December is the time to deck those halls, trim those trees and make lots and lots of gingerbread. Or you can just book a stay at a hotel that decks the halls, and everything else, and let them handle all the Christmas cheer.
These twelve kid-friendly hotels across the U.S. go out of their way to be festive during the holiday season and are easily worth an overnight stay, or more.
This year’s Christmas-season rates are bit all over the place with a mix of higher than usual rates and unexpected discounts. Take a short weekend trip to one or book one in your own town for a festive holiday-season staycation.
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13 Hotels That Go All Out At Christmas Time
1-5. The Gaylord Resorts
The Gaylord Resorts in National Harbor, MD; Nashville, TN; Denver, Dallas and Orlando are known for filling their soaring atriums with holiday lights, towering trees and amazing ice sculptures.
At each of these hotels, which are elaborately decked at even when it’s not Christmasn, expect some combination of indoor snow tubing, ice skating, gingerbread crafting, and special holiday scavenger hunts, decorations and light shows.
At Opryland, expect a snowball-throwing target game, breakfast with Mrs. Clause, a full-color ice sculpture scene from Frosty the Snowman, and a country-themed holiday show.
At the Texan there are Rudolph-themed character breakfast and ice sculptures, a Cirque: Spirit of Christmas show and carols, read-alongside and treats with Mrs. Claus.
The National resort has gone with a classic Charlie Brown ice scene. Kids can decorate cookies with Snoopy and the Peanuts gang. Sing along during a Christmas Carol light show and try a signature Christmas cocktail while the kids dip into fancy hot cocoa.
Palms has a snow-factory themed play area, animal encounters and a live nativity play. Their giant ice creation brings Elf to life.
At the Rockies, kids can train to be a Christmas elf, while families can be by wowed by the Polar Express ice sculptures, see the Cirque: Frost show and toast marshmallows over an outdoor fireplace.
This is probably the most innately Christmasy of the four resorts given the giant fireplace, a nature-inspired lobby and the possibility of real snow outside.
6. The Jefferson Hotel; Richmond, Virginia
The Jefferson Hotel fills itself to the brim with Christmas spirit, along with countless poinsettias, pine garlands, ribbons, lights and wreathes. The lobby features one tall, decorated centerpiece tree and several smaller ones are stations throughout the hotel.
There’s also a surprise gingerbread creation, which they usually unveil the first week in December.
You can appreciate the decked halls when you visit for a holiday season afternoon tea, Tea with Santa or a chocolate-lovers tea—if you can get a reservation.
7. The Carolina Inn; Chapel Hill, NC
If you’d like something more intimate, for 26 years now, the Carolina Inn has lavishly decked its halls to celebrate the 12 days of Christmas in grand Southern style.
Through December, you can enjoy the hotel’s enormous tree, ubiquitous pine bows, lights and eye-popping decorations when you come for a holiday-themed afternoon tea with teens or brunch with Santa with younger children. Young guests can join a class to build gingerbread houses and adults can shop for gifts at the European-style Christmas market on the inn’s front porch.
8. Woodstock Inn & Resort, VT
The Woodstock Inn in Woodstock, VT offers such a true New England Christmas you expect Bing Crosby to stroll into the lobby singing White Christmas.
From the front deck through the front doors and across the first floor you’ll see evergreen swags, plush velvet ribbons, a fireplace flanked by giant decorated wreathes, and trees of all sizes that were grown right on property.
The swags, wreathes and tree decorations incorporate poinsettias, grapevines, pine cones and dogwood, birch and evergreen branches from the inn’s gardens.
Nestled amid the greener,y kids love to discover the seven-foot-tall gingerbread cottage that would make Hansel & Gretel’s witch envious.
For more seasonal fun, time your visit to coincide with Woodstock town events like the Wassail weekend and Krampuslauf Run.
9. The Barnsley Resort, Adairsville, GA
The sprawling, upscale Barnsley Resort, in northern Georgia, strings more than one million lights all over its 3,000 acres.
The Inn’s main building and surrounding cottages, the central green and the gardens, along with the ruins of an older manor house, light up every night from Thanksgiving through the New Year for guests and a limited number of visitors.
The holiday cheer continues with trees and more decorations in the Inn’s common rooms and restaurant.
Guests can enjoy the lights while toasting s’mores at the outdoor fire pit. Or choose one of the cozy English-style cottages with a working fireplace to bring the holiday cheer into your private space.
10. The Inn at Christmas Place; Pigeon Forge, TN
You might wonder what a hotel that is Christmas-themed all year round does when December rolls around arrives. At The Inn at Christmas Place, they pour on more holiday cheer. Look for even more lights, greenery and decorations than usual, indoors and out.
Winterfest kicks off in November with a tree-lighting for hotel guests that’s accompanied by a concert, cookies and hot cocoa.
Through December, guests can enjoy concerts, story time and visits with Santa Claus. There are crafts sessions for kids and bow-tying and decorating tips for the adults. And of course, there are cookies and gingerbread houses to decorate.
11. The Hotel Del Coronado; Coronado, CA
The Hotel Del Coronado, outside of San Diego, brings a taste of the blustery north to Southern California by stringing thousands of lights around its red towers and along its balconies. A towering tree graces the lobby and swags, holly and mistletoe and gold and silver decorations accent all the common areas.
Don’t miss the light show inspired by jazz-age music. Decorate gingerbread houses, indulge in a Victorian afternoon tea or glide around the beach-side ice skating rink, enjoy hot cocoa and festive holiday drinks rink-side or have lunch or dinner in an igloo on the sand. Take advantage of mild California evenings to watch Christmas movies on the beach or don Santa hats and make s’mores by your own fire.
12. Fairmont Scottsdale Princess; AZ
This Fairmont Scottsdale Princess turns into a nighttime wonderland for the holidays. Ride a mini-train around the lagoon where 6 million LED lights take the shape of a pirate ship, mermaid, hippo, hot air balloon and more.
Walk through a tunnel of lights back to the hotel’s main plaza to ride the brightly lit Ferris wheel, take a few turns around the ice rink and watch the light show. Be sure to stop into Santa’s post office to drop him a note.
Take the chill off the evening with s’mores or hot cocoa by the outdoor fires or holiday cocktails and hot toddies indoors.
13. The Roosevelt New Orleans; LA
Quite a few hotels in the Big Easy go all out at Christmastime, but The Roosevelt is a perennial local favorite. The lobby’s long corridor becomes a festive tunnel of Christmas trees and birch branches covered in thousands of tiny white lights. Garlands and holiday ornaments complete the effect.
Lots of people take photos in the lobby entrance and move on. But explore further and you’ll usually find an impressive gingerbread creation that changes from year to year. It might be a five-foot tall gingerbread copy of the hotel, a Louisiana plantation house or a Garden District town house with a miniature trolley running by.
If you’re planning to stay overnight, book some seats for your family at the Teddy Bear Tea that happens on December weekends and the weekdays right before Christmas. Santa and the Mrs. emerge from their North Pole home along with toy soldiers, reindeer and other characters while guests nibble on tiny goodies alongside hot cocoa, tea or sparkling wine. It sells out, naturally, so book early.
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Photos are courtesy of the hotels.