 |
| Mcadenville, NC Courtesy of Steve Rankin |
For nearly six decades, the little North Carolina town of McAdenville (with a population shy of 700) lures some 600,000 visitors to witness its transformation into what’s been dubbed “Christmas Town USA.” A high-spirited partnership between town residents and a local manufacturing company allows the hamlet to trim more than 375 fir trees (they outnumber the households!) with nearly a half-million red, green, and white holiday lights. The trees range in size from 6-footers adorned with 500 lights to 90-foot-high behemoths bedecked in some 5,000 radiant bulbs. Recorded Christmas carols broadcast from a local church add to the high-powered Christmas feel. This year’s event runs through December 26, kicking off with the official lighting ceremony at the town’s Legacy Park on December 1 (free; www.mcadenville-christmastown.com).
Tack on a visit to the “Holiday Lights at the Garden” at the Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden in nearby Belmont (just 5 miles away), where plants and trees are bedazzled with some half-million lights and are joined by a Christmas tree created by orchids, carriage rides, and more (November 25–December 31, closed Christmas; $12 adults, $6 children ages 4 to 12; www.dsbg.org).
