These 10 small NC towns become real-life winter wonderlands

Discover North Carolina’s most charming winter destinations, from mountain ski towns to coastal celebrations.

Summer activities like NASCAR races or walks along the seashore might come to mind when you think of the Tar Heel State, but we do winter right, too. 

From the Appalachian Mountains to the shores of the Outer Banks, North Carolina is home to many small towns that only become more beautiful in the winter—whether it be for holiday festivities or … pickles? 

Here are 10 tiny treasures of wintertime North Carolina that are worth a visit this cold season, categorized by region. 

Western North Carolina

Blowing Rock

Though Blowing Rock did suffer lots of damage and flooding due to Hurricane Helene in the fall, the town has reopened for visitors and plans to host its annual Winterfest in January 2025. There’s plenty more to do, as well. 

Appalachian Ski Mountain is one of just a handful of ski resorts in the state, and it thankfully suffered minimal damage during the storm. Weather permitting, the season will kick off on Nov. 22 this year and run through the end of spring next year. There are snowboard and ski rentals available, as well as an ice-skating arena for those who want to stay off the slopes. 

The nearby Chetola Resort, which remained open throughout Helene and is now all the more accessible with the reopening of the Blue Ridge Parkway, offers a short, easy walk through a winter wonderland with its Festival of Lights, during which the entire resort is lit up with thousands of dazzling illuminations. The beauty kicks off with an eventful opening weekend on Nov. 29-30. 

In 2025, from Jan. 23-26, the town hosts Blowing Rock Winterfest, which features the Polar Bear Plunge, Rotary Chilly Chili Challenge, and WinterFest Beer Garden, along with ice-carving demonstrations, curling, and more. 

Bryson City

 

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Jammed between the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Nantahala National Forest, Bryson City is in the far-western part of the state that dodged the worst destruction from Helene. While there isn’t quite as much snow as other parts of the mountains—they average three to five snowfalls per year—the cold temperatures do bring a drop in tourists, meaning more room for you to enjoy your trip. 

Bryson City is home to the iconic Great Smoky Mountain Railroad, and winter is the best time to take a ride. From mid-November through the end of the year, the railroad offers a specialized Polar Express train ride, transporting families from the Bryson City Depot through the quiet wilderness for a special visit at the North Pole, where Santa awaits with a gift for each child on the train. 

West Jefferson

Nestled into the Blue Ridge Mountains of Ashe County in the northwest corner of North Carolina, West Jefferson is known for its arts district, which features an array of interesting murals, distinctive public art, and numerous galleries. But wait, there’s more—West Jefferson offers a vibrant downtown district that features a slew of unique boutiques and emporiums; great dining establishments; a butcher shop; antique shops; coffee, tea, and wine shops; and two craft beer breweries.

While the summer features festivals, concerts, gallery crawls, and the ever-popular Ashe County Farmers Market, people flock to West Jefferson in the winter for a different reason: Christmas trees. According to Business NC, Ashe County produces more Christmas trees than any county in the country. 

The Ashe County Farmers Market also stays open year-round, and this year’s event calendar features all sorts of holiday markets, parades, concerts, open houses, and other Christmas-themed events.  

The Piedmont

Old Salem

 

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Descendants of the early Moravian villagers who first settled in Salem, which would later merge with Winston to become Winston-Salem, didn’t want to let their legacy be forgotten, so in 1950, they formed Old Salem, Inc. 

The organization advocates for the preservation of the town, which remains the longest-standing Moravian village in the country, known as Old Salem Museums & Gardens. But this village is more than just museums and gardens—it looks largely as it did a century ago, providing a trip through time that you won’t soon forget. 

During the winter, the village invites visitors to see how the early Moravians blended German and American traditions to shape their Christmas observances in 1800s Salem with special all-in-one holiday ticket pricing, available from Nov. 13 to Dec. 28. On Saturdays during that time, the site hosts special activities and attractions to help ring in the holiday season with heightened cheer. 

Fridays and Saturdays feature Joy of Christmas evening tours, which allow you to explore the history of the Tavern Museum, Vogler House, and Boys’ School in the seasonal tradition.

Statesville

With a population nearing 30,000, Statesville is not what we would call a small town, per se, but it certainly feels like one during the month of December. A Christmas tree lighting on Thursday, Dec. 5, kicks off downtown Statesville’s 2024 ’Tis the Season programming, which includes shopping, horse-drawn carriages, holiday music, festive trolley rides, and special guest Santa, of course. 

‘Tis the Season includes a slew of family-friendly events spread across December, including horse-drawn carriage rides on Dec. 5, 12, and 19; the 30th Masonic District of North Carolina Christmas Parade on Dec. 8; and gingerbread house workshops for kids on the morning of Dec. 14.

Downtown will host the Holiday Shop & Stroll on Dec. 6, bringing the feeling of an old-fashioned, small-town Christmas season to the streets of Statesville, adding a dash of excitement and a sprinkle of magic along the way. Enjoy a fun evening of merchant open houses, take a festive trolley ride, stroll the sidewalks, and enjoy the sparkle of holiday lights.

McAdenville

When a town is dubbed “Christmas Town USA,” recognized as such by national media outlets like USA Today, safe to say it’s worth a visit come wintertime. Since 1956, residents of McAdenville have transformed the small Charlotte suburb into Christmas Town every holiday season, with each year becoming all the more grandiose. 

The main attraction in Christmas Town is the 1.3-mile light display made up of 200 evergreen trees covered with a half-million red, white, and green Christmas lights and culminating with a large lake dotted with floating, beautifully lit Christmas trees. And that’s just the official town display—homes all along the path are decorated to the nines as well. 

Beginning with a tree-lighting ceremony on Dec. 2, the display will be on every night from 5:30 to 10 p.m., regardless of weather, with visitors welcome to walk or drive through the neighborhood. 

An annual Yule log lighting ceremony, a tradition since 1949, is scheduled for Dec. 12. A small parade will leave from the Pharr Corporate Office at 5:30 p.m. and end with the lighting of the Yule log at Legacy Park. 

Tip: Organizers suggest driving through the display on a weeknight, as the streets get crowded and the trip gets longer on weekends.  

Eastern North Carolina

Mt. Olive

You will see neither mountain nor olive while driving into Mount Olive, but it won’t be long until you come across a pickle or two. Located an hour’s drive east of Fayetteville, you may know the tiny town of Mount Olive by name, thanks to the popular brand of pickles. Founded in and named after the town in 1926, the Mt. Olive Pickle Company is proud of its hometown, and its hometown is proud of those pickles. 

Each winter, townsfolk get together for one of the state’s (and country’s) more bizarre New Year’s Eve traditions: the pickle drop. 

The New Year’s Eve Pickle Drop is exactly what it sounds like. Each year on New Year’s Eve, several thousand people from the town and surrounding areas gather in front of the University of Mount Olive’s Kornegay Arena to watch Mount Olive Volunteer Fire Department’s Tower 23 truck lower a giant, glowing pickle into a huge pickle jar to mark the end of the year. 

The event includes live music, free pickles, food trucks, and a chance to win door prizes for those who contribute to the annual food drive for the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina. Note that, in the interests of keeping things family-friendly, the event does not occur at midnight like many ball drops. Festivities start at 5 p.m. and are all over by 7:30 p.m. 

Beginning with a few Mt. Olive employees in 1999, the yearly pickle drop has since become the stuff of legend, drawing several thousand people each and every year, which is impressive considering that just over 4,000 people live in Mount Olive). 

Beaufort

Tourists clear out of North Carolina’s coastal towns during the winter, leaving all the year-round attractions wide open for your enjoyment. Beaufort hosts the NC Maritime Museum, home to Queen Anne’s Revenge, the infamous pirate Blackbeard’s ship, which ran aground near Beaufort in 1718 and wasn’t recovered from its watery grave until 1996. 

Beaufort also takes its holiday seasons seriously. It all begins with the Friends of the Maritime Museum Holiday Flotilla, scheduled for Dec. 7. The event features boats, yachts, oars, kayaks, and commercial vessels all decked out for the season. Following the flotilla, the month of December is filled with holiday-themed events.

Southport

Located on just 3.8 square miles at the mouth of the Cape Fear River, Southport has a rich history that dates back to the 15th century and involves pirates, privateers, and blockade runners. The vibrant and historic waterfront village is worth a walking tour at any time of year. However, December is an especially great time to visit. 

That’s because of Winterfest 2024, made up of 17 events that range from the staid Winterfest Tea to the more lively Southport Winterfest Flotilla, which will close out Winterfest on Dec. 14. Throughout the 10-day celebration from Dec. 6-15, the fourth annual Storefront Showcase will see shop owners along the famed retail strip of downtown Southport compete by outdoing each other with decorations and judged in five categories: Most Original, Most Kid-friendly, Most Traditional, Biggest Surprise, and Best Overall. 

Of course, this is all done in the spirit of supporting small businesses during their offseason, so don’t just gawk at all the beautiful decorations; get in there and knock out some Christmas shopping. 

Elizabeth City

You’ve heard of the Outer Banks, but how often do you visit the Inner Banks? Elizabeth City makes the area all the more inviting with a month full of holiday festivities the whole family can enjoy.

The celebration begins on Nov. 29 with the annual holiday celebration and grand illumination from 6-8 p.m. Come for the official lighting of downtown and stay for a complimentary cup of homemade cocoa in the “Hot Cocoa Capital of the World.” There will also be a musical extravaganza performed by local dancers and singers, family-friendly activities, and more. 

The Hot Cocoa Crawl is a trail of 40 local businesses and organizations offering hot cocoa treats and cocoa-inspired experiences for locals and visitors to sip and savor, beginning during the illumination celebration and lasting through Jan. 5, 2025. 

If you can’t make the boat parade, the Dances Bay neighborhood hosts a driveable or walkable Christmas Light Show that opens on Nov. 28 this year and usually remains open through New Year’s Eve. The experience includes a half-million Christmas lights, a 30-foot Santa lighthouse, and a life-size gingerbread house, among other attractions.

This article first appeared on Good Info News Wire and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.