Ornaments hang on a Christmas trees at the Sorghum Valley Christmas Village in Dyersburg. Photo credit: Nathan Lambrecht

’Tis the season for holiday fun across the state. And while Tennessee’s major cities offer no shortage of Christmas excitement, they’re not the only places getting into the holiday spirit. From West to East Tennessee, small towns and rural communities kick off the season with festive events brimming with local charm. From a 19th century-inspired Christmas village in Dyersburg to a parade of farm animals in Middle Tennessee to an old-fashioned Appalachian Christmas in Clinton, these small-town celebrations offer the perfect opportunity to start a new family tradition this December.

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Sorghum Valley Christmas Village; Photo credit: Nathan Lambrecht

Sorghum Valley Christmas Village

Located inside the Dyer County Fairgrounds, the village known as Sorghum Valley began as a dream of Dyer County Fair Executive Director Eddie Anderson. He wanted to create a village of replica buildings constructed and furnished to look like the original settlement of Dyersburg in the late 1800s. Completed in 2007, the village includes everything from a church and country store to a doctor’s office, a barbershop, a schoolhouse, and sorghum and cotton mills.

Each December, this special venue fills with dozens of Christmas trees and thousands of twinkling lights for three evenings of holiday festivities during the annual Sorghum Valley Christmas Village. Visitors enjoy music from carolers and youth choirs in the church, a Nativity scene, weaving and yarn-spinning demonstrations, a meet-and-greet with Santa, nearly 20 4-foot-by-4-foot Christmas cards painted by local schoolchildren, and several free treats including popcorn, hot chocolate and s’mores. Children can even pick up a scarf made in the village cotton mill or a free wooden toy.

All this old-fashioned Christmas fun comes at no admission charge. Visitors are simply asked to bring donations such as canned foods, coats, toys and books for children. Monetary donations are also accepted and will be distributed to local causes and families in need.

“We’re a charitable event,” event organizer Aleece Jackson says. “Everything we do and everything we give out is provided by the Fair Board and community participants. It’s an event for the community.”

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Leiper’s Fork Christmas Parade; Photo credit: Lavana Deal

Leiper’s Fork Christmas Parade

Since the first Leiper’s Fork Christmas Parade in 2003, this quirky community event has become a highlight of the season in the rural Williamson County village. The tradition began when parade founder Laura Musgrave moved to Tennessee from a small farm in Florida. There, she would celebrate the holiday season by saddling up her horses with Christmas decorations, throwing hay bales in the bed of a pickup truck and caroling through her neighborhood as neighbors joined in or watched from their lawn chairs. After arriving in Leiper’s Fork, Musgrave wanted to find a way to bring that same Christmas joy to her new community.

“The first year, there were more people in the parade than watching it,” Musgrave says, laughing. “And everybody said, ‘Nobody’s going to come to Leiper’s Fork to see a parade.’”

Over the years, however, more and more locals joined in to ride horses decked out in holiday costumes, drive decorated farm equipment or walk dressed-up cows, pigs, goats and dogs. The parade steadily grew into a beloved annual tradition, welcoming visitors from all across the country to experience its unique charm with their families.

“We’ve had everything from Jersey cows wearing tutus to a chicken on a leash to pigs in red sequin dresses,” Musgrave says. “We’ve seen really wacky, fun things.”

In recent years, the parade has expanded to include nearly 100 entries, food trucks and fundraisers for local causes like the Williamson County Animal Center, all while maintaining the small-town appeal that draws locals and visitors back year after year.

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Photo credit: Museum of Appalachia

Candlelight Christmas at the Museum of Appalachia

Tucked away in a picturesque rural setting about 20 miles north of Knoxville, the Museum of Appalachia in Clinton offers visitors a glimpse into life in Old Appalachia. The 70-acre museum complex features an authentic pioneer village and mountain farm with dozens of historic log structures reflecting different periods in Appalachian history, exhibit buildings displaying more than 250,000 Appalachian and Native American artifacts, multiple gardens, a restaurant and a working farm with farm animals.

In early December, the museum invites visitors to step back in time and experience the serenity of a traditional Appalachian Christmas during their Candlelight Christmas celebration. The highlight of the event is an evening tour of the museum’s pioneer village. Visitors can stroll the grounds while admiring the 30-plus cabins, which are lit up and adorned with traditional decor throughout the holiday season, or enjoy demonstrations in blacksmithing, apple butter cooking sorghum making and more. The museum restaurant stays open for the event as well, serving up hearty, Appalachian-style entrees and homemade desserts. With storytelling, a live Nativity, hot apple cider, musical performances and wagon rides, this fun-filled Christmas celebration allows attendees to experience the museum in a new and special way during the most wonderful time of the year.

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