Santa Claus welcomes visitors to the Leiper’s Fork Christmas Parade, which is on pause for 2020 but will be back in 2021. Photo credit: Lavana Deal/LeipersForkCountry.com

There’s no place like Tennessee for the holidays. Across the state, rural communities and cities alike welcome the season with fun-filled celebrations. From small-town parades and Christmas villages to sparkling light displays and monthlong attractions, these Tennessee Christmas events are sure to bring extra cheer to your holiday season. 

A Country Christmas at Gaylord Opryland

Now in its 40th year, A Country Christmas at Gaylord Opryland Resort is a Nashville holiday tradition. Starting in mid-November, the resort transforms into a winter wonderland of seasonal activities, family-friendly attractions and spectacular decor – including more than 3 million holiday lights, 15,000 poinsettias and 15 miles of garland.

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Photo credit: Dan Ham/Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center

From ice skating, extreme ice tubing and ice bumper cars to horse-drawn carriage rides and an outdoor Nativity scene, the 2023 lineup offers exciting activities for guests of all ages. Returning this year is ICE! featuring The Polar Express™.

The indoor portion of SoundWaves, Opryland’s upscale water park, is also open for guests to enjoy throughout the holiday season.

Although an overnight stay is the best way to get the full experience, the resort offers customizable activity bundles for the day, while admission to see the decorations and watch the nightly light shows in the atrium is always free.

Dates: Nov. 10, 2023-Jan. 1, 2024

Phone: (888) 677-9872

Website: christmasatgaylordopryland.com

Photo credit: Chad Branton/Sevierville Chamber of Commerce

Shadrack’s Christmas Wonderland

Most of the year, Bristol-based Shadrack Watersports is known for selling boats. But come the holiday season, the company brings its dazzling light show, Shadrack’s Christmas Wonderland, to not one but three cities across the state.

The drive-thru event with locations in Johnson City and Sevierville has been named among the top 10 holiday lights in the nation by MSN. Known for impressive choreography, the lights sync up with music played through the radio in your car, featuring covers of classic holiday songs, such as a rock ’n’ roll-infused “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” or a disco take on “Joy to the World.”

See more: Visit Casey Jones Village in Jackson for the Holidays

In East Tennessee, the wonderland takes place at the Appalachian Fairgrounds in Gray near Johnson City and at Soaky Mountain Waterpark in Sevierville. Weekends are the most popular time to visit, so Monday through Thursday nights are recommended to avoid long lines and wait times. In all three locations, the lights run through Jan. 7.

Johnson City dates: Nov. 22, 2023-Jan. 7, 2024

Phone: (888) 321-7547

Sevierville dates: Nov. 17, 2023-Jan. 7, 2024

Phone: (423) 652-0120

Website: shadrackchristmas.com

Photo credit: Visit Knoxville

The Elf on the Shelf® Scavenger Hunt

Downtown Knoxville hosts the country’s original community-wide The Elf on the Shelf® Scavenger Hunt. Based on The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition, the bestselling children’s book by University of Tennessee, Knoxville, graduate Carol V. Aebersold and her daughter, Chanda A. Bell, the event is fun for the whole family.

The scavenger hunt begins when Santa’s magical “scout elves” arrive from the North Pole, landing at local businesses where they find hiding spots to spend the holidays. Families are invited to explore downtown as they search for Santa’s helpers from late November through early January – something Santa allows to happen in Knoxville. To start the adventure, children of all ages can pick up a North Pole Pass downtown at the Knoxville Visitors Center. The pass includes a list of the elves’ locations and details on the fun-filled holiday experience.

Dates: Nov. 24, 2023 – Jan. 8, 2024

Phone: (865) 523-7263

Website: visitknoxville.com/holidays

Photo credit: Whitney S. Williams

Christmas in Olde Jonesborough

Tennessee’s oldest town gets visitors into the holiday spirit each year during Christmas in Olde Jonesborough, a month of events leading up to Christmas. Jonesborough’s historic district will continue the holiday tradition with festive decorations offerings in 2023.

Each Friday evening in December from 5 to 8 p.m., the city will host Downtown at Dusk, with local stores and eateries staying open late for holiday shopping and dining. Every Saturday from Nov. 25 through Dec. 16 from 12 to 3 p.m., Santa will drop by for a visit in his sleigh beside the downtown courthouse, and visitors are encouraged to come say hello and pose for pictures beside the sleigh. Visit on Dec. 9 for Santa’s Christmas Village from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. throughout downtown. The event includes pictures with Santa, cookie decorating, face painting, carriage rides, children’s crafting stations throughout town and more.

Jonesborough, Tennessee; Photo credit: Whitney S. Williams

“Jonesborough is a special place all year long, but Christmas is truly magical here,” Jonesborough Events Coordinator Melinda Copp says. “From the beautiful churches and wreaths that line the streets to childhood memories made, Christmas in Olde Jonesborough offers something for everyone.”

Dates: Saturdays Nov. 25 -Dec. 16, 2023, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Phone: (423) 753-1010

Website: jbochristmas.com