Christmas has always had a special place in our hearts, both for all the traditional reasons and for some very personal ones.
Mary and I first met at a Christmas party back in 2008, fell in love at a Christmas light display in North Georgia, and we take a trip to the Blue Ridge Mountains to celebrate our December anniversary almost every year.
Over the years we’ve explored a lot of great Blue Ridge Mountain towns during the holiday season, including numerous towns in Georgia (personal favorite: Helen), North Carolina (Asheville), and Tennessee (Chattanooga/Lookout Mountain).
Almost every one of these towns offers a great mixture of homespun charm, Appalachian cultural traditions, and festive, locally-focused holiday events.
But there are some towns that truly stand out with the depth and breadth of their Christmas offerings, drawing visitors back over and over again to celebrate the holidays.
Read on for our staff picks for the 20 Best Christmas Towns in the Blue Ridge Mountains to Visit, including an overview of the seasonal activities and attractions that make each one unique.
READ MORE: 20 Ways to Celebrate Christmas in the Blue Ridge Mountains
Best Christmas Towns in Georgia
1. Blue Ridge GA
Founded in 1886 with the arrival of the Marietta & North Georgia Railroad, Blue Ridge has grown to be one of Georgia’s most beloved mountain towns.
Today, the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway’s Holiday Express takes visitors on a magical one-hour journey, filled with holiday music and a reading of “The Night Before Christmas” while enjoying mountain landscapes and sipping hot cocoa.
Christmas in Blue Ridge also includes their annual “Light Up Blue Ridge” event, which begins the day after Thanksgiving.
Along with some great Blue Ridge restaurants, wandering carolers, and holiday discounts at local shops, you can also head to the Arts Center downtown to see artfully decorated gingerbread houses at the Gingerbread Village.
Spend a night in one of the many Blue Ridge GA cabin rentals and you can enjoy more merriment the next day, including live entertainment, a window decorating contest, photos with Santa, and the Blue Ridge Christmas parade.
READ MORE: The 20 Best Things to Do in Blue Ridge, GA
2. Dahlonega GA
The town of Dahlonega GA is home to several great wineries, a network of awesome hiking trails, a vibrant music scene, delicious restaurants, and the historic town square.
Dahlonega is best known as the site of Georgia’s 1828 gold rush. But it’s also one of the best small towns in Georgia to visit for Christmas, largely due to the month-long “Dahlonega’s Old Fashioned Christmas” event.
Weekends are filled with holiday activities, including carolers in the square, seasonal shopping, live street performances, and horse-drawn carriage rides that start after the annual lighting of the tree.
There’s also an annual Christmas Parade filled with floats, characters, and marching bands. The Dahlonega Christmas celebrations spill over into January, so it’s a great place to ring in the New Year!
READ MORE: The Best Christmas Lights in Atlanta and North Georgia
3. Ellijay GA
Recognized as the “Apple Capital of Georgia,” Ellijay is best known for its apple orchards and annual festivals. But December brings a family-friendly array of holiday activities for visitors and locals alike to enjoy.
Downtown Ellijay’s antique shops, wineries, and restaurants are all adorned in twinkling Christmas lights that accent the festively decorated windows, which can be admired as you stroll through town.
Don’t miss the town’s relatively new “Holiday Lights of Ellijay” attraction, a walk-through light show at the Ellijay Lion’s Club Fairground that includes over 100 displays, a light maze, festive music, and photos with Santa.
There’s also the annual “Light Up Ellijay” event to kick off the holiday season in style, with a festive parade, the tree lighting on the Town Square, live music, vendors, photos with Santa, and more!
READ MORE: The 10 Best Things to Do in Ellijay GA & Gilmer County
4. Helen GA
Looking for a truly one-of-a-kind Christmas experience, a trip to Alpine Helen GA is simply a must.
This Bavarian-influenced town is unique at any time of year, with its quirky restaurants, shops, and other attractions. But it becomes a whimsical winter wonderland when draped in twinkling lights and glowing with holiday cheer.
Celebrations kick off with the annual Lighting of the Village ceremony the day after Thanksgiving. This is where the Downtown Helen Christmas lights are unveiled, and Santa and Mrs. Claus make their debut in Riverside Park.
The Christkindl Traditional German Market also opens that weekend, and the Helen Christmas Parade takes over downtown Helen in early December, with costumed characters and festive floats led by Jolly Old St. Nick himself!
READ MORE: 10 Fun, Festive Ways to Celebrate Christmas in Helen GA
5. Lookout Mountain GA
Lookout Mountain is a great place for a Christmas celebration, with Rock City’s Enchanted Garden of Lights, Ruby Falls Cave Tours, and other Lookout Mountain attractions to explore.
2025 will mark Rock City’s 31st year of putting on one of the state’s most award-winning Christmas events. This holiday season it will be open from November 14th until January 4th.
The Enchanted Garden of Lights showcases 30+ holiday scenes, with more than 1 million LED Christmas lights. The garden features four realms to explore– Yule Town, Arctic Kingdom, Magic Forest and North Pole Village.
Visitors can also enjoy hot chocolate, decorating Christmas cookies, and dinner with Santa and Jack Frost while watching the holiday light shows.
READ MORE: The 15 Best Things to Do in Lookout Mountain GA/TN
6. Stone Mountain GA
Home to the world-renowned Stone Mountain Park, Stone Mountain GA offers numerous things to do during the Christmas season.
The most popular is the park’s annual Stone Mountain Christmas celebration, which runs from mid-November to early January.
The entire park is all lit up with lights, so you can take a walk through the Musical Frosted Forest, bring the kids to visit Santa, watch The Polar Express movie, and view the nightly Christmas parade.
Be sure to check out the park’s holiday-themed laser show & drone show, with festive music and fireworks as a rousing crescendo.
There’s also a chance you may get to see Santa Claus riding in his massive sleigh high overhead during their Enchanted Tree Lighting Ceremony!
READ MORE: 25 Fun, Festive Places to Celebrate Christmas in Georgia
Best Christmas Towns in North Carolina
7. Christmas in Asheville NC
Though it’s a bit bigger than most of the other towns included here, a list of the best Christmas towns that doesn’t include Asheville NC is suspect at best.
And with most of NC’s best Christmas getaways located within an hour’s drive of Asheville, we think it deserves consideration as one of the best places to spend Christmas in the USA!
The impeccably holiday decorations at the Biltmore House make it the highlight of Christmas in Asheville, offering daytime and candlelit nighttime tours of the largest privately owned home in America.
Asheville also hosts the National Gingerbread House Competition, Winter Lights at the NC Arboretum, top-notch holiday-themed stage productions, and some fantastic Christmas markets.
With all of its historic B&Bs, treehouse rentals, restaurants, breweries, and other attractions, Asheville makes a great base from which to visit most of these other towns for a well-rounded sampling of Christmas in North Carolina.
READ MORE: 15 Festive Ways to Celebrate an Asheville NC Christmas
8. Christmas in Beech Mountain/Banner Elk NC
If you’re dreaming of a white Christmas, head to Banner Elk in the NC High Country. This high-altitude area is home to numerous North Carolina ski resorts, and averages 41.5 inches of snow every year!
Beech Mountain offers a holiday market just after Thanksgiving, a Christmas parade just before Santa Claus comes to town, and plenty of time on the ski slopes in between.
Just 5 miles away, the town of Banner Elk celebrates its Small Town Christmas Festival the first weekend in December, which includes a classic musical variety show (á la Andy Williams and Bing Crosby).
There are also tons of snow-based activities (including snow tubing) nearby, as well as major tourist attractions such as the Blue Ridge Parkway, Grandfather Mountain, and Blowing Rock.
READ MORE: The Best Christmas Lights in North Carolina
9. Christmas in Blowing Rock NC
One of the state’s oldest tourist hotspots, Blowing Rock ranks among the most fun places to visit during Christmas in North Carolina.
Christmas in the Park & Lighting of the Town is an annual event that includes visits and photos with Santa for the kids, carnival games, live music, and igniting the town’s light display on Friday in late November.
On Saturday there’s a Blowing Rock Christmas parade on Main Street, which is traditionally followed by a visit to one of the local Christmas tree farms.
Additionally, the Tweetsie Railroad amusement park has an all-out Christmas bash starting in mid-November, and rolling past Christmas Day.
It includes Christmas light displays seen by train, Santa’s Gingerbread House, and live Christmas shows.
READ MORE: The Best Places to Celebrate Christmas in North Carolina
10. Christmas in Boone NC
Boone NC is best known for outdoor activities such as hiking trails and waterfalls, but also offers its fair share of delicious restaurants and local breweries.
It’s a great base for exploring the High Country’s myriad Christmas events, and it’s a truly beautiful North Carolina Christmas town in its own right.
Christmas in Boone includes holiday events such as the Solar Tree Lighting, Christmas Fest, Christmas concerts, and superb shopping on super-hip King Street, not to mention lots of local Boone Christmas tree farms.
Boone also offers easy day trips to Grandfather Mountain, Beech Mountain, Blowing Rock, the Blue Ridge Parkway, Banner Elk, Sugar Mountain, and Linville Falls.
READ MORE: The 25 Best Western NC Christmas Tree Farms Near Asheville, Boone & Beyond
11. Christmas in Bryson City NC
Located on the eastern edge of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Bryson City combines all the comforts of a tourist town with the charm of an NC mountain village.
The star of the Bryson City Christmas celebration is the “Polar Express” train ride, a frosty excursion that takes passengers on a lively tour of the area via the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad.
Additionally, Bryson City is replete with shops that are eager to deck the halls with boughs of holly. The holiday decorations you’ll find downtown are amazing to boot, including a 50-foot-tall Christmas tree.
Bryson City is located near Fontana Lake, about 60 miles from Asheville, right at the boundary of the Deep Creek section of Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
READ MORE: 20 Awesome Things to Do for Winter in North Carolina
12. Christmas in Hendersonville NC
Hendersonville NC aims to bring everyone “Home for the Holidays” by providing a festive small-town celebration that lasts from early November into the New Year.
Hendersonville offers everything you want from a quaint NC mountain town, but with a tad more cosmopolitan feel about it (i.e. great restaurants, museums, etc).
The Main Street in beautiful Downtown Hendersonville is traditionally decked out with lots of Christmas bows and wreaths, as well as plenty of lights and a plethora of holiday shopping options.
Located about 20 miles south of Asheville, “Hendo” is widely considered one of the best North Carolina towns for Christmas, complete with a tree lighting ceremony, holiday decoration contests, and a community scavenger hunt.
READ MORE: The 10 Best Christmas Parades in North Carolina
13. Christmas in Sylva NC
Sylva NC sits at the foot of the Great Smoky Mountains, and it has a small-town charm that makes it one of the best places to celebrate Christmas.
Sylva’s Main Street/Downtown area is picturesque in any season (and has been featured in several movies). But come Christmastime, the cute meter registers even more!
The iconic Jackson County Courthouse sits atop a hill full of Christmas trees and Christmas lights, and Main Street is packed with great shopping, festive storefronts, and excellent restaurants.
The big “Christmas in Sylva” event has a tree lighting, Winter Market, Christmas parade, free concert, and luminaries in the neighboring town of Dillsboro. There’s also a huge holiday fireworks display downtown.
READ MORE: The 15 Best Christmas Towns in North Carolina
Best Christmas Towns in Tennessee
14. Christmas in Chattanooga TN
One of our favorite Tennessee Christmas trips was a December visit to the Appalachian Mountain town of Chattanooga TN.
The city offers visitors lots of caves and caverns, stunning mountain views, and Civil War history throughout the year. But the Christmas lights and holiday decor make these adventures feel even more festive.
EPB’s Holiday Windows is a beloved Chattanooga Christmas tradition dating back to the World War II era, while Rock City’s Enchanted Garden of Lights is arguably Chattanooga’s most memorable winter event.
Located atop Lookout Mountain on the GA/TN border, Rock City’s Gardens are transformed every year into a Winter Wonderland that ranks among the best Christmas light displays in the state.
Guests can wander down the Grand Corridor in Yule Town, explore the glittering ice in Arctic Kingdom, marvel at the Magic Forest, explore the creepily cool Fairyland Caverns, and myriad gardens full of Christmas lights and art.
READ MORE: Christmas in Chattanooga TN: 10 Festive Events Worth Attending
15. Christmas in Gatlinburg TN & Pigeon Forge TN
Ever-popular Tennessee mountain towns like Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge are even more magical during the holidays, when the Christmas lights combine with the neon to create a fantastically festive glow.
Early December’s Fantasy of Lights Christmas Parade finds Gatlinburg turned into one of the most colorful Christmas towns we’ve visited. It draws around 80,000 people annually, so get there early if you want a good spot!
For more fun during Christmas in Tennessee, visit the annual Great Smoky Mountains Christmas Arts & Craft Show, when the Gatlinburg Convention Center will be stuffed with Appalachian crafts such as quilts, woven baskets, toys, jewelry, and more.
Purchasing these handcrafted gifts is not only a great way to support the artists and crafters of the Smoky Mountains, but also offers unique gifts for everyone on your Christmas shopping list.
READ MORE: 20 Festive Ways to Celebrate Christmas in the Smoky Mountains
16. Christmas in Knoxville TN
If you’re planning to celebrate Christmas in Tennessee, see how Downtown Knoxville transforms into one of the best Christmas towns in TN, offering everything from ice skating and holiday markets to scavenger hunts and more.
You can wander around downtown looking at the beautifully decorated storefront windows, keep a lookout for Santa’s scouts in 25+ businesses on the “Elf on the Shelf Adventure,” or try ice skating under the stars while surrounded by Christmas lights.
Don’t miss the Peppermint Grove in Market Square, featuring a 42-foot-tall Christmas tree and lots of festive photo opps!
There’s also the annual Fantasy of Trees at the Knoxville Convention Center, which raises millions for the East Tennessee Children’s Hospital.
From late November to early December, this holiday event features a “forest” of 350 beautifully designed Christmas trees (all available for purchase), plus Christmas decorations, storefront windows, door designs, and more!
READ MORE: The 10 Best Places to See Christmas Lights in Tennessee
Best Christmas Towns in Virginia
17. Christmas in Abingdon VA
The small Virginia mountain town of Abingdon is full of history, character, and classic architecture. Christmas in Abingdon VA is nothing short of magical, with twinkling lights and myriad shops decorated for the festive season.
Visiting the Barter Theatre to see classic Christmas plays like It’s A Wonderful Life is an annual holiday tradition, both because of the theatre’s historical significance and the festive feelings it leaves on guests.
Visitors can stay at the Martha Washington Inn & Spa across the street. It’s a great base for exploring Downtown Abingdon, which is lined with critically acclaimed restaurants, like The Tavern (which was founded in 1779!) and Rain Restaurant & Bar.
The Abingdon Christmas Parade is one of the area’s most popular holiday events, as the town is filled with Christmas carols and holiday spirit from floats and bands making their way down Main Street.
READ MORE: 10 Great Places to Celebrate Christmas in Virginia
18. Bedford VA Christmas
Christmas in Bedford VA is a perfect time for a romantic getaway in one of the best small towns near the Blue Ridge Parkway.
The Festival of Trees at the Bedford Welcome Center will light up any visitor’s holiday season, while runners can get into the spirit of the season at the annual Peaks of Otter run in early December.
Families will enjoy the annual Bedford Christmas Parade in early December, as local schools and organizations ride ornate floats through the streets. Stick around for the lighting of the town’s Christmas Tree later that same night.
Bedford is also home to the world-renowned National D-Day Memorial, which honors America’s fallen heroes with The Flames of Memory in early December.
This is a great time to check out their annual Christmas in Wartime celebration, where visitors can view WWII camp displays, enjoy making traditional Christmas crafts, and visit with G.I. Santa.
READ MORE: 10 Festive Things to Do in Shenandoah Valley VA for Christmas
19. Christmas in Bristol VA
Bristol is a unique city that straddles the Virginia/Tennessee border, with the dividing line running right down the center of State Street!
To kick off Christmas in Bristol VA, the downtown area hosts an open house for guests to visit the shops, see Santa, and enjoy the historic tradition of horse-drawn carriage rides.
The annual Bristol TN/VA Christmas Parade in early December finds local schools, dance groups, churches, and businesses spreading holiday cheer along the parade route through this festive Christmas town.
If you do visit Bristol at Christmas, go to the Bristol Motor Speedway for Speedway in Lights, the area’s largest Xmas light display. There’s also a chance to go ice skating at a rink just outside the NASCAR hotspot’s entrance.
READ MORE: The 15 Best Places to See Christmas Lights in Virginia
20. Christmas in Roanoke VA
The colorful lights in Roanoke VA are just one of the many reasons to visit Virginia this Christmas. The bustling Blue Ridge Mountain Town offers myriad places to celebrate the season.
Our favorites include Illuminights at Explore Park, Luminary Nights at Natural Bridge State Park, and the Roanoke County Christmas Tree Lighting, just to name a few.
The Roanoke Times’ Dickens of a Christmas is one of the mountain town’s most popular Christmas traditions. The festival returns for its annual celebration, with lots of free activities for all ages.
You can also visit the Roanoke Ballet theatre for their ever-popular Christmas show, The Nutcracker, or see the Mill Mountain Theatre’s Holiday Inn, which is based on the classic 1942 film.–by Bret Love; lead image by Bret Love & Mary Gabbett
