The holiday season is here! This time of year is all about celebrations, decorations, and merriment. It is important to make time to gather together with friends and loved ones during this magical time of year, and the Charlotte area has several popular attractions that you may want to check out. Following are just a few of our favorites.

Holidays at the Garden at Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden
Holidays at the Garden is consistently one of the top holiday attractions in the Charlotte area. And with over 600,000 lights, it is very quickly easy to see why! Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden is transformed into a winter wonderland with festive décor that children and adults of all ages will enjoy. But the beautiful decorations are only part of the fun. There are horse-drawn carriage rides, live musical performances, fires to warm up or roast marshmallows, model train displays, and plenty of opportunities to do a little holiday shopping. Mrs. Claus will also visit on select evenings. Holidays at the Garden runs from November 17 – December 31 from 5-9 pm each evening.

Speedway Christmas
Want to treat your family to an amazing display of Christmas lights? Then head on over to Charlotte Motor Speedway for the 8^th annual Speedway Christmas spectacular. This unique attraction allows you to drive through a 3.75 mile course that goes on the race track and through the infield to showcase over 3 million lights. There is also a Christmas village that is open for everyone to enjoy Thursday-Sunday. This family-friendly area includes photos with Santa, Bethlehem village, a petting zoo, food, treats and more. Speedway Christmas runs from November 19 – December 31.

Charlotte Christmas Village
Charlotte Christmas Village is a European-inspired Christmas market that takes place each holiday season in Romare Bearden Park. Vendors will be serving a variety of specialty foods including German roasted nuts, Austrian strudels, bratwurst, and so much more. There will also be different drinks to choose from including hot chocolate, cider, and hot mulled wine – the perfect way to warm up on a cold winter night! Charlotte Christmas Village runs from November 23 – December 24 and is closed on Mondays.