Chattanooga For the Holidays

Whether you are a local looking for a new way to celebrate, a visitor checking out all Chattanooga has to offer, or a new comer trying to make a new town feel like home, Chattanooga has a lot to offer during the Holidays. Here are some of our favorite upcoming events around town:

• Mainx24 is one of the hottest events all year on Chattanooga's calendar. It's the event that made The Southside what it is today, as Chattanoogans famously "Partied Their Way To a Cleaner, Safer, Richer City." Each year Southside businesses offer 24 hours of unique holiday shopping, delicious food, and fun pop-up activities, concerts, and parties. There's no end to the variety with a schedule that includes holiday up-do hair styling event at HairLounge, a pancake breakfast, a Stroller Strut for proud parents, a folk music exhibition, a pet costume Mutt Strut, photobooths, fashion shows, gallery open houses, a special holiday arts and crafts market, a battle of the bands, cornhole tournament,  The Dirty Guvnahs playing at Track29, and a 1920s Midnight In Paris-themed gala at Townsend Atelier, and much much more.

• Rock City's Enchanted Garden of Lights is an annual favorite. The famous attraction dresses up with beautiful holiday-themed lights and offers up an opportunity to see Rock City in a whole new way. If you want to make a getaway of it, StoneFort Inn has a special Bright Lights and Cozy Nights package combining a stay at the inn, dinner at Public House restaurant, and tickets to the Enchanted Garden of Lights, which is a great treat for out of town visitors or for you and a loved one to use as an excuse to get out of the house and find a little romance.

• For the kids, the Creative Discovery Museum offers the Winter Wonders Exhibit. This special holiday favorite lets kids dress up, ice skate, try gingerbread, play in the castle fort, get lost in the Blizzard Maze, have a faux snowball fight, and even shop for holiday gifts all on their own at the special Holiday Shoppe. 

• Ruby Falls offers its own holiday twist on its usual natural wonders with the Ruby Red Christmas series throughout December. It's a special tour with costumed characters, holiday music, and a North Pole Workshop with additional festive activities.

• Don't forget to visit Santa! He's at Hamilton Place Mall regularly throughout the season. VOLS fans have a chance to catch Santa decked out in team colors on December 5 from 6 PM to 9 PM!

• The Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum has a special Holiday Dinner Train featuring a four-course meal aboard an authentic 1920s train car. It could become your new holiday tradition, and is definitely a unique way to celebrate the holidays.

• The ChattanoogaChoo Choo is famous for its family-friendly Holiday Packages. There's a lot to choose from, including the Elf Workshop and optional Elf Tuck-In Service that lets the kids become Santa's helpers. Go through the packages and find the one that works best for you and your family. It's one of the absolute best ways to let your kids experience the magic of Christmas.