Christmas in Charleston - Your Holiday Adventure Awaits

It's unlikely, though not totally beyond the realm of possibility, that you'll experience the exhilaration of a white Christmas in Charleston, but it's uncertain that you'll find everything else to make your holiday visit to the Holy City a memorable adventure.

Taking a centuries-old tradition quite seriously, the Charleston area dresses up for the holidays, offering visitors and local residents the opportunity to enjoy the season in style. Homes, businesses and parks light up the night, and Santa himself drops in for a visit now and then, to participate in the holiday activities and also to enjoy what would be considered spring or even summer-like conditions in the frigid North.

And if you're in town to do more than just marvel at the holiday decorations displayed by owners of opulent homes in the city's Historic District or at Marion Square in downtown Charleston, there's plenty to do, from an array of holiday-related festivals, theatrical and musical productions and other activities to a wide range of shopping opportunities, both downtown and in the towns and cities that surround the historic Charleston peninsula.

The festival season seems to have no beginning or end in greater Charleston. Offering during the final three months of the year include the MOJA Arts Festival, a celebration of African-American & Caribbean arts; the annual Taste of Charleston, which features food from Charleston's finest restaurants; the Parade of Boats; and, one of the area most popular attractions, the 21st annual Holiday Festival of Lights at James Island County Park.

The area's plantations, once the economic engine of the Lowcountry, now draw untold numbers of visitors each year to see what plantation life was like centuries ago and to check out the holiday activities and decorations. The fun includes Fright Nights at Boone Hall Plantation; Autumn on the Ashley, a crafts fair at Magnolia Plantation and Gardens; and Family Yuletide at Middleton Place - story-telling, caroling, crafts and more.

Other traditional holiday events that are not to be missed include the annual tree lighting, with Santa and Charleston Mayor Joe Riley; the city's Christmas parade; and the Christmas 1860 Candlelight Tour at the Edmondston-Alston House, one of the oldest homes on Charleston's High Battery.

For a listing of all area festivals and activities during the busy holiday season, see our events page.

To find that unique gift for someone special, spend some time at the shops on King and Market Streets. You can expand your shopping horizons by visiting North Charleston, where Tanger Outlets awaits; venturing across the Cooper River to Mount Pleasant, home of Towne Centre and several other shopping possibilities; or taking a 20-minute drive to charming Summerville.

And, if a white Christmas is in your dreams -take heart. Though Charleston's sub tropical climate rarely offers a weather report with snow in the forecast, frozen precipitation does occasionally fall from the heavens. The last time this happened was on Christmas Eve in 1989.

Your Holiday Adventure in Charleston Awaits