Charlotte Holiday Events That You Can Enjoy All Month Long
Your guide to ongoing holiday events in the Queen City.
12 Days of Christmas.
(Through Dec. 24).
Downtown Waxhaw. Most events are free. 704-843-2195. Includes Holiday Festival of Lights, GingerSnap 5K, Santa’s Ride through the Neighborhoods, a parade and more. Fri.-Sun. See schedule on website. waxhaw.com.
Christmas at the Library.
(Dec. 1-23).
Billy Graham Library, 4330 Westmont Drive. Mon.-Thurs., 5-9pm; Fri.-Sat., 5-10pm. Free parking, $3-$7 for carriage rides. Experience a live Nativity, horse-drawn carriage rides and a Christmas story time for kids. billygrahamlibrary.org.
Christmas Town USA.
(Through Dec. 26).
McAdenville. Mon.-Fri., 5:30-9:30pm; Sat.-Sun., 5:30-11pm. Free. 704-823-2260. Drive through to see more than 375 trees aglow. mcadenville-christmastown.com.
Christmas Wonderland of Lights.
(Through Jan. 2).
Zootastic Park, 448 Pilch Road, Troutman. Sun.-Thurs., 6-9pm; Fri.-Sat. 6-10pm. $6. 888-966-0069. Drive through two miles of forest decorated with more than 3.5 million lights; enjoy pony and wagon rides, roasting pits for marshmallows, Santa, and a petting zoo. zootasticpark.com.
Gingerbread Lane.
(Dec. 10-27).
The Ballantyne Hotel, 10000 Ballantyne Commons Pkwy. 9am-5pm. 704-248-4055. View gingerbread creations by both amateurs and professionals; all donations go towards the Levine Children’s Hospital. Santa Claus will make periodic visits. 9am-5pm. theballantynehotel.com.
Holiday On Ice.
(Through Jan. 3).
NASCAR Hall of Fame, 400 E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Wed.-Fri., 5pm-10pm; Sat., 10am-10pm; Sun., 10am-7pm. $10. 704-277-2636. Family-friendly ice skating on a 7,000-square-foot rink with a view of the city skyline. holidayonicecharlotte.com.
Holidays at the Garden.
(Through Jan. 3).
Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden, 6500 New Hope Road, Belmont. Noon-9pm. $6-$12; Children under 4 are free. 704-825-4490. Enjoy a natural winter wonderland with thousands of lights, visits from Santa, crafts, holiday treats and more. dsbg.org.
Leonard Bearstein Symphony Orchestra.
(Through Dec. 31).
Founders Hall, 100 N. Tryon St. Daily on the hour from 10am-8pm. Times are subject to change. Free. 704-716-8649. The 18-piece display of adorable animatronic bears performs classic holiday songs. foundershall.com.
Speedway Christmas.
(Through Dec. 30).
Charlotte Motor Speedway, 5555 Concord Pkwy. S, Concord. 6-10pm. $25-$30. 704-455-3200. See more than 3 million Christmas lights while driving on the track, plus movie nights on the world’s largest HDTV every Friday and Saturday night. charlottemotorspeedway.com.
The Polar Express Train Ride.
(Through Dec. 22).
North Carolina Transportation Museum, 411 S. Salisbury Ave., Spencer. Event times vary between 4, 5:30, 7 and 8:30pm. $25+. All passengers are served hot chocolate and treats, plus enjoy the reading of the classic holiday story. nctrans.org.
The Train To Christmas Town.
(Through Dec. 27).
Piedmont and Northern Railway, 1548 Union Road, Gastonia. Departure times: 11am, 3:30, 5:30 and 7:30pm $25-$35. Hop aboard the 30-minute festive train ride where hot cocoa and cookies will be in abundance along with the reading of “The Train to Christmas Town.” Plus, enjoy a visit by Mr. Claus. traintochristmastown.com/northcarolina.
Winterland Express and Celebration of Lights.
(Through Dec. 30).
Village Park, 700 W. C. St., Kannapolis. Sun.-Thurs., 6-9pm. Fri.-Sat., 6-10pm. Closed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. $2. 704-920-4343. Ride the Rotary Express through more than 250,000 twinkling lights. Enjoy singing bears, model trains, s’mores and hot cocoa. kannapolischristmas.com.
Vernon Grant’s Wintertime.
(Through Feb. 14, 2016).
Museum of York County, 4621 Mt. Gallant Road, Rock Hill. 10am-5pm. $3-$5, includes museum admission. 803-909-7244. Celebrates some of Grant’s most popular holiday illustrations. chmuseums.org.
