Craving a getaway for the holidays? Options abound, especially when you’re traveling to one of these cities across the U.S. that are doing the holidays right. Action-packed festive events include everything from elaborate boat parades to romantic carriage rides and everything in between.
So cash in your miles while basking in the surprising array of seasonal splendor all around you.
As always, check for travel restrictions and closures before planning your trip.
Nashville
Music City isn’t kidding around when it comes to celebrating the holidays. Holiday LIGHTS at Cheekwood Estate & Gardens is a romantic way to heat up the seasonal chill. More than 1 million eye-popping lights twinkle throughout the 55-acre botanical garden where you’ll wander past live reindeer, holiday train displays, art installations and plenty of s’mores.
You can also explore more than a mile of seasonal splendor from the comfort of your car during the Franktown Festival of Lights at the Williamson County Ag/Expo Center, or immerse yourself in a full-scale winter wonderland at Country Christmas at Gaylord Opryland. The phrase “fun for the whole family” is terribly overused, but in this case it’s actually quite accurate.
Philadelphia
Anyone with an even passing familiarity of the City of Brotherly Love knows that residents of Philly are famously passionate about their city.
In South Philly, such love is on full display for all to see during the annual Miracle on South 13th Street, a delightfully over-the-top holiday display set up by local residents and neighbors along the 1600 block of South 13th Street between Tasker and Morris streets.
Stroll on by any evening between Thanksgiving and New Year’s to get a true taste of what community spirit is all about. You might want to keep Instagram open for this one.
Do your holiday shopping along store-filled Walnut Street in Center City, between 20th and Broad Streets. Feel the festive glow with a wander through Rittenhouse Square, where a holiday tree stands aglow and snowflake lights bedeck the park’s trees.