If you're dreaming of a white Christmas, you may not be thinking of heading south. But if you're looking to add a little color to your Christmas celebration, many southern cities offer a multitude of festivities to boost your holiday spirit. Just don't expect snow on the rooftops!
Nashville, TN, is the perfect destination for a country Christmas. Look no further than the Gaylord Opryland Hotel and the Grand Ole Opry for great music, lights, and lots of Christmas magic. The atriums and gardens of the hotel are decked out with nearly two million dazzling lights, a large nativity display, and poinsettas everywhere, and the exhibit halls are filled with displays of trees. Children's activities are plentiful. The Rockettes bring Radio City to the Grand Ole Opry House with their world-famous high-kicking, Toy Soldiers and, of course, Santa Claus. Other activities in Nashville include gingerbread-making classes, an interactive ice exhibit, and Cumberland River cruises on the General Jackson Showboat. Nearby Opry Mills offers great outlet shopping in an enormous indoor mall.
Spend Christmas in Eureka Springs, AK, in the Ozarks for some down-home fun. There are many holiday shows and musical performances, including the Peace on Earth Christmas Concert at the Auditorium, music and comedy shows at the Pine Mountain Theater, the Ozark Mountain Hoe-Down Christmas Show, and "Old-Fashioned Christmas" presented by the Ozarks Chorale. The Great Passion Play switches to a religious Christmas show during the last two weeks of December. Great antiques, fine arts, and gift shopping can be found at Sow's Ear Antiques, Hats, Hides and Heirlooms, Vintage Cargo, and many shops in the Pine Mountain Village. Fabulous lights, an annual parade, and Victorian home tours round out this delightful holiday experience.
Since 1972, Demopolis, AL, has been home to Christmas on the River. The week-long festival draws visitors from across the country to see floats in action, tour antebellum homes by candlelight, and savor the tastes of the championship BBQ cook-off. The week ends with a nautical parade lighting up the night, followed by a fireworks display. Demopolis is located in west central Alabama near the confluence of the Tombigbee and Black Warrior Rivers, and gained fame as the setting for Lillian Hellman's play "The Little Foxes."
Some of the most elegant homes in the South are in Natchez, MS. Its architecture is outlined and trees twinkle with soft, white lights. The city Christmas tree lights up downtown shopping and dining. Every evening church choirs and other local performers sing carols at the base of the tree. The Carriage and Candlelight tour, Christmas parade, and numerous Christmas programs and concerts round out the southern celebration.
An Alpine Christmas doesn't require a passport. Helen, GA, provides authentic Bavarian flavor. Kinderfest's annual village lighting, children's games, face painting, and balloon tying; the Christmas market; and a holiday treasure hunt are just some of the events that keep visitors entertained throughout the season.
Head to the hill country of Texas for more German Christmas spirit. Weinachten in Fredericksburg is a three-day festival that includes a Christmas tree forest with themed trees decorated by local businesses and organizations to benefit local charities, Christmas market, gingerbread house contest, live entertainment, and plenty of German food. A lighted Christmas parade makes its way down Main Street. Free performances of "The Nutcracker" are offered by the Fredericksburg Youth Ballet. Shoppers will delight in finding authentic German clothing and collectibles, handmade crafts, jewelry, food, candles, soaps, and Christmas ornaments.
