News

Here's the roundup of Christmas events

Holly Jolly Train Rides and a Mountain Fresh Orchards pop-up market come to Main Street on Saturday.

By Lightning Reports, Published: December 11, 2023

Here’s the roundup of holiday events through New Year’s Day:

Ongoing

Flat Rock Playhouse Christmas: Presented by UNC Health Pardee, Postero, Southern Alarm & Security, Andy Oxy, Highland Lake Inn & Resort and Knox Law, the holiday revue runs through Dec. 21. For tickets visit www.flatrockplayhouse.org.
Peppermint Bear Scavenger Hunt, through Dec. 23: a fun-filled hunt for Peppermint’s lost cubs, which are hiding in downtown businesses. New to the scavenger hunt this year are frosty treats from two businesses located on the Hendersonville Ice Cream Trail — Celtic Creamery and Sweet Frog Premium Frozen Yogurt.

Winter Lights, North Carolina Arboretum, through Dec. 31: The must-see walk-through holiday extravaganza features more than a million lights illuminating the arboretum’s gardens and woodland edge. For tickets visit ncwinterlights.com. Tickets, which are per vehicle, are sold in a three-tiered system based on the date guests want to attend. Pink, Blue and Yellow tiers offer a range of admission prices, with off-peak dates costing less than nights that are the most popular. Flex tickets allow guests to change the date of their visit as well. The Arboretum strongly recommends purchasing tickets in advance online, as nights at Winter Lights do sell out. Please leave pets at home.

Historic Johnson Farm Christmas tours, 3346 Haywood Road, Dec. 4-20: Guided tours start at 10:30 a.m. each day. While drop-ins are allowed, those with reservations take priority. Guided daytime tours are $15 for adults, $10 for students and seniors (65 and over) and free for those 4 and under. The farmhouse is open 1-3 p.m. each day for self-guided tours, no reservations needed. Tickets are $8 for adults, $5 for students and seniors (65 and over), and free for those 4 and under.  To make reservations call 828-891-6585, email jfarm@hcpsnc.org or visit www.historicjohnsonfarm.org.

Shadrack’s Christmas Wonderland Drive-Thru Light Show, Tryon Equestrian Center, through Jan. 1: Features hundreds of thousands of dazzling lights
dancing to the tune of holiday classics on your car radio. Tickets (per carload) available at resort.tryon.com/winterfest or at the gate.

Dec. 15-17

Every Christmas Story Ever Told…(and then some!), 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 3 p.m. on Sunday, Hendersonville Theatre, 229 S. Washington St.: A fast and furious romp through beloved holiday classics including It’s a Wonderful Life, The Nutcracker, Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, A Charlie Brown Christmas, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Santy Claus and more.

Saturday Dec. 16

Christmas at Connemara, Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site: Ronnie Pepper will inspire audiences with storytelling about heritage and holidays at 10 a.m., 11 a.m. and noon. Then, make a globe ornament filled with special finds for the tree.

Dec. 15-17

Headshot of Haire Jan has

A Christmas Memory, St. John in the Wilderness Parish Hall,1895 Greenville Highway: Actor and theologian E.R. Haire Jr. performs Truman Capote’s beloved short story as a one-man show. Performances are 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 15, and Saturday, Dec. 16, and 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 17. The show is free to the public but seating is limited to 55 people per performance and RSVP is required. RSVP at bit.ly/christmasmem23 or www.stjohnflatrock.org.

Saturday, Dec. 16

Holly Jolly Train Rides: Kids can hop aboard the train while parents shop at the Mountain Fresh Orchards pop-up marke on Main Street.

Thursday, Dec. 21

Winter solstice walk: Join Conserving Carolina at 7 p.m. Dec. 21 to celebrate the longest night of the year with a winter solstice walk to Hooker Falls in DuPont State Recreational Forest. The stroll will be along a quarter-mile trail to the base of Hooker Falls. The walk is free. Pre-registration is required. RSVP at conservingcarolina.org/calendar. 

Sunday, Dec. 31

New Year’s Eve Apple Rise, Historic Courthouse Plaza: Hendersonville pays tribute to its status as North Carolina’s Apple Capital by raising a giant apple high above the courthouse plaza. The free event features New Year’s Eve swag, a DJ dance party, games and hot cocoa, all leading up to a kid-friendly apple rise countdown at 7 p.m.