Editor’s Note: This story was written prior to the impacts of Hurricane Helene, and much of the Blue Ridge region is still recovering. While many counties and towns remain open for visiting and welcome your much needed support in this difficult time, we urge you to verify information with individual entities in impacted areas before making any plans. If you feel able and wish to help, we invite you donate to Helene relief efforts for those in the mountain regions of North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and South Carolina through the carefully vetted organizations found here. Our continued thoughts and prayers go out to all of the affected communities.
Photo Above: The Smoky Mountains dazzle with the holiday lights in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.
With dazzling light displays, cheery train rides and other festive fêtes, these mountain destinations are brimming with holiday cheer.
Santa Claus might be famous for his globe-trotting escapades on Christmas Eve, but his pre-season shenanigans are just as lively. It’s rumored that when he’s not busy training elves or tending to reindeer, Kris is roving the Southeast in search of jolly locales jam-packed with Yuletide fun. These four small towns made his nice list.
Party with Dolly and Friends in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee
Country music star Dolly Parton loves sequins, banana pudding and romance novels. She also loves the holidays. That much is evidenced by Dollywood’s Smoky Mountain Christmas.
During this award-winning experience, Dolly’s eponymous amusement park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, transforms into a winter wonderland trimmed with more than six million holiday lights and dozens of towering Christmas trees. The park also hosts family-friendly musicals and dishes up seasonal delicacies like gingerbread funnel cake.
If you don’t get your fill of holiday cheer at Dollywood, head to downtown Pigeon Forge for Smoky Mountain Winterfest: a three-month-long extravaganza featuring light displays, trolley tours, parades and other special holiday events.
“Between the city and Dollywood theme park, Pigeon Forge sparkles with more than 12 million Winterfest lights,” says Leon Downey, executive director of the Pigeon Forge Department of Tourism. “Combined with our lineup of spectacular Christmas shows, great shopping and delicious food, all set against a backdrop of the Great Smoky Mountains, Smoky Mountain Winterfest is truly the most wonderful time of the year.”
As part of this celebration, the Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center in nearby Townsend, Tennessee, will host the Holiday Handcrafters Festival on Saturday, Nov. 16, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. This market showcases the talent of more than 30 regional artisans. While on the grounds, you can also learn about Appalachian culture by exploring the center’s historic structures and museum exhibits.
To refuel, grab some grub from The Old Mill Restaurant, a 19th-century grist mill-turned-eatery that serves Southern-fried fare. Then, rest your weary head at Blue Mountain Mist, a quaint inn with a wrap-around porch that’s perfect for sittin’.
Dollywood’s Smoky Mountain Christmas runs from November 1-January 5, 2025, at Dollywood (2700 Dollywood Parks Blvd., Pigeon Forge, Tennessee). Visit dollywood.com for ticket information. Smoky Mountain Winterfest kicks off on November 7 in Pigeon Forge and runs through February 17. See pigeonforgewinterfest.com.
Ring in the Holidays Above the Clouds in Lookout Mountain, Georgia
Courtesy of See Rock City Inc.
Rock City is one of the region’s most popular natural attractions, and there is little wonder why. Located in Lookout Mountain, Georgia, this destination features everything from a 4,100-foot walking trail that twists and turns through ancient rock formations to a 180-foot suspension bridge overlooking the Chattanooga Valley.
Though beautiful year-round, Rock City is especially striking from early November to January during the Enchanted Garden of Lights.
“This award-winning event has become a tradition for tens of thousands of guests annually and boasts two million lights,” says Meagan Jolley, a representative with See Rock City, Inc. “Look for new holiday-themed gnome houses throughout the gardens, warm up with some hot chocolate and make lasting holiday memories along the Enchanted Trail.”
In honor of the trail’s 30th anniversary, the original home of Rock City’s founders Garnet and Frieda Carter will be open to the public for the first time ever. Inside, guests can visit with Santa Claus. The jolly guy will also meet with kiddos in his workshop atop Lookout Mountain.
After telling Saint Nick what you want for Christmas, hop aboard The Incline Railway to travel a mile along one of the steepest stretches of railroad tracks in the world. At the top, you’ll find Point Park—the site of the Civil War battle commonly referred to as “The Battle Above the Clouds.”
At the bottom of the mountain, you’ll find the historic town of St. Elmo. Quaint and charming, this itsy village is home to Clumpies Ice Cream Co., a boutique shop that scoops up quirky flavors like “Curious George” and “Firecracker.” If you’re in the mood for something savory, order the shrimp and crawfish étouffée from 1885 Grill down the street.
Come bedtime, book a room at the Chanticleer Inn, a European-style bed and breakfast situated on two acres of lush gardens.
Enchanted Garden of Lights happens from November 15-January 4, 2025, at Rock City (1400 Patten Rd., Lookout Mountain, Georgia.). Visit seerockcity.com.
Meet Santa on the Farm in Bryson City, North Carolina
Courtesy of the Swain County Tourism Development Authority
During the growing season, Darnell Farms in Bryson City, North Carolina, produces 100 acres of strawberries, pole beans, sweet corn, pumpkins, squash and other fruits and veggies. But once the fall harvest comes to an end, this working farm cultivates a different crop: Yuletide cheer.
Happening on select nights from November 27 to December 24, Winter Wonderland beckons locals and out-of-towners alike to the property for charming wagon rides.
“The experience begins as guests settle into heated seats, a cozy touch that takes the chill off the mountain air,” says David Johnson, a farm representative. “As the wagon rolls through the farm, thousands of twinkling Christmas lights illuminate the path, creating a mesmerizing display that captures the wonder of the season.”
Afterward, guests can catch up with Santa Claus, sip warm beverages and purchase fresh-cut Christmas trees. But the festive fun doesn’t stop there. According to Sarah Conley, executive director of the Swain County Tourism Development Authority, Bryson City goes all out for the holidays.
“Nestled in the Great Smoky Mountains, our charming Christmas town feels like it’s been plucked straight from a Hallmark movie,” she says.
Every season, the town trims the streets with garland and hosts the Smoky Mountain Christmas Light Spectacular, a dazzling display you can enjoy from the comfort of your car.
Of course, if you’re looking to stretch your legs, there’s plenty of hiking in Swain County. A local favorite is the Lakeshore and Tunnel Bypass Trail, a three-mile loop that passes abandoned homesteads, a cascading creek and the “Road to Nowhere,” an iconic highway constructed after the area was flooded to build Fontana Lake.
For post-adventure vittles, grab a hot chicken sandwich and cold beer from Bryson City Brewing. For lodging, book a room at The Everett Hotel. Located inside what once served as the Bryson City Bank, this downtown accommodation features a rooftop terrace with stunning mountain views.
Winter Wonderland at Darnell Farms (2300 Governors Island Rd., Bryson City, N.C.) happens on select days from November 27-December 24. For more information, visit darnellfarms.com.
Hop Aboard the Holiday Spirit in Blue Ridge, Georgia
Courtesy of Georgia’s Blue Ridge
Typically, Santa Claus travels in a sleigh powered by a herd of flying reindeer. But in Blue Ridge, Georgia, a relaxed whistlestop tucked in the Appalachian Mountains, Father Christmas prefers a different mode of transportation: train.
Every year from late November to Christmas Eve, the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway offers the Holiday Express Tour. During this hour-long adventure, you’ll chug along the tracks while sipping hot cocoa and listening to holiday music.
Courtesy of Georgia’s Blue Ridge
According to Rachal Gray, general manager of the railway, children receive a jingle bell and a candy cane. Plus, they get to rattle off their Christmas list to Saint Nick himself.
The Grinch occasionally makes appearances, too. But don’t worry: He would never dare steal the Yuletide spirit in Blue Ridge, a place where the entire downtown participates in a window decorating contest, the Blue Ridge Mountains Arts Association puts on a gingerbread display and the Blue Ridge Farmer’s Market transforms into an ice-skating rink.
Should you work up an appetite amidst your merry making, grab a bite at Harvest on Main. The menu tends toward upscale Southern cuisine, with decadent entrees like confit of duck served atop butternut squash ravioli. For dessert, head to The Sweet Shoppe—winner of Food Network’s “Cupcake Wars”—and grab a Christmas treat.
After filling your belly, you can catch Blue Ridge Community Theater’s rendition of “The Gift of the Magi” or find a gift of your own at one of the town’s shops. End your day at the Blue Ridge Inn, a quaint bed and breakfast nestled inside a Victorian home.
Blue Ridge Scenic Railway (241 Depot St., Blue Ridge, Ga.) offers the Holiday Express Tour from November 29-December 24. See brscenic.com.
The story above first appeared in our November / December 2024 issue.
