Visit McAdenville, The One Christmas Town In North Carolina That’s Simply A Must Visit This Season
Light up the holidays this year with a cruise into (and through) McAdenville, a tiny town of about 650 people located just 18 miles from downtown Charlotte. Each year during the month of December, McAdenville transforms into Christmas Town U.S.A. and the efforts to express holiday cheer here are above and beyond what you’ll find in most towns in the Tar Heel State.
Nearly every house in town warms up to the season and decorates to the nines with holiday decor and lights.
More than 600,000 visitors flock to tiny Christmas Town U.S.A. each December to soak up some of the dazzling holiday lights and to take part in several annual activities in the town.
Hundreds of thousands of Christmas lights adorn more than 375 trees throughout the town, including the many trees that surround the town's small lake found in the heart of the historic district. All the while, the town's clock tower plays holiday music while people drive and stroll through the town's streets gazing at the scenery.
For many, it's like stepping into a scene from a classic Norman Rockwell holiday painting. The homes are adorned with traditional holiday decor and the streets are lined with tree after lighted tree.
The lights turn on in 2019 on the evening of December 2nd, with an official lighting ceremony at the Pharr YMCA at 6 p.m. sharp. (Address: 208 Main St, McAdenville, NC 28101)
The town's children will lead the parade by pulling the annual yule log for two blocks to the site of the Christmas Festival at Legacy Park, where the log will be lit at 6 p.m. followed by a variety of festive activities.
Christmas Town U.S.A. has been featured numerous times, including worldwide coverage and recently being named in the top four best public light displays in the U.S. in 2018 by USA Today.
The lighting ceremony for Christmas Town U.S.A. is December 2, 2019 at 6 p.m. After that, the lights will turn on nightly at 5:30 p.m. and turn off at 9:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and at 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday through December 26, 2019. There are no entry fees to visit McAdenville to see the lights and you can drive or walk through as many times as you like. For more information, visit the Town of McAdenville website and you can also follow the Facebook page here.
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Address: McAdenville, NC, USA
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Robin Jarvis is a travel writer and editor for OnlyInYourState.com with a bachelor's degree in Journalism. Her love for travel has taken her to many parts of the world. She's lived in the Carolinas for nearly three decades and currently resides in Charleston. When she's not working, she loves to cook with friends and check out new adventures. General questions and FAM tours: rjarvis@onlyinyourstate.com.
