Top NC Mountain Town for Holidays: HGTV Reveals Best Pick

Experience the Magic of Christmas in North Carolina

From the majestic Biltmore Estate to the picturesque national parks dusted with winter snow, there’s no shortage of festive destinations in Western North Carolina.

North Carolina’s Own Christmas Town

The recent HGTV’s list of top-rated Christmas towns in the United States has spotlighted one North Carolina mountain town. This town won the recognition for its charming Christmas traditions, scenic landscapes, and exciting seasonal events.

HGTV’s website highlights, “These towns offer more than just winter wonderlands with light shows, sleigh rides, holiday performances, caroling, parades, and Christmas markets. They also embrace local customs that deliver a quintessential Christmas experience filled with candy canes, hot chocolate, and Santa.”

North Carolina’s Best Christmas Town: Blowing Rock

The enchanting town of Blowing Rock, set against the scenic backdrop of the Blue Ridge Mountains, is HGTV’s pick as the best small “Christmas town”. This makes it the only town from North Carolina to earn this honor.

With numerous skiing and skating opportunities, and an ambiance straight from a Christmas painting, Blowing Rock is the ideal Christmas town in North Carolina, says HGTV.

Each year, this quaint Appalachian town transforms into a scene from a Christmas postcard with horse-drawn carriage rides, carolers, live music, and a tree festival.

One more attraction that adds to the charm of this town is the “Appalachian Polar Express”, a unique experience created by the historic steam locomotives of the Tweetsie Railroad.

Christmas at Tweetsie Railroad

Starting from November and continuing on select nights through to December 30, Tweetsie Railroad opens its doors at 5:30 pm. Visitors can enjoy a 20-minute nighttime train ride, visit with Santa, explore a gingerbread house, and capture holiday photos at many picturesque locations.

As North Carolina’s first theme park, Tweetsie Railroad has been offering a variety of family-friendly Wild West adventures since its opening in 1957.

Exploring Skiing Options Near Blowing Rock

If you are looking for some adrenaline-fueled fun on the ski slopes near Blowing Rock, here are some options:

Appalachian Ski Mountain

Located at 940 Ski Mountain Road, Blowing Rock in Watauga County, this resort is an eight-minute drive from downtown Blowing Rock. They offer ice skating, skiing, snowboarding, and night skiing on specific dates. Visit their website for more information.

Beech Mountain Resort

This resort is located at 1007 Beech Mountain Parkway, Beech Mountain in Avery County, a 45-minute drive from downtown Blowing Rock. They offer ice skating, tubing, skiing, and snowboarding. Check out their website for more details.

Sugar Mountain Ski Resort

Located at 1009 Sugar Mountain Drive, Sugar Mountain in Avery County, this resort is a 30-minute drive from Asheville. They offer ice skating, tubing, snowshoeing, skiing, and snowboarding. Visit their website for more details.

Other Best Christmas Towns by HGTV

Here’s a full list of all towns that made it to HGTV’s best Christmas town list:

Alabama – Fairhope, Alaska – North Pole, Arizona – Flagstaff, Arkansas – Hot Springs, California – Solvang, Colorado – Breckenridge, and so on.

‘Polar Express’ coming to Asheville? Find out more about Asheville, the most desired city for NC Amtrak stop.

Which NC towns are the quaintest? Discover the top 3 WNC towns that made the World Atlas list of quaintest towns in North Carolina.

Will Hofmann is the Growth and Development Reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Got a tip? Email him at WHofmann@citizentimes.com.