well as a train ride to see every inch of it. Equally enthralling are the singing bears and s’mores that can be smelt and heard in the heart of the park.

A now 40-year-old tradition has been one of the key events in Wrightsville for some time, the North Carolina Holiday Flotilla. The event features countless light-strewn boats floating dreamily across the oceanside. The event gives an excuse for lovers of the ocean to venture into seaside territory during the more chilly time of the year and offers countless attractions throughout the event.

On land, there are well over a hundred different vendors peddling various decorations, creative art pieces, and more. You can spend time munching on food from various food trucks and pop-up food stops as well as a large activity center for the little ones. After you get done voting on your favorite boat via text, you can enjoy a brilliant firework display that reflects vividly off the Atlantic.

Taking place through the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad is the Polar Express, a Christmas train that runs exclusively late in the year to celebrate the holiday in a comfortable passenger car wrapped with Christmas spirit and filled with the warm aroma of Hot Cocoa. The train will play songs from the movie and Santa will make an appearance in every car.

Outside of the train, you will see wilderness that could fit into a landscape painting. The trip lasts for an hour and a half and even as a moody, disillusioned adult – you will be overwhelmed with a sense of warmth and wonder. Be sure to check the forecast ahead of time as winter advisories can wreak havoc on your trip through the Smokies.

Most people don’t picture the largest sand dunes on the Eastern side of the country when they think of Christmas, but North Carolina has them regardless. Jockey’s Ridge is a must-visit any time of year and during Christmas, they outdo themselves with a solar Christmas tree and a worthwhile light show. The lights extend through most of the entrance before venturing into the disorienting landscape of the national park.

If you want to confuse your relatives, you can inform them that you went sandboarding as the rentals are available throughout the year. Just be sure to hit up the free hot chocolate vendor before you carve a path into the dunes.

The small town doesn’t get much more than 1,000 residents during the year, but it is a must-visit during the Christmas season. Folks may be wondering why it isn’t featured on places to go, and there is one simple reason. The town averages 600,000 tourists during December, making it far less desirable for a quiet getaway. So while you may not want to spend the night in the overwhelmed township, you owe it to yourself to visit.

With over half a million lights creating a thin layer of illuminated holiday ambiance, the town is lit up from border to border with extravagantly decorated houses, walkways, and townhall. When it comes to a Christmas town, there is nothing that tops the overwhelming effort of McAdenville – only close competition. The lights perk up nightly at 6 P.M throughout the month of December.

Bringing up only one of the several beautiful skiing destinations in North Carolina feels like a gross oversight, so we will offer up a few suggestions. In a state filled with some of the most picturesque mountain ranges in creation, anyone with a passing interest should take advantage of the numerous opportunities throughout the western peaks.

Sugar Mountain ski resort is widely considered one of the best in the state (don’t tell Beech Mountain) and offers the best variety for those just getting into the hobby. Beech Mountain beats out just about everybody for its incredible altitude and unbelievable mountain vistas that seem to continue for miles. Finally, Appalachian Mountain Ski Resort – located in Blowing Rock – is a beautiful beginner-friendly resort with a lodge so snug you have to motivate yourself to venture to the lift.

International Christmas Towns

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