Nov. 8-10, 15-17, 22-24, 29-30, Dec. 1, 6-8, 12-23
Spencer, NC
North Carolina Transportation Museum
THE POLAR EXPRESS™ Train Ride, Set to the sounds of the motion picture soundtrack, families are sure to enjoy their trip to the North Pole, complete with hot chocolate and cookies served on board the train. Passengers are entertained by a reading of Chris Van Allsburg’s classic, "The Polar Express." Upon arrival at the North Pole, passengers deboard to watch Santa present the first gift of Christmas. Before exiting the train at Candy Cane Lane, all passengers who BELIEVE will receive their own sleigh bell. 

Nov. 27-30
Raleigh, NC
North Carolina Symphony
North Carolina Symphony Pops: Cirque Holiday Pops, Kick off the festive season with spellbinding grace and daredevil feats, contortionists, and acrobats performing on stage—and 40 feet above it! Come early to visit Santa in the lobby. Ticket prices vary.

Dec. 1-8 
Troutman
Lake Norman State Park
Gingerbread House Competition, all day, Register now for the Lake Norman State Park Gingerbread House Competition! Entries must be dropped off at the visitor center by Dec. 1. Don't forget to turn in your completed registration form. Park visitors will vote for their favorite house from Dec. 1-8. The winner will receive a Lake Norman State Park prize pack and the winning house will be on display at the visitor center until Dec. 20.
 

Dec. 5
Chapel Hill
North Carolina Symphony
Messiah & More with the North Carolina Symphony and NC Master Chorale at Memorial Hall, 7:30 p.m. Celebrate the season as Music Director Carlos Miguel Prieto conducts selections from Bach’s “Christmas Oratorio” and Handel’s “Messiah,” including the “Hallelujah Chorus,” with your North Carolina Symphony and the North Carolina Master Chorale. The concert also features soloists Sarah Coburn, soprano, and Aaron Crouch, tenor.

Dec. 6-7
Raleigh
North Carolina Symphony
Friday Favorites: Classical Christmas with Carlos and the North Carolina Symphony at Meymandi Concert Hall, Celebrate the season as Music Director Carlos Miguel Prieto conducts selections from Bach’s “Christmas Oratorio” and Handel’s “Messiah,” including the “Hallelujah Chorus,” with your North Carolina Symphony and the North Carolina Master Chorale. The concert also features soloists Sarah Coburn, soprano, and Aaron Crouch, tenor.

Dec. 6
Durham
Duke Homestead State Historic Site
Duke Homestead Christmas by Candlelight, 5:30 to 9 p.m. Kick off your holiday season with this annual favorite! Come enjoy live Christmas music, dancing, singing, holiday cookies, and a whole lot of history as you follow a candlelit tour through the historic area. Costumed interpreters will bring the Duke family home to life as it might have been for Christmas in 1870 when the Dukes lived here! Purchase ticket in advance here.

Dec. 7
Burlington
Alamance Battleground State Historic Site
German Christmas in Carolina, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Join us at Alamance Battleground to learn about the traditions, foodways, and culture of North Carolina's German communities as we celebrate the Christmas holiday with our special event, "German Christmas in Colonial Carolina." By the 1770s, the backcountry of North Carolina boasted several communities of Germans who had settled here after migrating from their original settlements in Pennsylvania. They brought with them their traditions and culture that still shape our region today. $5 Adults, $2 Children.

Dec. 7
Bahama
Historic Stagville State Historic Site
Jonkonnu at Stagville, 4:30 to 6 p.m. Celebrate an African diaspora holiday tradition with St. Sya Academy and Historic Stagville. Jonkonnu traditions connect African diaspora communities across the Atlantic and Caribbean. It is still celebrated in communities in Jamaica, the Bahamas, Belize, and more. In North Carolina, people of African descent resisted cultural erasure by preserving dance, drum, and costume traditions like Jonkonnu. Stagville is one of the rare sites of slavery in North America with primary source documentation of Jonkonnu.

Dec. 12
Pinehurst
North Carolina Symphony
Holiday Pops with the North Carolina Symphony at Owens Auditorium at Sandhills Community College, 7:30 p.m. Celebrate the season with your festive holiday favorites and your North Carolina Symphony. This annual performance features the songs you know and love, including “Sleigh Ride,” “White Christmas,” “Carol of the Bells,” Christmas at the Movies, music from “Frozen,” and more! David Glover conducts.

Dec. 12
Raleigh
N.C. State Capitol
State Tree Lighting at the N.C. State Capitol, 5:30 p.m. Join the State Capitol and Gov. Roy Cooper for the annual tree-lighting tradition! The festivities begin on Capitol Square with luminaries and holiday music performed by the Raleigh Concert Band; ceremony begins at 6:15 p.m. Santa is scheduled to make an appearance. After the ceremony, come into the Capitol to experience its holiday decorations. The 2024 State Tree is sponsored by State Employees Credit Union. FREE; no reservations needed.

Dec. 12-14
Raleigh
N.C. State Capitol
State Capitol Holiday Open House, Dec. 12, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Dec. 13, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Dec. 14, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Join the State Capitol for holiday music in the Capitol's rotunda! FREE; no reservations needed.

Dec. 13
Raleigh
North Carolina Symphony
Ugly Sweater Holiday Pops with the North Carolina Symphony at Meymandi Concert Hall, 8 p.m. ’Tis the season to break out your most festively heinous knitwear — your ugly Christmas sweater! Don your favorite Christmas sweater (ugly or not) for an unforgettable evening filled with the orchestral beauty of Holiday Pops favorites including “Sleigh Ride,” “Jingle Bells,” music from “Frozen,” and so much more. You might even win the “Ugly Sweater” contest! Come early to visit Santa in the lobby. David Glover conducts.

Dec. 13
Durham
Duke Homestead State Historic Site
Duke Homestead Christmas by Candlelight, 5:30 to 9 p.m. Kick off your holiday season with this annual favorite! Come enjoy live Christmas music, dancing, singing, holiday cookies, and a whole lot of history as you follow a candlelit tour through the historic area. Costumed interpreters will bring the Duke family home to life as it might have been for Christmas in 1870 when the Dukes lived here! Purchase ticket in advance here.

Dec. 13
Sanford 
House in the Horseshoe State Historic Site
"O Blessed Season" Candlelight Tours, 3 to 6:30 p.m. Step back in time and experience an 18th-century Christmas. Interpreters will portray members of the community who have gathered for a festive party during the holiday season among fresh greenery and candlelight. Tickets are required. This event is part of the "Revolutionary NC" theme for America 250 NC, directed by the North Carolina Department of Natural & Cultural Resources.

Dec. 14
Sedalia
Charlotte Hawkins Brown Museum
Christmas in Sedalia at Charlotte Hawkins Brown Museum, 5 to 8 p.m. Join us at the Charlotte Hawkins Brown Museum for a night of music, shopping, and holiday festivities at our free event, Christmas in Sedalia. Bands and choirs from local schools will perform on an outdoor stage, a vendor fair with local artisans inside of Kimball Hall for all of your holiday shopping, and a very special visitor from the North Pole available to take photos! Our tree lighting ceremony will begin at 6:30 p.m.

Dec. 16-20
Asheboro
North Carolina Zoo
Jingle in the Jungle, To celebrate the season of giving and the Zoo's 50th anniversary, the North Carolina Zoo is delighted to announce a December promotion to give back to the community — Jingle in the Jungle! From Dec. 16-20, all general admission is $5 for entry to the North Carolina Zoo. No other discounts apply; in-person sales only (no online reservations).

Dec. 20-22
Raleigh
North Carolina Symphony
A Candlelight Christmas with the North Carolina Symphony Holiday Brass at Meymandi Concert Hall, Immerse yourself in the sounds of the season performed in the glow of candlelight by the North Carolina Symphony Holiday Brass and the North Carolina Master Chorale Youth Choir.

Dec. 26-31
Spencer
North Carolina Transportation Museum
Winter Holiday Train Rides, Join us at the N.C. Transportation Museum for special train rides during the winter break between Christmas and the New Year! The museum’s passenger train will offer a 25 minute ride around this State Historic Site, which was once Southern Railway’s major locomotive repair facility. It is another seasonal tradition families love to do together, especially when children are on break from school. Offered daily December 26 – 31, 2024. 

Jan. 1
Southern Pines
Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve
First Day Hike: Boyd Tract, 9 to 10 a.m. Start the year off right by getting outside for a First Day Hike! For this hike at the Boyd Tract, we will hike an easy 1 mile through old growth longleaf pine forest. You'll meet the oldest known living longleaf pine tree in the world, as well as the former state champion longleaf!

Jan. 1
Mayodan 
Mayo River State Park
First Day Hike 2025, 9 to 11 a.m. Join us for a guided 1.8-mile hike along the fox trail. A ranger will navigate, while sharing inspired insight as we start the new year off with a stroll through the woods. We will meet at the Picnic Shelter located at the Mayo Mountain Access. We will have a fire, ready for you to warm your hands before and after the hike. We will provide hot chocolate, while supplies last. 

Jan. 1
Troutman
Lake Norman State Park
First Day Hike, 10 to 11 a.m. What a better way to ring in the New Year than by taking a hike with a Ranger? Meet at the swim beach parking lot for a 1 to 1.5-mile hike. Participants will get a First Day Hike sticker following the hike! No registration needed. Bring water and dress for the weather. Closed-toed shoes are recommended.

Jan. 1
Southern Pines
Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve
First Day Hike: Weymouth Tract, 1 to 2 p.m. Start the year off right by getting outside for a First Day Hike! For this hike at the Weymouth Tract, we will hike an easy 2 miles to see the different habitats within the longleaf pine forest.

Jan. 1
Southern Pines
Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve
First Day Hike: Paint Hill Tract, 3 to 4 p.m. Start the year off right by getting outside for a First Day Hike! For this hike at one of Weymouth Woods' satellite properties, Paint Hill Tract, we will hike an easy 1.5 mile. This property has more elevation change than much of the Sandhills, as well as a rare plant called the Sandhills pixiemoss that blooms in winter.