After making the list of best places to visit in different states of the USA, we have decided to make a list of best Christmas towns as well as the Christmas is coming. From festivals and twinkling lights to snow-covered rooftops and giant Christmas trees, these towns get into the holiday spirit.
Best Christmas Towns
Prescott, Arizona
“Arizona’s Christmas City” wins its nickname with hundreds of functions to enjoy. The Courthouse Lighting, introduced by the annual Christmas ceremony, brightens the beautiful historic architecture as well as over a hundred trees in the main square. Other events include a musical showcase, a Frontier Christmas festival with feasts and hot cider at Sharlot Hall Museum, and a large Gingerbread Village.
Solvang, California
In December, Solvang goes all-out for its Julefest, highlighting downtown candlelit caroling trips, nativity exhibition, wine and beer tours, live music shows, parade, and tree lighting. The festival also takes guests on a Holiday Lights Tour through the Santa Ynez Valley to see the best-illuminated homes and on a “Nisse adventure” scavenger hunt to find these Danish gnome-like people throughout the city.
Mystic, Connecticut
The memorable harbor of Mystic isn’t just a seasonal destination—it’s an impressive spot to enjoy Christmas in Connecticut. Attend the Holiday Lighted Boat Parade, which ends with Santa coming via tugboat. The shops and eateries of Olde Mistick Village grant the Festival of Lights, starring thousands of lights and live performances. Mystic Aquarium also goes in on the celebration with gingerbread house decorating, visits with Santa and Rudolph, and more holiday-themed celebrations throughout December.
New Castle, Delaware
This colonial village goes into The Spirit of Christmas, a town-wide festival that covers music performances, cuisine, and trips of private homes, churches, and museums. Tourists can also experience an old-fashioned Christmas gathering at Fezziwig’s Ball, a Victorian Tea, caroling, and costumed Dickens characters performing A Christmas Carol throughout the town.
St. Augustine, Florida
Based on the Spanish tradition of burning a candle in the window for Christmas, the seasonal show has become a custom of its own. See the lights from a trolley or horse-drawn carriage, or take to the lake and view them by boat. Jet and helicopter rides let you see the scene from above.
Honolulu, Hawaii
Say “Mele Kalikimaka” (Merry Christmas) in Hawaiian to Santa when he visits by outrigger boat on Waikiki beach. Christmas in the Hawaiian capital is friendly and enjoyable—if non-traditional. Honor the heroes of Pearl Harbor while commemorating Hawaiian history during the Waikiki Holiday Parade.
Sun Valley, Idaho
Enter the Winter Wonderland of ski resort Sun Valley with a snow and ice gala to melt even the most Scrooge-like heart. From Christmas shows and anniversary sweater functions to high tea and brunch with Santa for kids, the whole month of December is bustling with the annual venture. But the Can’t-miss attraction is the Christmas Eve celebration, starring a Skating in Winter Wonderland Ice Show, fireworks, and the Torchlight Parade, in which skiers holding torches slide down Dollar Mountain, forming a beam of light.
Bardstown, Kentucky
Shine Up Bardstown begins the season with the decoration of Main Street and the town Christmas tree, along with music, treats, and “Christmas Corner,” which has ballooned and face painting for kids. During December, visit My Old Kentucky Home, an 1818 palace said to have spurred the classic song, to see it decorated for the celebrations.
Virginia City, Nevada
This Old West mining town inspires visitants to return to country times with its month-long Christmas on the Comstock Victorian-inspired celebration. Roam through the renovated historic downtown, attend the holiday parade, and take the young ones for a visit with Father Christmas. Adults can experience the “Grinch Made Me Do It” pub crawl. Annual performance at Piper’s Opera House includes the Comstock Cowboys’ Christmas in the Sierra and The Nightmare Before Christmas.
San Antonio, Texas
Everything’s greater in Texas—and that works for the unusual holiday festival at the state’s official Christmas capital, Grapevine. But our best is San Antonio for the exceptional context of its River Walk, furnished for the season with over 100,000 lights dangled on the bald cypress trees that line the river. The season kicks off with a Holiday River Parade; then the River Walk is open (and free) nightly.
Leavenworth, Washington
This Bavarian-inspired town didn’t always look so Old World—it used to be more Old West. In the 1960s, after a long period of dissolution, the city proposed a makeover inspired by the rocky scenery. Building the overhaul, new celebrations were planned to attract visitors, and Leavenworth gradually turned into a must-see holiday destination.
