A Christmas Town

[BamaBoy]

So my wife and daughter have been on a Christmas in July romance movie binge on Hallmark this month. Just about all of those movies are set in small towns that are like out of a Thomas Kinkade painting. This has us wanting to go to a small town that does Christmas in a big way to experience an old-fashioned, slow paced Christmas away from the usual frenzy. So, any suggestions? To make sure this is a budget board topic, we would be using points to go basically free. Anywhere in the country is fine. I have read that Dahlonega, Georgia is the place where many of the Hallmark movies are filmed. Any other ideas?

 

[SandyinMonterey]

Google "where are the Hallmark Christmas movies are made" and a lot of information comes up.

 

[Klayfish]

I'm a huge Christmas decorating junkie...sort of like Clark Griswold. We have a dancing light display outside and the inside of our house is over the top...we usually have 8 or 9 trees up for example. However, as quaint as a small town Christmas sounds, could you really make a vacation out of it? Small towns are just that...small. You may find that you were able to get to everything in a day or two at most...then what? I live not far from Dahlonega, but never been there for Xmas.

We're still trying to find a super cool light display in a rural setting. Back in our hometown area of PA, it was family tradition to go to a place called Koziars. http://www.koziarschristmasvillage.com/home/ We would go every Black Friday evening. It was set on a rural farm and was just that quaint family Christmas feel. We'd get hot chocolate and walk around seeing all the lights. We also had the perfect place to cut our trees down called Varner Farms. http://www.varnerfarms.net/ They took you out to the trees in a horse drawn wagon, you cut down your tree and rode back. The farm had a couple of barns converted into Xmas shops, full of ornaments, home made goodies, Christmas tree supplies, etc...they gave out free hot chocolate or hot apple cider. Had a huge train display upstairs in one of the barns. As quaint as it gets. We haven't found any of that stuff here in Atlanta yet...and we'd be willing to drive an hour or more to find it.

 

[BamaBoy]

Just to clarify, this would not be a vacation. It would be just for a weekend getaway and not on Christmas Day, etc., just maybe like the weekend before or a few days before Christmas. Also not just the towns where the movies are made exactly, that was just an example. Google mostly offers up slideshows with a paragraph. I trust the folks here on the DIS budget board to give great recs!

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

A couple of years ago we went to Colonial Williamsburg over Christmas break. We stayed in a suite at Great Wolf Lodge, toured all the CW exhibits, saw carolers, took a ghost tour by lantern light, had a lovely dinner in one of the inns. They also had an ice rink with twinkle lights all set up, but we didn't skate. The whole area was decorated for the holidays. Many of the CW exhibits were Christmas themed, and there were bonfires going everywhere. it was very Hallmarky.

 

[afan]

Leavenworth, WA. It's a bavarian village in the foothills of the Cascades outside Seattle. Not movie based but if your wife or daughter are looking for some fun books to read have them try the Icicle Falls series by Sheila Roberts, it's based off Leavenworth. Some of her books could easily be a Hallmark movie, some are set around a town festival, holiday or wedding.

They do a Christmas tree lighting and stuff in Leavenworth. There are day trips via bus or train from the Seattle area but I would look to stay near there/in town rather than doing a day trip. We've looked into both and they just don't give you enough time.

 

[kymom99]

Lexington Kentucky area has lots of small towns that might fit the bill.

Where are you from?

 

[DizMe]

I live pretty close to one of the Hallmark Christmas movie settings ("The Christmas Card"), which would be Nevada City, California. It's an old mining town in the Sierra Nevada foothills and they have a very fun town with Christmas celebrations that I go to every year. It's not very big but there are so many cool things to see nearby. However, you're not *guaranteed* there will be snow. https://www.nevadacitychamber.com/the-christmas-card-movie-locations/

 

[pigletto]

If you are willing to come to Canada, Niagara on the Lake is a beautiful historical village right over the border from New York State. It’s lovely at Christmas time with the inns and stores all decorated, horse and carriage rides, special Christmas activities, theatre , wineries etc. The exchange rate is very much in your favour so it would be a great bargain as well. It’s worth a visit any time of year.

 

[MrsCobraBubbles]

I think a lot of small towns do a big, hometown celebration for Christmas. One of the towns that I lived in growing up does a quaint celebration that starts with a parade down main street to a tree lighting ceremony at the old train station, then they have free horse-drawn carriage rides down main street, the little mom and pop shops giving away hot cocoa and cookies, everything is decorated tastefully and lit up with twinkle lights and street vendors selling heavenly-smelling roasted nuts and fresh kettle corn. The town is Oakmont, PA. I haven't been there for their light up night celebration for a few years but I assume it's just about the same as it always was. They're not big on change--they still go to the extra expense to keep the brick roads rather than paving over them to save time and money. It's a great town with a classic main street, the town is bisected by a single train track which delineates the Haves (above the tracks) and the Have-Nots (below the tracks) and has been the site of quite a few US Open golf championships at the Oakmont Country Club. Trust me, the gossip and drama in that town could fuel a few Hallmark romance movies. Plus, it's only about 20 minutes from the City of Pittsburgh and all their Christmas festivities and museums and the cultural district.

 

[BamaBoy]

Lexington Kentucky area has lots of small towns that might fit the bill.

Where are you from?

The name BamaBoy says it all! We are in East Alabama between Birmingham and Atlanta. Thanks for all the suggestions so far. The town outside of Pittsburgh sounds interesting.

 

[kymom99]

The name BamaBoy says it all! We are in East Alabama between Birmingham and Atlanta. Thanks for all the suggestions so far. The town outside of Pittsburgh sounds interesting.

Oh yeah! My eyes aren't what they used to be!

 

[MrsCobraBubbles]

The name BamaBoy says it all! We are in East Alabama between Birmingham and Atlanta. Thanks for all the suggestions so far. The town outside of Pittsburgh sounds interesting.

Yay! I feel like I won some sort of prize! Here is the web address: http://www.oakmontborough.com if you scroll down, it lists the dates of town activities for the rest of the year, Hometown Christmas and the parade are happening November 17, so...not exactly close to Christmas. Sorry about that. If you go to the town's wikipedia page there is a picture of main street, you can see the old train station in the photo.

 

[kymom99]

Nashville Indiana and metamora Indiana are both nice around the holidays.

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

If you like It's a Wonderful Life then I'd go to Seneca Falls NY.
I've only been in October but would love to go to the real Bedford Falls in December when they have the It's a Wonderful Life festival when "Zuzu" comes to town.
I stood on the bridge and drove by the house and went to the museum.
I imagine the main street is decked out for Christmas.

 

[barkley]

Leavenworth, WA. It's a bavarian village in the foothills of the Cascades outside Seattle. Not movie based but if your wife or daughter are looking for some fun books to read have them try the Icicle Falls series by Sheila Roberts, it's based off Leavenworth. Some of her books could easily be a Hallmark movie, some are set around a town festival, holiday or wedding.

They do a Christmas tree lighting and stuff in Leavenworth. There are day trips via bus or train from the Seattle area but I would look to stay near there/in town rather than doing a day trip. We've looked into both and they just don't give you enough time.

i was going to suggest leavenworth as well. we recently returned from a trip there (we go at least a couple times per year). it's beautiful any time of the year but they REALLY do it up for christmas-it looks like one of those ceramic holiday villages with the park/gazebo-and it doesn't hurt that the mountains surrounding it look stunning.

for a great place to stay that is PERFECT for just parking your car and walking right across the street to the heart of the town (and the park with the tree and gazebo) check out the bavarian lodge. they have reasonable rates, nice comfortable rooms-and a complimentary breakfast that's great.

 

[monorailsilver]

I live next to a town that was just filmed about a month ago. I think it had Sabrina the teenage witch! I also live in a town a little smaller. My town has a stroll one night. Yes the street is decorated but it doesn’t feel hallmarky, lol!

The town the movie was filled in has a night that they light up the town (well the town with in the town) but we never go. That is actually closer to my house then the center of my town. Again, once it’s lit, it’s not hallmarky.

I live in CT!

 

[Narnia_girl]

Nashville Indiana and metamora Indiana are both nice around the holidays.

Is this near Santa Claus, Indiana? One would think they would be a very quaint, Christmas-y town, but I've only been in the summer to go to Holiday World.

 

[kymom99]

Is this near Santa Claus, Indiana? One would think they would be a very quaint, Christmas-y town, but I've only been in the summer to go to Holiday World.

Not really close. Couple hours away. Nashville is a little south of Indianapolis

 

[buckirj1]

I'll second Colonial Williamsburg, but recommend you stay on-site, in one of the colonial houses, if possible (it's pretty expensive). It's far too hot in that part of Virginia to have snow in December, but the decorations are lovely. At night, you could go to Busch Gardens Williamsburg to see their Christmas Town. It's awesome, and feels like you're strolling in Europe on nights when it isn't crowded. Use your imagination if you have crowds. I highly recommend the train ride around the park. You can easily do this in just a few days. I did it one year, and had such a good time. It's such a contrast between old and new, in a good way!