Christmas Town USA, NC

Have you heard of Christmas Town USA? Since 1956, the small town of McAdenville located west of Charlotte, NC twinkles with bright Christmas Lights every night from 5:30pm to 10pm starting on December 1st until the 26th.

The tradition is attributed to a group of mill workers who in 1956 decided to decorate trees in front of the community center. Mr. William Pharr, co-founder and president of Pharr Yarns at the time, paid for the lights. The Pharr mill employed most of the town residents. Soon the residents joined in the effort and proceeded to elaborately decorate their homes. It did not take long before visitors started flocking to McAdenville in December to admire its Christmas wonderland. Mr. Pharr and his wife succeeded in creating and maintaining a community spirit around Holiday Season. Eventually a lighting ceremony, and a yule parade were added and later a 5k race. Pharr Yarns continued to sponsor the Christmas lights after Mr. Pharr’s passing. The town gained national attention in the 1980s after being featured on popular TV shows. It has consistently ranked in the top US towns to visit during the Christmas holidays. Over 600,000 visitors head over to Wesleyan drive in December, park and walk the brightly lit neighborhoods or drive through the 1.5 mile stretch open to cars.

We visited on December 12th, 2023. Police directed traffic which was not too bad since it was weeknight. We found parking at McAdenville elementary school and excitedly made our way through the lit neighborhood street. Every house displayed elaborate decorations. I had never seen anything like it. It was absolutely festive and is sure to put anyone in the Christmas spirit. We walked down Wesleyan toward the lake. There, red, green and white Christmas trees sparkled and reflected onto the water as Christmas music played. At the fire station, they were giving away hot chocolate for a small donation. This was such a welcomed sight as it was a rather cold night. Our visit was a purely magical adventure that I highly recommend. It is sure to leave you with beautiful holiday memories and perhaps start a new family holiday tradition.

If you go, check out the town’s visit planner. A weeknight is highly suggested to avoid the larger weekend crowds.

Reference Town of McAdenville, McAdenville Visit planner ,How McAdenville became Christmastown USA, Town of McAdenville on Facebook