15 Festive Holiday Winter Activities near Charlotte, NC
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Celebrating winter season here in Charlotte is so much fun! There are endless winter activities near Charlotte that are worth exploring! While most of these winter activities incorporate some holiday cheer, others are great to enjoy during the colder months.
I’ve provided a list of my favorite 15 Holiday winter activities near Charlotte, NC below – they’re in order by start date. Most of them are in November and December, but you’ll still find plenty to do in January & February!
Looking to explore Charlotte during other times of the year?
Check out my Seasonal Charlotte guides below:
Best Winter Activities near Charlotte
Visit the White Water Center
Dates: November 11, 2021 – January 16, 2022
Price: $25/person
Website: White Water Center Ice Skating
Ice Skating is a fun activity for young & old – and skating at the White Water Center is no different! They have one of the best Ice Skating rinks around! Tickets sell out fast, and it can get pretty crowded! Try to go earlier in the season or on weekdays!
Southern Christmas Show
Dates: November 11 – 21, 2021
Price: $10-$24 per person
Website: Southern Christmas Show
The Southern Christmas Show is an annual event that brings hundreds of vendors together for a shopping extravaganza! Over 500 vendors bring their unique crafts to the show for purchase. It’s a great place to get holiday shopping done all in one spot.
The Southern Christmas Show can get very crowded and it can easily be a half day or a full day activity! Plan accordingly and pack waters or snacks!
Winterfest at Carowinds
Dates: November 13, 2021 – January 9, 2022
Price: $25+ per person
Website: Winterfest Tickets
Carowinds transforms their theme park into a winter wonderland featuring over 5 million lights, a 70 ft tree, and more! You can enjoy live shows and fun attractions (yes, some rides are open)! Attendees can pay extra to ride a horse drawn carriage, ice skate at Snow Flake Lake, or take pictures with Santa!
I’ve personally attended each year and love how they’ve transformed the park for holiday festivities.
Charlotte Motor Speedway Christmas
Dates: November 19, 2021 – January 16, 2022
Price: $30-40/car
Website: Speedway Christmas
Drive on the speedway’s 4 mile racetrack as you look in awe at all of the gorgeous lights & decorations. Pricing is per car and ranges between $30-$40 (depending on the dates).
This event is highly anticipated each year and a fan favorite for the locals. That being said, try to go on a weekday and avoid opening & closing week.
Charlotte Christmas Village
Dates: November 24 – December 23, 2021
Price: $5 per person
Website: Christmas Village
This Christmas Village is like a European-inspired holiday market with shopping, food, and live entertainment! There’s a wide variety of handmade gifts: ornaments, jewelry, pet accessories, glassware, and more!
BONUS: Attend Light the Knights at the Truist Baseball stadium in Charlotte. This event is put on by the same organizers and includes a Christmas tree lane & more!
Thanksgiving Day Parade
Date: November 24, 2021
Price: $25-$30 per person
Website: Novant Thanksgiving Day Parade
Join the *75th* Anniversary of the Thanksgiving Day Parade here in Charlotte! This parade is in Uptown (route info below). It’s the fourth largest Thanksgiving parade in the country, AND the largest in the South!
This year, they’ve opted to host the parade on Thanksgiving Eve at 6PM – so plan accordingly! There is also a cost associated with watching the parade live in person … $25/person for guaranteed curb seating.
Route Info: The parade will take place along Tryon Street beginning at 9th Street and ending at Morehead Street.
Holiday at the Gardens
Date: November 26, 2021 – January 2, 2022
Price: $14.95/person
Website: Daniel Stowe Gardens
Enjoy a stroll through one of NC’s best gardens as you enjoy holiday lights, winter topiary displays, and more! This event is hosted nightly from 5PM – 9PM, and entry is only $14.95/per adult. It’s a great holiday activity for families
Onsite, they have food trucks & a fire pit to roast marshmallows!
Jingle City Bar
Dates: November 26 – December 24, 2021 (only on Thurs, Fri, Sat, and Sun)
Price: $15+ per person
Website: Jingle City Bar
Jingle City Bar is an annual pop-up Christmas bar with tons of interactive and unique rooms! This 12,000sqft warehouse is completely transformed for the holidays and offers fun festivities like Ugly Christmas Sweater parties, Meet Santa events and more.
You can enjoy this event with kids before 8PM, but afterwards it transforms into a 21+ scene with a DJ and holiday drinks galore.
Be sure to purchase tickets in advance as they sell out quickly!
German Christmas Market at OMB
Dates: November 26 – 28, December 3-5, 10-12, 17-19, 2021 (four weekends)
Price: Free Entry
Website: OMB Events
OMB Brewery is a large German-inspired Biergarten. Each Christmas, they host a German Christmas market. The market includes shopping, holiday music, fire pits, and more!
OMB always has seasonal drinks for this event – like their Yule Bock and Dunkel beers! They even have Gluhwein (spiced hot wine) to sip on!
Visit Christmas Town USA
Dates: December 1 – 26, 2021
Price: Free
Website: website
Did you know that Christmas Town USA is here in North Carolina?! This small town of 500 residents completely transforms into a Christmas winter paradise with lights and decor everywhere.
Families travel from all over the south to experience this towns magical transformation. Just 30 minutes outside of Charlotte, its a great FREE activity – but be prepared for a lot of traffic!
Visit Gingerbread Lane
Dates: December 3 – 26, 2021
Price: Free
Website: Ballantyne Hotel Events
Each year, the Ballantyne Hotel creates a beautiful display of gingerbread houses. It is open to the public and completely free! However, you have the option to vote on your favorite gingerbread house for $1/vote – proceeds go to Atrium Health Levine Children’s Hospital.
Watch the Nutcracker
Dates: December 3 – 23, 2021
Price: $25-$125 per person
Website: Tickets
Each year, the Charlotte Ballet presents the Nutcracker at the Belk Theatre in Uptown Charlotte. Tickets for this holiday ballet typically sell out fast!
Enjoy Winter Sports
Winter Season isn’t typically known for sports, but don’t let that deter you from enjoying Basketball & Hockey! Charlotte has teams for both sports and there will be games all throughout the winter season. Check out their schedules below.
Hockey: Checker’s Schedule
Basketball: Horney’s Schedule
Skiing Trip
Did you know North Carolina is home to premier skiing resorts?! About 2 hours from Charlotte you’ll find a variety of winter wonderlands! It’s a great weekend trip for those looking for a quick getaway to play in the snow and hit the slopes!
Ranking the Top 5 Ski Resorts in North Carolina below:
- Sugar Mountain Ski Resort – largest ski resort in NC, 21 runs, great for beginners or pros
- Beech Mountain Ski Resort – highest ski peak in NC, Bavarian-style lodge, 17 runs, locals favorite
- Appalachian Ski Mountain – large ski resort with three terrain parks
- Cataloochee Ski Area – oldest in NC, 18 runs, most west
- Wolf Ridge Ski Resort – small but charming, north of Asheville
There you have it! All of my favorite winter activities near Charlotte, NC. Share your favorite winter activities near Charlotte in the comments below & don’t forget to save this post for later!
Looking to explore Charlotte during other times of the year?
Check out my Seasonal Charlotte guides below:
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Wow! I had no idea that Charlotte offered so many great holiday activities. I would love to go ice skating and visit Carowinds . Definitely pinning this for future reference!
Oh this post really brings me in a Christmas mood! Looks like there are so many amazing activities to do in Charlotte 🙂
The Charlotte area looks like a wonderful place to spend the Christmas season! Winterfest looks so magical – I ‘d love to ride on one of the swings and see the sparkly trees!
I LOVE Charlotte! But I’ve never been in the winter and I had no idea there were so many fun festive things to do in Charlotte! I love all the Christmas markets and such! I’ll have to return in December!
You really inspire me to visit Charlotte at Christmas! We have so many events in Washington DC where I live but I will absolutely travel to enjoy more Christmas activities. Thanks Lisa!
Great post! I’ve never been to Charlotte but always wanted to visit. I didn’t know that there were so many winter activities! That Christmas Market looks like a blast.
There’s so much to do in Charlotte around the holidays! The Southern Christmas Show would be fun to visit. I will have to check that out another year. Christmas Town USA sounds so cool too. It reminds me of a Hallmark movie, lol.