I’m so excited that the holiday season is here which means getting to do all kinds of family holiday activities in our area. To make things easy for you I’ve put together a full comprehensive list of all the activities, events, plays, lights displays, and Santa meet and greets that the Charlotte area has to offer. Each title is clickable and will take you to the website for that specific activity so you can get more information. If I’ve experienced the activity myself I’ve included some feedback so make sure to look for that as well. What is my favorite overall you might ask? Definitely Winterfest at Carowinds!
Follow along on Instagram for updates to the list and many more family activities and reviews at Houseofhensen.
I really hope this will make things easier for you in this busy season. Thanks for stopping by and Happy Holidays!
Carowinds Winterfest
Carowinds theme park is transformed into a winter wonderland with holiday live music, festive food, ice skating, holiday activities and tons of amazing lights displays. Select family rides will also be open including a few rollercoasters, most of the Camp Snoopy kids rides, and many of the carnival type rides.
*We’ve gone to this a few years now and absolutely love it. In fact, Winterfest is probably my favorite holiday activity in Charlotte. They do such a great job and I think it’s worth the cost.
Where: Carowinds Theme Park
When: Select Days Nov. 13th- January 9th, either 3-10pm or 5-10pm depending on the day.
Price: Free for season pass holders or $32 for single day adult ticket and $19.99 for kids.
Speedway Christmas Lights
This is a drive-through light show inside of Charlotte Motor Speedway features more than 4 million lights that includes most of the speedway as well as the infield. The infield Christmas Village is back this year and open Thursday-Sunday nights. The village offers photos with Santa, vendor displays, fire pits, and indoor movies.
Lines can get long for this one so it’s best to get up there early and be first in line or buy a fast pass. You can purchase advanced tickets or buy at the gate. Make sure your kids are able to sit in the car for a somewhat long period of time for this. The lights are awesome but last year my kids were over being in the car by the end. For the best experience go on a weekday and/or arrive very early. I don’t think this one is worth a super long wait if you can’t go at a less busy time.
Where: Charlotte Motor Speedway
When: Nov. 19th – January 16th 2022
Time: Monday-Sunday 6:00pm – 10:00pm
Price: $30-$40 depending on the day of the week. Check out their website for more pricing. Fast Passes are now offered at $70 per vehicle and that allows you to skip the line.
Light the Knights and Charlotte Christmas Village
The Charlotte Knights will be offering their walkthrough holiday experience at Truist Field again this year. You’ll walk through the lights displays at the ballpark and end at the Charlotte Christmas Village. Tickets can be purchased in advance or at the stadium box office.
We went to this last year and the lights are cute but it was much shorter than I expected and I felt the fee was a little high for what it was.
Where: Truist Field Uptown
When: Nov. 24th-Dec. 23rd
Cost: $10 per person
Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden Lights
Stroll through the garden and view their amazing Christmas light displays set to festive music. They also have food trucks, roasting marshmallow stations, and warm or cold beverage options. Reservations are required.
We did this two years ago and really liked it! They do a great job with the lights and we thought it was worth the drive and fee.
Where: Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden about 30 minutes from uptown near Belmont, NC
When: Nov. 26th – Jan.2nd, 5-9pm
Price: Adult: $14.95; Senior: $12.95, Child 2-12: $7.95; Child Under 2: Free. Tickets must be purchased in advance.
White Water Center Ice Skating
The ice rink has grown to 24,000 sq ft this year and includes four distinct skating areas, including two ice trails and two free skate zones. There is also an on-ice Airstream serving hot and cold beverages.
Where: White Water Center
When: Mid Nov – Mid. Feb
Price: $25 for single activity skating pass
Gingerbread Lane Ballantyne Hotel
The Ballantyne Hotel holds a Gingerbread house contest each year and the houses are on display at the hotel. The public is allowed to come and view their work and vote for your favorite. Hot Cocoa is available to purchase at the Gingerbread hut open daily from 11am-7pm. This year it will be held in their Carolina Room and masks are required.
Where: The Ballantyne Hotel
When: December 3rd – Dec. 26th
Price: Free but donations are appreciated which go to Levine Children’s Hospital
*The hotel also offers a Holiday Tea Thursday – Sunday from 1-4pm. Reservations can be made by calling the hotel.
McAdenville “Christmas Town” Lights
For more than 60 years the Christmas lights display in this small town just west of Charlotte has drawn huge crowds. All of the houses in the town are decorated in lights as well as many other large light displays across the town. You can drive through to view the lights or park and walk through the town.
There can be really long lines to get into the town so going during the week is ideal or going as early as possible. Saturdays and Sundays can bring tons of traffic which means lots of waiting in your car to get into the town. If you wait to long for this one I feel it loses it’s magic so it’s best for plan to go during the week or very early if you must go on the weekend.
Where: McAdenville, NC
When: December 1st-December 26th, 5:30pm-10:00pm nightly
Christmas at Billy Graham Library
During the Christmas season the library offers a live nativity with petting zoo, horse-drawn carriage rides, story time, and Christmas carolers. Generally, crowds are smaller in the beginning days of December, and a weekday visit may be less crowded. Plan for a significant wait for all activities on Friday and Saturday. Christmas-only events start at 5 p.m. and require a reservation.
Where: Billy Graham Library – 4330 Westmont Drive Charlotte, NC
When: Nov. 29th-Dec. 23rd. Mon-Thurs = 5-9pm and Sat and Sun = 5-10pm.
Price: Free but reservations are required. Carriage rides are $8 for adults and $4 for children under 12.
Kannapolis Celebration of lights and Winterland Express
The Celebration of Lights includes thousands and thousands of Christmas lights and holiday displays. Adults and children can take a ride on the Winterland Express and countdown the 12 Days of Christmas and take a spin on the double decker carousel.
Where: Village Park
When: Nov. 20th – Dec. 30th from 6-9pm.
Price: Free entry. Must make advanced reservations for train ride and costs $6. Carousel tickets can be purchased onsite for $2.
Olde Meck Brewery Christmas Market
This will be OMB’s 10th Annual Christmas Market when they transform their biergarten into a German-style Christmas Village with traditional huts for shopping, holiday music, tons of lights, Gluhwein, hot cocoa, and festive food. Live music is every weekend starting at 5pm.
Where: Olde Meck Brewery
When: Nov. 26th-Dec. 19th on the weekends
Festival of Trees Belmont
Downtown Belmont and Stowe Park are filled with a display of festive trees for everyone to enjoy throughout the season.
Where: Downtown Belmont/Stowe Park
When: Nov. 29th-Jan.3rd
Polar Express at NC Transportation Museum
The NC Transportation museum offers a Polar Express train ride inspired by the classic Polar Express story. The ride follows the outline of the book/movie and includes songs and dancing by the staff, hot chocolate and cookies, a stop to get off the train at the North Pole for the first gift of Christmas, and a Santa meet and greet while back on the train. The whole museum is also decorated for the holidays so before and after the ride there are things to see and do all around the property. *Tickets go on sale in the summer and do go quickly so at this point there is limited availability on the train rides.
We’ve done this three years and both my kids absolutely love it every single time. Especially if your kids love trains or the book this is such a fun and special event to attend. I definitely think the price and drive up there are worth it if you have young kids. I have a whole highlight bubble with more info and tips on my instagram page if you’d like to learn more from my experience.
Where: NC Transportation Museum in Spencer, NC
When: Nov. 12th – Dec. 23rd
Price: Ticket prices vary depending on the type of seats you choose. We like to select the booth seats where our party can face into each other.
One Time Events:
*Most of the suburb towns outside of Charlotte have tree lighting ceremonies and a few have Christmas parades so be sure to check for those online if you’d like to attend (there are just too many to list).
Nov. 29th: Menorah Lighting at Stonecrest
Nov. 30th: Carolina Panthers Tree Lighting
Dec. 2-4th: Christmas in Davidson
Dec. 4th: Ballantyne Village Holiday Spectacular
Dec. 11th: Photos with Santa at Metropolian including hot cocoa and cookies
Dec. 17th: Parks and Rec Little Elves Christmas Workshop
Dec. 18th: Grinchmas at Metropolian including Grinch meet and greet, holiday music, activities and Sycamore beer.
Charlotte Neighborhood Christmas Lights
Driving around to look at private home Christmas lights is always such a fun thing to do at the holidays. Below I’ve listed out some of the best homes and neighborhoods to visit. Most of these displays start shortly after Thanksgiving and offer opportunities to donate to a charity organization when you go see their lights.
- Harbin Family Christmas Lights – 10223 Summer House Ct. Charlotte, NC
- Hillside Avenue in Myers Park
- Sherwood Forest Drive in Southpark – 7323 Sherwood Forest Drive (Santa is frequently outside handing out candy canes)
- Queen Family Christmas – Montibello Neighborhood – 3943 Black Sycamore Drive Charlotte
- Berewick – 6315 Baltray Rd. Charlotte
Christmas Plays/Musicals:
Magic of Christmas Family Show
Photos with Santa
Here is a list of most of the meet and greet with Santa options in Charlotte. I’ll update this list as I hear of any new ones. I’ve always liked Cabelas and Black Lion because they offer free photos and their Santas are really nice. We’ve also usually had a pretty good experience at Southpark Mall though it can get really busy on weekends.
- Cabelas
- Bass Pro Shop
- Southpark Mall
- Carolina Place Mall
- Black Lion
- Metropolian – Dec. 11th
- Grinch at Metropolian – Dec. 18th
- Santa Max
I hope this is helpful and that you all have a wonderful holiday season. Thanks for stopping by!