By: Megan Williams / Photo Above: Photo by Kate Simon, Courtesy of Visit Staunton
Twinkling lights all around. Perfectly frosted storefront windows. A tree that illuminates just as the song reaches its crescendo. Couples bundled up in matching hats and mittens, sipping on hot cocoa as they walk through bustling city streets.
The scene sounds like the cold open of any holiday movie, but the truth is, it’s a common view around Virginia this time of year. And while much of Virginia hasn’t had a white Christmas since 2009 (though there’s still hope!), there are a number of cities across the Commonwealth that are brimming with holiday spirit and festive cheer.
Photo Courtesy of Visit Abingdon
Abingdon
Travel time from Lynchburg: 3 hours
Often compared to a southern version of It’s a Wonderful Life, with its decorated brick sidewalks, twinkling lights, and festive storefronts, Abingdon is a classic small-town holiday wonderland during the holiday season. It’s not unusual to find carolers along the path as you shuffle from shop to shop or time your visit to align with one of the many holiday events that occur throughout the season.
Most Instagrammable: The Abingdon Visitor Center Festival of Trees is on display throughout the holiday season on the visitor center’s grounds and inside its historic interior. Festival of Trees brings together nearly 30 festive Christmas trees for visitors to experience, decorated by local businesses and nonprofits.
Visitors can snap a photo with their family in front of the display, plus vote for their favorite tree by bringing in a donation of nonperishable food, pet supplies, school supplies, or monetary donation, with proceeds benefitting local nonprofit charities.
Best for Families: Barter Theatre’s holiday productions are exceptional activities for families with children. This year, families can watch the hilarious tale of Buddy the Elf unfold during Elf the Musical on Gilliam Stage. Families with young children will also appreciate The Barter Players production of Here Comes Suzy Snowflake, a slightly shorter, specialized theatre experience for young audiences in a friendly and accessible manner. In addition to being great for families, Barter Theatre is an absolute essential for any visitor during the holiday season. No visit to Abingdon is complete without seeing a production at the longest running professional theatre in the United States.
Don’t Miss: Don’t miss the 59th Annual Abingdon Christmas Parade on December 5, featuring floats, candy, and, the grand finale, Santa Claus!
Photo Courtesy of Visit Fredericksburg
Fredericksburg
Travel time from Lynchburg: 2.5 hours
Fredericksburg transforms into a festive holiday destination during November and December, with decorated store windows, historic charm, and seasonal events.
The city’s historic downtown is the centerpiece of the hustle and bustle. Its brick sidewalks, Federal and Victorian-era buildings, independent shops, restaurants, and narrow streets already feel atmospheric in winter, but add on a layer of evergreens and twinkling lights, and you have holiday movie magic.
Most Instagrammable: Fredericksburg’s historic downtown is especially photogenic during the holidays with decorated storefronts and historic buildings dressed up for the season. Caroline and William Streets offer plenty of picture-perfect backdrops while you shop, dine, and explore. Riverfront Park also becomes a holiday photo destination with Fredericksburg’s Christmas tree, outdoor skate rink, and festive life-size holiday cards.
Pick your favorite oversized card, gather your crew, and snap the perfect holiday photo.
Best for Families: Kick off the holiday season in downtown Fredericksburg at the Annual Tree Lighting on November 14. This community tradition brings families together to count down to the lighting of the tree and officially welcome the holiday season.
All season long, families can turn a stroll through downtown into a holiday scavenger hunt! Families can explore the window displays, search for clues in participating storefronts, and work together to solve the annual holiday riddles.
Don’t Miss: See historic downtown Fredericksburg at its most magical with a horse-drawn carriage ride through the decorated streets. Holiday lights, historic architecture, and the clip-clop of horses make this an especially charming way to experience the season. The Annual Cookie Crawl on December 12 combines two of the best parts of the holiday: shopping and cookies. Make your way through downtown Fredericksburg, stopping at participating businesses for a baker’s dozen of sweet treats along the way.
Photo by Kennedy Lafon Photography, Courtesy of Lexington & the Rockbridge Area Tourism
Lexington
Travel time from Lynchburg: 1 hour
Imagine a Christmas village in a college town that’s surrounded by mountains—that’s Lexington during the holiday season. The heart of Lexington is its small historic downtown with its brick sidewalks, historic storefronts, and classic architecture. It’s the type of town you want to be bundled up in, walking through the downtown streets with a coffee in hand, ducking into a bookstore or antique shop, and simply losing track of time.
Most Instagrammable: Downtown Lexington gets decked out for the holidays, and Sugar Maple Trading Company and Pumpkinseeds up the ante. Sugar Maple Trading Co. creates window displays with animated creatures and whimsical themes that delight the senses. Pumpkinseeds is famous for including objects and props to their window-dressings, adding depth and dimension to their holiday theme. You can’t help but smile and pull out your phone for a photo when you walk by.
Best for Families: ‘Tis the season when families gather at Boxerwood Nature Center to craft a holiday feast for the birds and wildlife that winter in their backyards. Honeysuckle wreaths, dried fruit icicles, cranberry garlands, and suet-and-seed cupcakes are among the “tweets” they can make at the Gifts of Nature workshop on Saturday, December 12 from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. Boxerwood will provide vines, cones, winter berries, and greenery harvested from the woodland garden, as well as suet, raffia, and other project supplies. Families are asked to contribute one type of wildlife food, such as seeds, nuts, dried fruit, popcorn, citrus, or fresh cranberries.
Don’t Miss: Experience Natural Bridge State Park like never before, with festive lighting and roaring fires. Enjoy an after-dark stroll along the illuminated Cedar Creek Trail and under the Natural Bridge, lit up to show the crags and clefts of the arch in festive colors. Back at the pavilion, warm up around one of the campfires and relax with friends and family or stop by to see Mr. and Mrs. Claus.
Photo by Hugh Kenny, Courtesy of Visit Middleburg
Middleburg
Travel time from Lynchburg: 2 hours 50 minutes
Deep in Virginia’s horse country, Middleburg at Christmastime is a fairy tale. Horses trot down the street with hounds leading the way, historic whitewashed buildings are trimmed in evergreens and wreaths, and hunt country rolls just beyond the downtown footprint. It’s almost a surreal effect: foxhunting culture alongside Santa, antique shops, and carolers. But what a memorable experience it is.
Most Instagrammable: What better way to experience horse country during the holidays than on an old-fashioned horse drawn carriage? Amble through the streets and enjoy the beautifully decorated town. Holiday carriage rides occur on weekends in December, starting on December 12 and ending on December 27.
Best for Families: Held on South Madison St., Jingle in the Burg is a wonderful festive event for families. Throughout the day there will be carriage rides, carolers, dancers, street performers, and a Holiday Market featuring local vendors. Jingle in the Burg will take place on December 12.
Don’t Miss: Perhaps what Middleburg is most known for during the holidays is Christmas in Middleburg, which is held each year on the first Saturday in December. The Middleburg Hunt takes to the streets, creating a spectacular sight as approximately 150 horses, riders in hunting attire, and dozens of hounds come through the town. The Middleburg Community Christmas Parade follows in the afternoon as spectators line the sidewalks along Washington Street to watch as a unique assortment of floats, antique fire trucks, animals, and musical groups march by in a mile-long parade.
Photo by Kate Simon, Courtesy of Visit Staunton
Staunton
Travel time from Lynchburg: 1.5 hours
Staunton’s rich arts and culture scene distinguishes the town year round, but it particularly comes to life during the holiday season. The dense downtown, with its highly walkable streets, takes on a literary or theatrical feel during the holiday season. You can spend a December evening downtown and go from Christmas shopping to live theater, music, a gallery opening, or a historic house tour without ever getting in your car.
Most Instagrammable: Downtown Staunton’s Beverley Street is particularly photogenic after dusk, when holiday-trimmed storefronts glow against ornate 19th-century architecture. The compact, walkable streetscape offers everything a holiday-movie location scout, or just a lover of winter-time whimsy with a good phone camera, might want—locally owned shops, cozy restaurants, historic façades and plenty of inviting windows to peer into. You will find especially charming views along Beverley Street and around the intersections with Augusta, New, and Market Streets.
Best for Families: New for 2026, Spirited Saturdays will bring three weekends of family-friendly holiday experiences to downtown Staunton. Families can add even more magic aboard the Virginia Scenic Railway’s Santa Express. The approximately hourlong experience takes place aboard a festively decorated train and includes holiday music, cookies, hot chocolate, and a personal visit from Santa.
Don’t Miss: For a holiday evening that could only happen in Staunton, see A Christmas Carol at the American Shakespeare Center’s Blackfriars Playhouse, running December 4–27. Dickens’ ghosts, candlelit atmosphere, and the intimate setting of the world’s first re-creation of Shakespeare’s indoor theatre make it an especially memorable seasonal tradition.
Whether you opt for five day trips during the holiday season to scope out each made-for-movie locale, or you simply choose one town to tuck into for the holiday season, Virginia is the perfect backdrop for memories and magic.
