Georgia's 9 Most Festive Downtowns For The Holidays
November marks the start of the holiday season, when lights, music, and festive food fill towns across the United States. Some areas, however, are more notable than others for their commitment to seasonal holiday festivities.
These nine small towns in Georgia have downtowns that fully embody the winter holiday spirit each year. For those seeking small-town Southern Christmas charm, these towns are undoubtedly worth a visit.
Helen
Helen, in northeast Georgia’s Blue Ridge Mountains, is a small Bavarian-style village that fully embraces the holiday season. Beyond Main Street, Helen’s few side streets also carry German names.
In late November, the Lighting of the Village kicks off the season, best viewed from Riverside Park along the Chattahoochee River. Helen’s Christkindlmarkt, the town’s annual Christmas market, fills North Main Street with crafts, food, and decorations in late November and in early December.
At the market, vendors sell handmade Christmas decorations, food, candied sweets, drinks, and much more. In mid-December, an annual Christmas Parade takes place along a route through downtown Helen. This is an excellent event for families, with lots of floats and trucks throwing candy for spectators, and even Santa joining the fun. The prime viewing location for this parade is across the street from the Downtown Gazebo.
Dahlonega
Dahlonega is in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and Southern Living magazine crowned it “the most perfect Christmas town in the South.” The holiday festivities in Dahlonega begin the day after Thanksgiving and do not end until the first week of January.
The Lighting of the Square begins the celebration in Dahlonega’s Historic Public Square. Twinkling storefronts and extended shopping hours make downtown Dahlonega a perfect holiday stop.
The Downtown Business Association promotes local shopping through ‘Small Business Saturday,’ held right after Black Friday. Furthermore, there is an annual Christmas Parade, featuring floats, vintage cars, Santa riding on his sleigh to bring up the rear of the procession, and plenty of candy thrown to spectators. Each night, a live band’s rendition of ‘O Holy Night’ cues the lighting of the town’s Christmas tree at sundown. Visitors and locals can also indulge in Georgia wine tastings, horse-drawn carriage rides, pub nights, and so much more.
Blue Ridge
Set in the Chattahoochee National Forest, Blue Ridge pairs mountain charm with a walkable downtown of shops, galleries, and breweries. During the Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving each year, however, downtown Blue Ridge transforms into a holiday winter wonderland. On that Friday, Blue Friday, there are store discounts and food vendors downtown, as well as live entertainment. That day also opens the Gingerbread Village contest at the Arts Center, with public voting through late December.
Children can take photos with Santa in the downtown gazebo. The following day is Light Up Blue Ridge, a full day of family-focused fun involving lighting the Great Tree in downtown Blue Ridge, a parade that follows a route through the center of town, street entertainers like singers and characters in costume, and more time for children to visit with Santa.
The Christmas lights and decorations remain on display for the remainder of the holiday season after Light Up Blue Ridge. A very popular holiday activity accessible in downtown Blue Ridge throughout December, leading up to Christmas, is the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway Holiday Special Rides, on which riders can listen to holiday music and the story of “The Night Before Christmas,” and children get a chance to see Santa, a jingle bell, and a candy cane. Tickets for these popular train rides sell out fast, so advance purchase is recommended.
Ellijay
Ellijay, the seat of Gilmer County, is another northern Georgia mountain town, and it is famous for its wineries and proximity to farms, the latter allowing it to take on the nickname “Georgia’s Apple Capital.” There is plenty of shopping and dining to be had in downtown Ellijay, with its farm-to-table food scene benefiting significantly from the aforementioned nearby farms.
During Christmas, however, downtown Ellijay has the additional draw to visitors of festive holiday spirit. Downtown Ellijay glows with lights, and storefronts display elaborate holiday scenes. The Downtown Ellijay Welcome Center puts together a particularly notable display every year, making for the perfect photo opportunity. Children can drop letters to Santa in the mailbox on the Welcome Center porch.
Light Up Ellijay, the annual tree lighting and market, marks the start of the season each December. This year, the tree lighting will take place on November 28, coinciding with the Merry Mountain Town Parade and the start of the Merry Mountain Town holiday decorating competition. The Light Up Ellijay Parade is a separate event that will be on December 7 this year. A Holiday Market, photos with Santa, a chorus performance, and a parade close out the day’s festivities.
Thomasville
Thomasville, Georgia, has an award-winning downtown, with spectacular Victorian architecture, a wide variety of specialty shops and boutiques, and restaurants featuring fresh produce from nearby farms and regional specialties like local quail and wild game. During Christmas, downtown Thomasville is a lovely place to be.
Thomasville’s season begins in late November with the Holiday Open House, featuring themed shopping, dining, and trolley rides. The Downtown Dollars program encourages local shopping and keeps spending within the community. People can purchase Downtown Dollars in denominations of $10 and spend them just like cash in participating businesses. Small Business Saturday is six days after the Holiday Open House, on November 29, emphasizing Thomasville’s dedication to supporting local small businesses.
The First Friday Sip and Shop will be on December 5, featuring extended shopping and dining hours. There will also be extended shopping and dining hours on all Sundays in December, leading up to Christmas, to give shoppers extra time to finish their holiday gifts. The holiday season culminates in Thomasville with Victorian Christmas, a two-day festival full of opportunities for family-friendly fun, including live reindeer, Nutcracker performances, carriage rides, holiday train rides for children, decorated streets and buildings to explore, food and drinks, and so much more. Thomasville celebrates its Victorian heritage by offering costume rentals for visitors during the festival.
Madison
An hour east of Atlanta, Madison's historic downtown is beautifully preserved. During the holidays, downtown Madison is brightly decorated and hosts numerous themed events. Early in the season, there will be two Shop, Sip and Strolls during the month of November this year, offering shopping and dining promotions, live music, and even refreshments that some shops may offer free of charge. Docent-led tours showcase three decorated historic homes: Heritage Hall, Rose Cottage, and Rogers House.
Self-guided audio tours lead visitors through Madison’s historic district, where decorated homes and businesses showcase the town’s charm. The Madison Holiday Parade will be on December 13 on Main Street, followed by an evening of music and singing with Caroling by Candlelight in Madison Town Park, featuring local bands, choirs, and musicians. Santa and Mrs. Claus greet children while families enjoy hot chocolate and roasted marshmallows by the fire. There will even be two Holiday Concerts during the month of December inside the historic auditorium of the Madison-Morgan Cultural Center.
Cleveland
Just fifteen minutes from Helen, Cleveland centers on a downtown square lined with shops and a former courthouse museum. The White County Historical Museum is a free museum that displays artifacts representing the local history of life in the northern mountains of Georgia. One of the local shops in the town square is Meaders Mercantile and Antiques, where visitors can get pottery lessons from a member of the Meaders family, a family that has famously heavily influenced the history of folk pottery in Southern Appalachia. The square, the Cleveland Courthouse Square, also hosts the White County Chamber of Commerce’s annual Christmas in the Mountains Holiday Market.
This year, it will be on December 6 from noon to 7 pm. Vendors sell food, drinks, crafts, and gifts. At dusk, the Freedom Park tree lights up, followed by the Lighted Christmas Parade through downtown Cleveland. Free photos with Santa will be available for children that day at the Chamber of Commerce.
LaGrange
LaGrange, Georgia’s city center, is full of beautiful, restored historic buildings. Lafayette Square, in the center of the town, is notable for its fountain with a statue of the Marquis de Lafayette, a French aristocrat who helped the United States defeat the British army during the Revolutionary War. During the holiday season, Lafayette Square transforms into the center of a festive Christmas town.
The Tinsel Trail, a collection of different live Christmas trees, each decorated by a local person or business, will be available for viewing in the square beginning on November 22. Storefronts throughout the rest of downtown LaGrange will be cheerfully decorated, adding an extra layer of fun to the popular walking tours of downtown LaGrange.
Sweetland Amphitheatre’s Great Lawn becomes an ice rink for the holiday season on November 14th. The Biblical History Center hosts an annual Nativity Tour during the holidays. Even the indoor Great Wolf Lodge joins the celebration with festive holiday decorations. It offers warmth from the cold while keeping the holiday spirit alive.
Milledgeville
Milledgeville, once Georgia’s capital and home to Georgia College and State University, is a charming historic town. Milledgeville’s downtown streets and storefronts light up with countless twinkling Christmas lights when the holiday season arrives every year.
The Christmas tree in the center of Milledgeville is the centerpiece of the downtown festivities. The annual Lighting of the Christmas Tree occurs on the first Friday of December from 6 pm to 8 pm. Christmas at the Mansion, held at Georgia’s Old Governor’s mansion in downtown Milledgeville, is an event featuring period decorations that showcase how Georgia’s leaders once celebrated Christmas. It is even complete with a Christmas tree in the mansion’s rotunda.
Nearby historic homes display elaborate decorations each year, making a nighttime walk through the district a highlight. The Merry Milly Market, happening this year on December 6, is a holiday shopping event that highlights small local businesses, artists, and creatives.
Finding Holiday Cheer in Georgia
Georgia’s trademark hospitality shines even brighter during the holidays. Small towns in Georgia, such as Helen, Dahlonega, Blue Ridge, Ellijay, Thomasville, Madison, Cleveland, LaGrange, and Milledgeville, have downtown districts that transform into vibrant embodiments of the winter holiday spirit each year, offering visitors and locals alike a wealth of themed activities and shopping opportunities. These festive towns offer holiday cheer for all ages, sure to win over even the most reluctant visitor.
