5 Places Within 5 Hours

Make the most of this year’s winter break by hitting the road. With no more than five hours in the car, you can travel to a memorable, family-friendly destination that really embraces the holiday season with special events, exhibits, activities and old-fashioned fun. Whether you spend a week or just the weekend, a short drive to one of these enchanting places will delight the whole family.

ASHEVILLE

Asheville, NC

Drive Time: 3 hours 35 minutes
Claim to fame: The Biltmore Estate
www.exploreasheville.com or www.ashevilleforfamilies.com

Families searching for natural vacation spots will find heaven in this North Carolina mountain town. Asheville is a great example of nature’s playground: berry picking, hiking, skiing and wildlife exploration are abundant. Asheville’s seven ski areas offer everything from downhill skiing to tubing and snowboarding, and they average about 60 inches of snow each year – perfect for a winter retreat.

If you’re more into Asheville’s artsy side, grab some clay and a paintbrush and hit the town. Though there are plenty of galleries full of local art to check out, there are also places that offer arts and crafts opportunities for the whole family that will make perfect gifts for family and friends. The Odyssey Center for Ceramic Arts, Black Mountain Center for the Art, and Fired Up! Creative Lounge and Art Boutique all offer one-time workshops and studio time. You can even design your own pop-up book at BookWorks.

Don’t forget to stop by the famous Biltmore Estate while you’re in town. Kids will love meeting the farm animals and watching woodcarving and blacksmithing demonstrations. A visit to the winery will be fun for the kids, too – they get grape juice in the tasting room. And for the holidays, you’ll enjoy holiday music, garlands, poinsettias, dozens of Christmas trees and a magnificent 35-foot-tall live Fraser fir.

Asheville’s other luxurious destination, The Grove Park Inn, is also home to a holiday must-see – the National Gingerbread House Display. Kids and parents alike are sure to delight in the imagination shown in these sugar-and-spice creations. 

For a little holiday magic, take a trip on The Polar Express. The tale comes to life on the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad when the train departs Bryson City for a journey to the North Pole. Kids will meet Santa, and the whole family will enjoy holiday caroling, hot cocoa and more.

GATLINBURG

Gatlinburg, TN

Drive time: 4 hours 10 minutes
Claim to fame: 2007 marked Gatlinburg’s 200th birthday
www.gatlinburg.com

This holiday season, get out of Atlanta and see some real snow! Load up the kids and head to the mountains of Gatlinburg. This quaint town nestled in the Great Smoky Mountains provides the perfect holiday setting. Imagine stepping out of a downtown shop onto the bricked streets as night descends – the streets aglow with Christmas lights, the evergreen-covered mountains dark in the distance, and the snow falling gently all around.

But the gorgeous scenery is only one of many reasons to visit Gatlinburg. Family-friendly activities abound right in the center of the downtown district, like the four-month “Winter Magic” celebration, which lights up the city with more than 3 million lights. On Friday and Saturday evenings, visitors can enjoy live entertainment, caroling and meeting holiday characters. If you plan your visit around December 7, be sure to check out the Fantasy of Lights Christmas Parade. The spectacle features marching bands, millions of lights, Santa Claus, and even an appearance by the Budweiser Clydesdales.

Other area attractions include the Great Smoky Arts and Crafts Community, the largest group of independent artisans in North America. There you can scour an assortment of craft shops selling everything from pottery and woodcarvings to paintings and brooms. Or visit Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies, where 12-foot sharks swim overhead in an underwater tunnel. And be sure to visit the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, where tranquil walks through the hiking trails reveal a majestic landscape. Hit the ski slopes or at least take the chair lift up the mountain and check out the spectacular view.

HUNTSVILLE

Huntsville, AL

Drive time: 3 hours 40 minutes
Claim to fame: U.S. Space & Rocket Center
www.huntsville.org

If you’re looking for an out-of-this-world experience, this is the place for you. Where else can you visit Earth’s largest space museum and home to one of only three Saturn V moon rockets still in existence? The U.S. Space & Rocket Center, with its Space Shot rocket launch simulator, Kids Cosmos Energy Depletion Zone, Apollo Cockpit Trainer, Mars Rock-climbing Wall and more, has something for everyone.

Rockets and stars aren’t the only things Rocket City has to offer. Cathedral Caverns State Park, Harmony Park Animal Preserve and the Huntsville Botanical Garden provide plenty of outdoor fun. Cathedral Caverns is perfect for the explorers in your family: You’ll see Stalagmite Mountain, The Frozen Waterfall and Goliath, a huge stalagmite column that reaches 45 feet to the cave ceiling.

Holiday activities and events are plentiful in the area during December. Be sure to stop by Santa’s Village, where you can visit the jolly old guy himself – you may even see snow. Also, the Galaxy of Lights at the Huntsville Botanical Garden is magical for all ages; the garden transforms into a sea of lights in motion. Other holiday activities include parades, arts and crafts fair, and much more!

For all the history buffs, Huntsville’s variety of museums provides plenty of opportunities to learn while you have a blast. Alabama Constitution Village, Burritt on the Mountain, Clay House Museum, Earlyworks Children’s Museum, and the Huntsville Depot & Museum are all worth a visit.

Chattanooga

Chattanooga, TN

Drive time: 1 hour 56 minutes
Claim to fame: Lookout Mountain
www.chattanoogafun.com

Chattanooga has plenty to offer when it comes to holiday fun, like the nightly extravaganza at Rock City Gardens’ Enchanted Garden of Lights, where nearly 1 million twinkling lights bring the Enchanted Trail to life. There you can sip steaming hot cocoa as you enjoy live holiday music and gaze in wonderment at more than 30 holiday scenes.

One adventure sure to become a memorable holiday activity is a ride on the Southern Belle Riverboat. Passengers of this holiday cruise down the scenic Tennessee River can sit back and enjoy listening to the deckhands sing Christmas carols, or, if the spirit moves you, can kick up their heels with Santa Claus to live music. The kids will clap with glee when Rudolph and the Grinch make special appearances. Parents just might do the same when a prime rib and shrimp creole dinner makes its way to the table.

The festive decorations at Ruby Falls are a must-see for any Chattanooga visitor. Be enchanted by the holiday sights and sounds that accent the 145-foot falls as you delve 260 feet underground. Or enjoy Tennessee Aquarium’s Tropical Holiday Adventure, where diving Santas and surfing penguins take a vacation from the North Pole. And while the kids look forward to Christmas parades and Santa breakfasts, be sure to stop by the WinterRoast Coffee Festival to warm up and rejuvenate.

SAVANNAH

Savannah, GA

Drive time: 3 hours 49 minutes
Claim to fame: Home to Food Network’s Paula Deen and Girl Scouts Founder Juliette Gordon Low
www.visitsavannah.com

If mountains and snow aren’t for you, then head down to the temperate coastal climate of Savannah for the holidays. The festivities kick off with the 3rd Annual Lighted Holiday Parade that passes through the Historic District on its way down River Street. Witness a magical scene of caroling and live music as jolly St. Nick collects Christmas letters from good little boys and girls. Or take a carriage ride through the city squares to admire the traditional décor: White lights and red ribbons adorn lamp posts and park benches, while wreaths and evergreens accent the Colonial-style homes. Kids will especially enjoy the City Market Christmas event. There you’ll find all sorts of holiday-themed children’s entertainment, including cookie decorating, ornament making, a petting zoo, storytelling, face painting and performances by cloggers and musical groups.

Whether you visit during the holiday season or not, be sure to visit the shops and restaurants lining River Street. There you’ll find a variety of attractions and maybe even discover a few spots prized by the locals. For the history buff in the family, Savannah’s many museums present the rich past of this coastal community. See everything from Revolutionary War exhibits to Forrest Gump’s bench at the Savannah History Museum. Or stand on top of Fort Jackson beside a cannon that once fired at English ships.

Other Savannah-area attractions include Tybee Island, where miles of unspoiled beach provide a natural sanctuary for endangered birds, sea turtles and other species. Rent bikes to observe the animals in their natural habitats, and check out the great old lighthouse and museums while you’re on the island.

And for something really different, make an appointment for a brush with the supernatural. The Ghosts and Legends of Savannah Tour presents chilling stories about the city’s long history of apparition sightings. The tour provides after-dinner entertainment the whole family can enjoy in the city voted “America’s Most Haunted” by the American Institute of Parapsychology.

– Tali Toland & Kyle Garrett