Atlanta Holiday Guide: Fun Ways to Celebrate Christmas

Every year, I plan a special outing to celebrate Christmas in Atlanta. I assembled a list of all the fun things that my family has done into this Atlanta Holiday Guide! I like to schedule our activities during first weekend in December, because the stress level is still low.

Holiday lights are always a crowd pleaser. German style Christmas Markets always hit the spot – be sure to arrive hungry – the food is the best part. This Atlanta Holiday Guide offers plenty of ideas for you to celebrate the Christmas season in Atlanta. The holidays are best celebrated spending time with the ones you love. I highly recommend enjoying one or more of these holiday experiences with your family!

Find fun things to do in Atlanta in December 2024!

Atlanta Holiday Guide: Light Displays

Holiday light displays are a staple of the Christmas season. My Atlanta Holiday Guide lists the best light displays that my family has experienced!

Fantasy in Lights at Callaway Gardens: Best Day Trip from Atlanta

I recommend that you book this outing in advance! Fantasy In Lights tickets includes a single day admission to Callaway Gardens. Take a picnic lunch and head down to Callaway Gardens in the morning so that you can spend the day exploring before seeing the lights. You can ride the Jolly Trolley or Drive-Through in your own car. We have done both and we enjoyed both of them. My kids loved singing Christmas carols with the group in the Jolly Trolley, but they also loved driving through the lights standing up in the open sun roof of the car.

You can visit Santa and check out the Christmas Market in the Callaway Christmas Village. Selfie opportunities are available in the Walkthrough Tunnel and Snowflake Lane. The last year we visited, we packed Sandwiches, which we ate in the car for dinner while we waited our turn to drive through the Fantasy in Lights. There will be some time sitting in your car in the queue and it was the perfect time to eat dinner. I highly recommend it!

Garden Lights, Holiday Nights at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens: Best Light Display in Atlanta

Be sure to book your ticket to see Garden Lights, Holiday Nights at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens in early November. This event sells out quickly. The gardens host the most spectacular holiday lights experience in Atlanta. I love the opportunity to walk through the gardens with a hot chocolate (hopefully with a shot of Irish Cream) and enjoy the season. The first time we visited the garden during the holidays, my children were amazed. Plus they had hot chocolate and s’mores. What is not to love?

There are many selfie opportunities in the Atlanta Botanical Gardens. Please make sure that you are not holding up other guests when you stop to snap a photo. Don’t forget to go inside the greenhouse too. I missed this the first few times I visited. The choreographed light show along the Canopy Walk is impressive. Don’t be afraid to see Garden Lights, Holiday Nights on a weekday. And go early to make sure that you have time to park.

Zoo Atlanta Illuminights: Best Last Minute Wow Factor

The zoo puts on an impressive light display every year! A Guest Services representative told me that they rarely sell out, which makes Illuminights at Zoo Atlanta a go-to last minute holiday light outing! No need to worry about what will happen with the weather because you booked ahead. Is your family in town and you are looking for something to do? Illuminights at Zoo Atlanta is a fun and festive outing. Make it a date night, an outing for a group of friends, or take your family!

The animals will be sleeping when you arrive in the evening, however there plenty of animal themed lanterns to enjoy throughout the property. The zoo offers a few snack and drink bars where you can pick up a hot chocolate and snacks as you stroll around and enjoy the show. There are plenty of selfie opportunities!

Holiday Lights in Dunwoody’s Brook Run Park: Best Free Light Display

During the month of December, the City of Dunwoody outdoes itself each year with an impressively themed light display at Brook Run Park. The 2023 theme was Après Ski. They offered plenty of fun photo opportunities including a ski lift, a geodesic dome, and a tunnel of white lights! They played holiday music on the green. When my family visited, we filled up our travel mugs with hot chocolate at home. The park offers picnic tables, a playground, and restrooms in the vicinity of the light display. This was a fun outing and the price was right!

Visit after dark for the best experience. Make a night of it and grab dinner before or after you visit the lights in the Dunwoody area. This year’s theme is Arctic Safari.

For more light displays that you can visit, check out this post: Things to Do in Atlanta December 2024

Atlanta Holiday Guide: Christmas Markets

I spent a school year studying architecture in Italy and I took that opportunity to travel around Europe over Christmas break. I fell hard for German Christmas markets. When I came upon my first Christmas Market in the Munich at Marienplatz, it was snowing lightly. It was the peak of Christmas magic for me.

This Atlanta Holiday Guide will tell you how you can experience the magic of the German Christmas Market right here in Atlanta. These markets are all free to visit – no entrance fee. No travel required!

Atlanta Christkindl Market

I was thrilled when the Atlanta Christkindl Market debuted in Atlanta in 2016. It is the the closest I’ve come to recreating the magic of the German Christmas Market in the United States. I highly recommend visiting the Atlanta Christkindl Market!

Be sure to come to the market hungry, and enjoy Gluehwein, Austrian or German beer, hot chocolate, German pretzels, Belgian waffles and more. Shop the vendors for unique Christmas gifts. At the markets I visited in Germany, I bought handmade German Christmas ornaments to commemorate my travels. I purchased felt ornaments at the Christmas Market in the past.

Atlanta Christkindl Market is going to be in two locations this year for your convenience! It will be in Buckhead Village again and for the first time this year at Galleria on the Park in Cobb County. Parking is always a challenge at the Buckhead location. Find out more about the best way to get there and parking directions on the Atlanta Christkindl Market website.

Christkindlmarket Roswell

The Christkindlmarket Roswell was new to the Atlanta Christmas scene in 2023. This German themed Christmas Market is on the grounds of Roswell’s Bulloch Hall House Museum, which was the childhood home of Mittie Bulloch Roosevelt – the mother of President Theodore Roosevelt. The house museum is free to visit and is beautifully decorated for Christmas. There is a park behind the house with walking trails, which looks like a great place to walk off some of the treats consumed at the market.

The Christmas Market had all kinds of good things to eat including Belgian hot chocolate. My kids and I treated ourselves to chimney cakes, which were just as good as they looked! There was a German biergarten too. Many vendors sold specialty items, which would make excellent Christmas gifts. Santa was there taking photos with children. A small Christmas train is available for children. You need to purchase tickets near the entrance to the market. We really enjoyed our time at the Christkindlmarket Roswell. We got some great holiday photos and I would love to go back this year.

Getting to Bulloch Hall

The parking situation at Christkindlmarket Roswell was challenging. GPS directions lead you to the small parking lot at Bulloch Hall. This parking lot offers limited parking to visitors during the holiday season. We parked off of Spring Drive, which meant that we had to cross Marietta Highway. When we came home, my kids informed my husband, “Guess what? We ran across a 5-lane highway and Mom was terrified!” I recommend that you try parking on Bulloch Ave or Mimosa Blvd and walking to the Christmas Market. Try putting Mimosa Hall into your GPS to drive to Christkindlmarket Roswell and be sure to scout the side street parking options online before you head out. Once you are safely parked, you will have a great time!

This year, Roswell is offering a free shuttle from several parking locations nearby. Visit Roswell 365 to learn more.

AIS German Christmas Market

The German families at the Atlanta International School sponsor a German Christmas Market at the school the first Saturday of December every year. The market has vendors selling items that would make excellent Christmas gifts. They have gluehwein, traditional German desserts, German pretzels, and sausages.

The German Consulate of Atlanta had an extra special booth where they made straw snowflake Christmas ornaments with the kids. The food and the straw snowflakes made this event a lot of fun. The campus of the Atlanta International School is impressive and I enjoyed seeing it.

Holiday Spirit at Oakland Cemetery

Oakland Cemetery is an unusual place to celebrate Christmas, but it is a lot of fun! The first weekend in December, Oakland Cemetery gets gussied up to celebrate the holidays. During Holiday Spirit, Oakland Cemetery hosts a Holiday Gift Market, a Holiday Pop-Up Shop, and a Wreath Sale. You can customize your wreath on-site or pre-order your wreath.

A Victorian Santa and Mrs. Claus will be at Oakland taking free photos with children and pets. Enjoy the mausoleums, which are decorated by local garden clubs and designers. There are holiday crafts for the kids plus food and hot drinks on sale. Photo opportunities abound. You can take a paid tour of the cemetery called the Tour of Eternal Homes.

This is a fun and free Christmas outing! Learn everything you need to know to Get To Oakland Cemetery here.

For more Christmas Markets that you can visit, check out this post: Things to Do in Atlanta December 2024

Atlanta Holiday Guide: At the Park

Are you looking for more than holiday lights? Check out ways you can celebrate Christmas at an amusement park!

Stone Mountain Christmas

A visit to Stone Mountain Park is always a good time, but it is extra special during the Christmas season. You can visit the typical park attractions such as mini golf during the day, but after night falls the Christmas lights really sparkle. Singing Christmas carols on the Stone Mountain train was especially fun. Make sure that you see a holiday show, such as “A Christmas Carol” or the 3D Northern Lights Experience. Stone Mountain offers several choices each year and one is bound to be a good fit for your crowd. Check out the Stone Mountain Christmas Map & Schedule to plan your visit.

In addition to holiday train rides and shows, Stone Mountain puts up holiday lights. Walk through the lights, which are coordinated with holiday music. Selfie opportunities abound here! Your children can enjoy a treat with Mrs. Claus at her Cookie Corner. They can play reindeer games and of course visit with Santa Claus himself.

Getting to Stone Mountain Park

There is a one time fee to park at Stone Mountain or your family can purchase a parking pass for the entire year. The parking fee is separate from the fee to enter the park. Visit the website to learn about parking options at Stone Mountain Park.

You can book tickets in advance online or you can buy them at the gate. When you book in advance, take note of the calendar and when special activities are offered. Some activities are only available on select days.

Six Flags Over Georgia: Holiday in the Park

Enjoy holiday lights and rollercoasters all in one evening! One year we spent the first weekend of December at Six Flags’ Holiday in the Park. I enjoyed all the light displays. There are plenty of fun photo opportunities. My husband and my children loved the rollercoasters. Six Flags also offers holiday performances and good things to eat at Mrs. Claus’s Kitchen.

I really enjoyed seeing the lights across the park from up high. I picked out the lights displays that I wanted to see next after viewing them from above. Some of the holiday shows that you can enjoy include the lights along Merry Lane, Christmas carols, drummers drumming, and special programs for the kids. An amusement park plus holiday lights and shows really put this experience over the top. If you love amusement parks and Christmas, be sure to put Holiday in the Park on your Christmas to do list!

Atlanta Holiday Guide: Special Christmas Experiences

My Atlanta Holiday Guide includes ideas for special Christmas experiences. One is ideal for adults and families with older children, while the others are perfect for families with young children! Be sure to plan these wonderful activities in advance!

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer at the Center for Puppetry Arts

Did you grow up watching the stop motion Christmas special, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer?  Take your family to the Center for Puppetry Arts to see this beloved Christmas classic.  It may become one of your holiday traditions! 

Before the show, be sure to see the World of Puppetry Museum’s special holiday exhibit called Festive Features.  This special display of holiday puppets includes original Santa and Rudolph stop motion puppets that were used in the 1964 Rankin Bass television special.  Rudolph’s nose is made from one of the first LED lights available.  They were only available in red!  All the puppets in the special were shorter than a foot.  You may also see Jim Henson’s reindeer, who performed a Christmas bit on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1968.  This was just the beginning of the Muppets’ holiday offerings. 

After the show, participate in a “Create-a-Puppet Workshop” to continue the fun!  You will build a puppet inspired by one of the characters in the show.  Then you can take your puppet home and put on your own puppet shows!

Before or after the show, be sure to stop in the Worlds of Puppetry Museum to see beloved Muppets in the Jim Henson Collection.  Plus, check out the Global Collection, which highlights the history of puppetry across the world from native Americans, European, African, and Asian puppet traditions. 

Making Blown Glass Christmas Ornaments at Janke Glass Studio

I fell in love with blown glass Christmas ornaments in Venice when I lived in Italy. There are a few places where you can go to make art glass in Atlanta. One year, my husband and I treated our family – including our children and parents – to a morning making Christmas ornaments at Janke Glass Studios with Matt Janke. It was easy to set up the appointment via email. Children have to be at least 13-years-old to participate.

Matt Janke walked us all through the process of blowing a round glass Christmas ornament. Matt was there to help us every step of the way. Each member of the family made multiple ornaments. As we got the hang of it, Matt let us do more and more of the work. I learned that there’s nothing that can’t be fixed, so just have fun with it! There are colored sprinkles of glass that you roll your ornament in to creates fun patterns.

This was a wonderful Christmas activity for our family. And now we have beautiful blown glass Christmas ornaments that remind us of our time together every Christmas season!

The Polar Express on the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad in Bryson City, NC

Are you ready for an overnight trip? The Polar Express on the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad is a truly magical experience. The perfect age to take your kids is when they are in pre-K through early elementary school. I gifted my children matching Christmas pajamas for the train ride. As we waited to board the train, I noticed that entire extended families were wearing matching pajamas! Make sure that you wear closed-toe shoes on the train – no open-toed slippers allowed.

I booked Premium Crown Class tickets, which allowed our family of 4 to sit together at a table. Our hot chocolate chef served us hot chocolate in a collector mug and a bag of treats. The table was very important to keeping the hot chocolate inside the mug! As the train chugged along to the North Pole, Chris Van Allsburg, the author, read the book, “The Polar Express.” When we reached the North Pole, Santa boarded the train! Santa Claus visited each child, asked them what they wanted for Christmas and delivered a silver bell to each of them. We hang the silver bells on the Christmas tree each year and drink hot chocolate from our commemorative mugs. They are excellent reminders of this special Christmas experience.

Tips for the Polar Express Train

Make sure to book the copyrighted Polar Express Train Ride. There are a lot of Christmas train rides available, but the Polar Express is by far the most magical one out there! Be sure to reserve your tickets in advance. In fact, I think that you can book up to a year in advance! For the most magical experience, pick a departure time after sunset – just after sunset is best for little ones. I booked our tickets in May and the trains that left the station after dark were already booked.

We stayed at the Sleep Inn in Bryson City. They had a Christmas tree in the lobby and my kids found it quite festive. I booked the hotel in July and there were only a few rooms left at that point. Again, be sure to book early! There are other options for places to stay in Bryson City including cabins and vacation rentals.

Learn more about the Holidays in Bryson City.

Celebrating the Christmas Season in Atlanta

These are the ways that my family celebrated Christmas over the years. Let me know if the comments if you have more suggestions or if you’ve enjoyed these activities too!

Pin for Later!