Tennessee comes alive during the Christmas season. From millions of holiday lights and Christmas train rides to choose-and-cut Christmas tree farms and mountain festivals, families across the state have no shortage of holiday traditions to experience together.
Whether you’re planning a weekend getaway, looking for family activities, or simply trying to make the season feel a little more magical, here are some of the best Christmas activities and annual holiday events in Tennessee.
Visit a Tennessee Christmas Tree Farm
Visit a Tennessee Christmas Tree FarmFor many families, visiting a real Christmas tree farm is one of the most memorable traditions of the season. Across Tennessee, Christmas tree farms offer choose-and-cut Christmas trees, fresh wreaths and greenery, hot chocolate, hayrides, family photo opportunities, and holiday activities for children.
Many Tennessee Christmas tree farms are family-owned operations that have served their communities for generations. Visiting a farm gives families the opportunity to slow down, spend time together, and make memories while finding the perfect Christmas tree.
If you want a true Tennessee Christmas experience, starting at a real Christmas tree farm is hard to beat.
Find a Tennessee Christmas Tree Farm
Experience Dollywood’s Smoky Mountain Christmas
Experience Dollywood’s Smoky Mountain ChristmasOne of the most popular Christmas attractions in Tennessee takes place every year at Dollywood in Pigeon Forge. Dollywood’s Smoky Mountain Christmas features millions of Christmas lights, award-winning holiday performances, seasonal food, parades, and winter-themed attractions throughout the park.
The event has become one of the most recognized Christmas festivals in the country and draws visitors from across the United States every holiday season.
Learn More About Dollywood’s Smoky Mountain Christmas
See ICE! at Gaylord Opryland
See ICE! at Gaylord OprylandEvery year, Gaylord Opryland Resort in Nashville transforms into one of Tennessee’s largest indoor Christmas attractions. The resort features massive Christmas decorations, indoor lights, ice skating, tubing, holiday entertainment, and the famous ICE! exhibit carved from millions of pounds of ice.
For families visiting Middle Tennessee during the holidays, Gaylord Opryland has become a major Christmas destination and annual tradition.
Explore Christmas at Gaylord Opryland
Explore Chattanooga’s Holiday Lights
Explore Chattanooga’s Holiday LightsChattanooga hosts several major Christmas attractions each year, making it one of Tennessee’s best winter destinations. Rock City’s Enchanted Garden of Lights remains one of the most popular holiday light displays in the Southeast, while the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum offers seasonal Christmas train rides and holiday experiences.
The city also hosts Christmas markets, decorated downtown areas, holiday events, and family-friendly activities throughout the season.
Explore Chattanooga Holiday Events
Visit Rock City’s Enchanted Garden of Lights
Take a Christmas Train Ride
Take a Christmas Train RideChristmas train rides have become a favorite Tennessee holiday tradition for families. Across the state, holiday train experiences often include visits with Santa, seasonal decorations, holiday treats, and nighttime light displays.
For children especially, Christmas train rides can become one of the most memorable experiences of the holiday season.
Find a Christmas Train Ride in Tennessee
Visit Christmas Light Displays Across Tennessee
Tennessee offers some incredible Christmas light displays every year. Cities and towns across the state host holiday festivals, tree lightings, drive-through displays, zoo lights, Christmas parades, and courthouse lighting ceremonies.
Popular destinations include Cheekwood Holiday Lights in Nashville, Winterfest in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, Christmas in the Park in Cookeville, and numerous small-town Christmas festivals throughout Tennessee.
Explore Tennessee Holiday Events
Spend Christmas in the Smoky Mountains
Spend Christmas in the Smoky MountainsThe Great Smoky Mountains become especially popular during the Christmas season. Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge feature Winterfest light displays, holiday shows, mountain cabin getaways, Christmas shopping, and seasonal entertainment throughout the winter months.
The combination of mountain scenery, decorated downtown areas, and holiday attractions creates one of the most recognizable Christmas destinations in the South.
Explore Christmas Events in the Smoky Mountains
Enjoy Small Town Tennessee Christmas Traditions
Enjoy Small Town Tennessee Christmas TraditionsSome of the most meaningful Christmas memories happen in Tennessee’s smaller towns and rural communities. Across the state, local communities host Christmas parades, holiday markets, tree lighting ceremonies, live music, and hometown festivals that bring families together during the season.
These smaller events often feel slower, more personal, and deeply connected to traditional holiday experiences.
Make Christmas About Experiences
Many families are choosing experiences over excess during the holiday season. Years later, children may not remember every gift they received, but they often remember choosing a Christmas tree together, drinking hot chocolate at a farm, seeing Christmas lights, riding trains, and decorating the tree with family.
That is what makes Tennessee Christmas traditions so special.
Plan Your Tennessee Christmas Adventure
Whether you are exploring Christmas lights in Chattanooga, visiting Dollywood, riding holiday trains, or finding the perfect real Christmas tree, Tennessee offers memorable holiday experiences for families across the state.
Start your Christmas season by visiting a Tennessee Christmas tree farm and creating a tradition your family will remember for years to come.