Even though winter in Atlanta can be dull, there are lots of fun holiday activities to fill your holiday season with cheer! The Christkindl market between Peachtree and East Paces Ferry is a great way to try some Christmas foods and do some last-minute Christmas shopping! The market has over thirty tents with barbeque, crepes, and fresh pretzels. Small gifts and photos with Santa are also available at this festive market. Taking a picture with Santa Claus is an easy way to remember your holiday and can be taken at Phipps, Lenox, and Atlantic Station. Another Atlanta classic is the Garden Lights at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens. The Garden Lights are a walk of beautiful lights throughout the garden lit by holiday music. The gardens provide hot chocolate, apple cider, and smores and are open until 8 p.m.
There are numerous holiday performances to see around Atlanta. Atlanta Ballet’s The Nutcracker is a family favorite during the holiday season. The dancers perform a classic Christmas story with a holiday party, a snowflake scene, a battle fought by toys, and so much more all in one show. Holiday gifts like nutcrackers and ornaments can be bought at Atlanta Ballet’s show and make a perfect gift. The ballet performs at the Cobb Energy Center and it is sure to put you in the holiday spirit with this classic story of the Nutcracker. At the Alliance Theater, A Christmas Carol is performed all through December. The theater has reinvented its show this year with new costumes and sets this season. Supporting a local theater and seeing a nostalgic show with a thoughtful lesson is perfect to set your intentions for the holidays.
Classic holiday traditions like ice skating, building gingerbread houses, and shopping for Christmas trees can all be done easily in Atlanta. Skate the Sky at Ponce City Market has a great view of the city to skate to, great food and drink options, and heated igloos available to rent for family and friends. Another festive place to ice skate is the St Regis. The St Regis has amazing decorations and lots of food and drink options for the holidays. Gingerbread house building is another great way to get into the holiday spirit. The Capital City Club located downtown provides houses and many different candy and decoration options for gingerbread houses. The Club is festively decorated and makes building a house very easy as they provide everything. If you are looking to build a house from scratch, you can always pick up a kit from Target. Target has lots of different house builds for different sizes and themes of your house. You can buy your own candy to make your house exactly how you want it and use the provided decoration in the building kits. Buying a Christmas tree is essential for the holidays and can be done all around Atlanta. The Mount Paran Christmas tree farm is a local vendor and has many different size options for a natural tree. Located at the Mount Paran Country Store you will surely find a charming tree for a great price. If you’re interested in flocked or more variation, Pike nurseries always have lots of options ranging from a 30-foot Fraser fir to a three-foot noble fir.