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Can you believe it? It's that time of year again! Snow, holiday lights, and the scent of cinnamon and evergreen--nothing says the holidays more than these hallmark moments.
New England is known for its fantastic holiday celebrations, whether it's its summer reenactments of the 4th of July or spooky season haunted graveyard activities. Where the region excels, however, is in its beautifully festive winter holiday celebrations. Every year, these holiday events make you feel all the charm of New England and all the cheer of this time of year! Read on to find each New England state's most festive holiday events.
Small Town Charm, Big Holiday Festivities In Connecticut
With a name like Bethlehem, this town was made to be the epicenter of Christmas. For over 40 years, the town of Bethlehem has celebrated the winter holidays with the Christmas Town Festival, an event that will make you feel like you're walking into the Gilmore Girls universe.
Across two days during the first weekend of December, this Connecticut town highlights a variety of holiday-themed performers, dozens of local vendors for holiday shopping, and a Santa-themed 5K race. The real star is, in fact, a star! The town lights up an 85-foot-tall evergreen tree that's topped with a custom star.
Fire...On The Water! Rhode Island's Best Holiday Festival
Waterfire Providence is a beloved tradition of, well...setting the water on fire! Throughout the year, this Rhode-Island based organization puts on different themed shows where thousands of spectators come to see the lights and performances. This year, Waterfire is celebrating the winter holidays with a massive tree lighting and holiday market accompanied by carolers and Waterfire's signature pyrotechnics.
On December 1-3, you can join in on the "lit" holiday celebrations. It is free to the public, and if you're feeling the gifting spirit, you can participate in their holiday toy drive benefiting the families of the Children's Friend organization.
Have A Whale ( Or Bear) Of A Time At This Massachusetts Lights Festival
The Stone Zoo in Stoneham, Massachusetts, has become famous for its annual ZooLights event around the holiday season. Lit up by thousands of fairy lights and large-scale installations, this is your chance to walk through the zoo at night and catch a glimpse of an arctic fox while being surrounded by its larger-than-life festival counterparts!
This year, ZooLights run from mid-November to early January, and believe it or not, most dates leading up to Christmas sell out! So be sure to get your tickets early.
A Candlelit Stroll With A Side Of Living History In New Hampshire
Feel transported by this living history museum right into a Charles Dickens novel (just fast-forwarded to the holiday heart-warming part). Strawberry Banke in historic Portsmouth, New Hampshire, is a seaside, outdoor living history museum, which is a delightful retreat in the summer. In the winter, it transforms into a lantern-lit holiday stroll of yore, where you can meet some of history's players while surrounded by the scent of winter bonfires.
The event runs every weekend leading up to Christmas, and tickets go on sale at the end of October for members and at the beginning of November for non-members of the museum.
All Aboard The Polar Express In Maine!
Have dreams of meeting Santa up at the North Pole? Well, this is your chance! The Polar Express operates out of Portland, Maine, and is run by the Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Co. & Museum. As their biggest fundraiser of the year, the price tag for this event is a bit on the higher side ($35-$85, depending on the carriage class you choose), but it is well worth it.
Depending on your fare class, passengers board one of nine historic train cars dating as far back as the Victorian era. Each fare class is dressed up in different ways to resemble the family favorite Polar Express and is filled with Christmas music, holiday cookies, and of course, hot cocoa! Santa himself has been known to visit passengers too, so keep your cameras ready! Trains run from November 25th-December 23rd, so don't miss out.
A Very Victorian, Vermont Holiday
Party like it's 1899 at the Billings Farm & Museum during their Wassail Weekend! What is Wassail, you ask? Well, the museum has a program all about it, along with other activities that'll make you feel like you're experiencing a true Victorian Christmas.
You can DIY your own authentic candle, cook up some mince meat pies, and even go snowshoeing to meet the farm's especially fuzzy inhabitants, including jersey cows (yes, the long-haired ones that have the best blow dry 'dos) and draft horses. It's recommended that you purchase advance tickets for the December 9th event because it's quite popular!