The Southern United States's 9 Most Festive Downtowns For The Holidays

Across the Southern United States, small downtowns light up for the holidays in ways that create a uniquely festive experience that reflects the town’s history and landscape. From the reflected bulbs on Cane River Lake in Natchitoches to the millions of tiny lights that line Plaza de la Constitución in St. Augustine, these towns pair local architecture and seasonal pageantry to create evenings worth traveling for. Readers will find towns where German traditions shape Marktplatz in Fredericksburg, where antebellum mansions open for candlelit tours in Natchez, and where coastal and colonial rituals bring waterfronts and historic squares to life.

Natchitoches, Louisiana

Natchitoches, Louisiana, stages one of the South’s longest-running holiday spectacles with the Natchitoches Christmas Festival, lighting the banks of Cane River Lake, and visitors can walk the riverfront to view more than 300,000 lights and over 100 set pieces reflected on the water. During the festival, the downtown program features nightly live music on the riverbank, fireworks and drone shows, and the Festival of Lights Parade, which moves through Front Street, providing families with unique evening programs to enjoy. Visitors can board a riverboat from the Natchitoches Riverbank to see illuminated set pieces from the water and browse the seasonal booths at the festival’s Mistletoe Market for handmade Creole and Cajun gifts.

St. Augustine, Florida

St. Augustine, Florida, illuminates its Spanish colonial core each year with the celebrated Nights of Lights, which frames Plaza de la Constitución and St. George Street in millions of bulbs and extends evening shopping and dining hours throughout the historic district. Attendees can start on the plaza for the official light-up ceremony, then follow guided walking tours that explain Spanish colonial architecture while pointing out top-lit façades and historic markers. Riverfront trolley tours offer a narrated perspective of the lights, stopping at locations such as the Lightner Museum and the Castillo area, allowing travelers to combine a museum visit with a stroll through the illuminated streets. Food-focused visitors can pair the lights with dinners at historic restaurants on King Street or along the bayfront. Buena Onda is one such spot: family-owned, specializing in vegan and vegetarian cuisine, and serving breakfast and lunch items from a gorgeous spot on King Street.

Fredericksburg, Texas

Fredericksburg, Texas, places its holiday spectacle at the center of its Marktplatz, where the town’s German heritage permeates much of the holiday programming, including Fredericksburg’s Christmas Nights of Lights: a nightly audio-visual presentation that culminates in a dramatic lighting countdown at the Marktplatz. Visitors can time a stroll down Main Street to catch extended shop hours, artisanal markets such as the Gillespie County Historical Society & Pioneer Holiday Market held in late November, and live street music that accompanies the nightly lighting presentation. For a more active way to celebrate, Fredericksburg also establishes an outdoor skating rink for the entire holiday season and into the new year in the Marktplatz. The town pairs food experiences with the lights: partake in a holiday cookie and wine pairing at Blumenthal Farms or Texas Wine Collective, or sample German-influenced holiday dishes at spots like Old German Baker & Restaurant and Der Lindenbaum.

Natchez, Mississippi

Nicknamed the “Christmas Capital of the South,” Natchez, Mississippi, showcases antebellum architecture during the holiday season through the Christmas Pilgrimage of Historic Homes, which opens select mansions and historic properties downtown and along the bluff for public tours decorated in period style. A visitor to Natchez can begin at the Natchez Visitor Center, pick up a pilgrimage ticket, and tour showcased houses, such as those that feature special guided-decorated talks. Then, they can move to the downtown riverfront to view seasonal displays and the Annual Christmas Parade that threads the city’s historic streets. Natchez kicks off its Christmas season with the Annual Lighting of the Tree, a family event with caroling, children’s rides, a petting zoo, and culminating in the illumination of a 34-foot tree in the center of Main Street. The town has recently added a European Christmas Shopping Village to its attractions, which brings vendors from around Natchez and beyond to sell handmade crafts, snacks, and other items perfect for stocking stuffers.

Beaufort, South Carolina

Beaufort, South Carolina, brings Lowcountry maritime traditions to life in a waterfront celebration that blends history, culture, and community. The Light Up the Night Boat Parade, a centerpiece of Beaufort’s holiday season, launches from Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park, where dozens of illuminated vessels, ranging from shrimp boats to sailboats, glide across the Beaufort River for spectators lining the shore. From the riverfront, it is an easy walk to Bay Street, where festive window displays, boutique shops, and candlelit restaurants extend the seasonal atmosphere late into the evening. During the same weekend, the Holiday Tour of Homes, organized by the Historic Beaufort Foundation, opens private antebellum houses and Victorian cottages for docent-led tours that detail Beaufort’s architectural heritage and holiday traditions. Additional programming includes a Gullah Christmas Celebration, highlighting storytelling and spirituals rooted in West African heritage, and a community tree lighting on the waterfront with performances by local choirs and dance troupes.

Williamsburg, Virginia

Williamsburg, Virginia, stages a multi-weekend holiday spectacle centered on the Grand Illumination, a festival of cressets, candlelight, and fireworks that begins at 5:00 p.m. and culminates in a pyrotechnic display. Guests follow a timed sequence of events that often starts with eighteenth-century entertainments on Duke of Gloucester Street, including fife and drum performances and period caroling, then proceed to the Capitol and Market Square for the Celebration of the Yule Log. This ceremonial procession concludes with a small, supervised bonfire, where visitors can toss a sprig of greenery and make a wish. Williamsburg pairs the evening spectacle with daytime programs, such as guided candlelit tours of decorated houses, colonial cooking demonstrations in public kitchens, and hours at the DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum, allowing visitors to combine interior exhibitions with evening performances.

Helen, Georgia

Helen, Georgia, transforms its Alpine-inspired downtown into a full-scale Bavarian holiday village each winter, filling the streets with twinkling lights, the scent of roasted nuts, and the sounds of oompah music. The season begins with Helen’s Annual Lighting of the Village, an evening ceremony in Riverside Park where local choirs perform carols, followed by the lighting of the towering community Christmas tree and a countdown led by Santa Claus. For the first two weekends of December, the Annual Helen’s Christmas Market brings together artisans to sell one-of-a-kind, handmade gifts, holiday decorations, and food. Families can attend the annual Christmas Parade, which takes place along Main Street and features costumed participants, horse-drawn carriages, and floats from local businesses, all decorated with Bavarian motifs. Outdoor recreation can complement the town’s market atmosphere; nearby Unicoi State Park offers seasonal programs, and the town promotes family events such as Breakfast with Santa at the park’s lodge and tubing excursions during cooler months.

Eureka Springs, Arkansas

Eureka Springs immerses visitors in a storybook holiday setting that draws equally from its Victorian heritage and its Ozark Mountain backdrop. The season begins with the Christmas Parade of Lights, when elaborately lit floats and costumed characters process along Spring Street and Main Street, accompanied by marching bands and carolers performing traditional English and Appalachian tunes. The following weekend, A Dickens Christmas takes over downtown and includes free showings of The Muppets Christmas Carol and Scrooge at The Auditorium, and a concert by the Arkansas Highlands Brass Band. Throughout December, the Crescent Hotel, known as "America’s Most Haunted Hotel," hosts Christmastime at the Crescent, which includes formal holiday teas, jazz concerts, breakfast with Santa, and festive ghost tours through its grand hallways decked in period garlands. Guests can attend gingerbread house-building contests, take carriage rides departing from the hotel’s front circle, or enjoy holiday storytelling sessions by the fireplace.

Oxford, Mississippi

Oxford, Mississippi, transforms its historic downtown into a glowing holiday village centered on The Square, the cultural and social heart of the city. The season begins with the annual Lighting of the Square, when the mayor, community leaders, and Santa Claus gather at the Lafayette County Courthouse to flip the switch on thousands of twinkling lights that outline the courthouse, lampposts, and shopfronts. The celebration continues with the Oxford Christmas Parade at the beginning of December, featuring holiday floats for people to follow along the parade route. The Holly Jolly Holidays program at mTrade Park features Oxford on Ice, a large ice skating rink, and visits with Santa. Visitors can also enjoy the Walk of Lights, a trail of illuminated displays that stretches across the park’s fields, making it perfect for family photo opportunities. Music lovers will find several holiday performances by the University of Mississippi Chorus and the Oxford Civic Chorus at venues such as The Gertrude C. Ford Center for the Performing Arts, where special Christmas concerts and ballet performances, including The Nutcracker, fill the calendar.

Map Your Southern Holiday Nights

Holiday evenings in the South move slowly, with riverboat lights mirrored on the water at Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park, cressets and fireworks over Colonial Williamsburg, and skates circling The Square under a canopy of lights. Each town keeps its own traditions, markets, home tours, boat parades, and musical performances, so an evening here is as much about place and memory as it is about spectacle.