From twinkling lights to festive sites, happy holidays await you in Charleston
Charleston is always a feast for the eyes, but the city rich in history and architecture truly shines during the holidays. You don’t need the magic of a snow globe to picture yourself strolling King Street, where lamp posts are wrapped in lit garlands and shops are bedecked in bows and glittering tinsel, gathering around the towering Christmas tree in Marion Square aglow with lights, and simply getting lost in residential neighborhoods where gas lanterns flicker and every color-drenched doorway is dressed to impress.
Listen to the church bells ringing and mingling with the gentle sounds of the water and the marsh and soak up weather that’s cool enough to bundle up, yet, mild enough to enjoy a multitude of holiday activities.
If you’re looking for what to do in Charleston during December, see why the enchanting Southern charmer should be this year’s holiday hideout.
Charleston holiday hotel happenings
Not just guests can enjoy these spirited events
If you’ve never been to The Charleston Place during Christmas, there’s good reason why it’s considered the “holiday headquarters” for both hotel guests and the community. Even if you’re not staying there, it’s worth dropping by to see the grand hotel festooned from top to bottom with more than 100 trees, oversized Nutcracker figures, draped garlands and twinkling lights. In addition to treasured family favorites like the holiday train that inches around the gleaming lobby, this year, head to the second floor to peep at a new life-sized gingerbread house created by the pastry team.
Also new this year, a “Santa Hotline” phone booth where little ones can ring the North Pole, a holiday movie night at The Riviera Theater and story time with special guest readers. Throughout the season, catch the nightly snowfall on the Market Street Circle, where a 40-foot tree holds court; enjoy mini-performances by a local ballet troupe in the lobby; and sip tea at the Sunday “Nutcracker Tea,” where sugar plum fairies float through the Thoroughbred Club.
Swanky Hotel Bennett also dives deep into the holiday spirit, starting with its annual tree lighting on Gabrielle Plaza that sparkles on Dec. 5. Expect carolers and other surprises — including a visit from the main man himself, Santa.
Other favorites are the hotel’s over-the-top gingerbread house crafted by the pastry team – where you’ll want to devour holiday sweets — breakfast or tea with Santa and sounds of the season from Ashley Hall choir. Add some whimsy to your holiday at fancy, pink-hued Camellias restaurant for the Tea with Santa experience throughout the winter season.
Aspen or Charleston? Always on trend, The Ryder Hotel’s popular holiday pop-up Little Pine is back again, where poolside Little Palm restaurant is transformed into an alpine experience. With a backdrop of a flickering faux fireplace, cozy up with friends or family in one of the private enclosed gondolas to dip into fondue and indulge in a hot buttered rum cocktail or an orchard toddy touched with vodka, cinnamon, pear and apple. Little Pine is open until Jan 5.. The Ryder also features a skating rink where you can glide around the rink for an hour ($15 includes skate rentals). Both experiences can be reserved through Resy.
If you’d prefer a hotel pop-up that includes partying in a holiday-themed yurt, head to Emeline’s “Frannie’s Winter Courtyard.” Celebrate the season in a large party yurt (8 people) or a more intimate yurt that accommodates four people, to wrap up in a blanket and dine by candlelight on fondue specials. Or simply sit by the fire to chat with friends while savoring shareable plates.
A holiday hit for families is the ice-skating rink at the Charleston Harbor Resort & Marina, which opens on Thanksgiving day and runs until Feb. 3. Reservations are required and rental prices range from $15 to $18 per hour. Before or after lacing up your skates, rent one of the decorated firepits that edge the rink or harbor to chug hot cocoa and make s’mores treats.
Haute for the holidays in Charleston
Ice skating, holiday carriage rides and mesmerizing light shows
If you’re craving more time on the ice, you’ll find another expansive custom-built ice-skating rink during “Skate The Stadium” at Credit One Stadium, which starts Nov. 29. After a few spins around the open-air rink, snuggle up around the firepits to warm up with s’mores, hot chocolate, cinnamon sugar pretzels or adult beverages like seasonal beers and specialty cocktails. New this year: catch an outdoor holiday movie on Friday nights in December.
Enjoying a scenic carriage ride is almost a rite of passage in Charleston, and during the holiday season, you can hop on one of the 30-minute “holiday sleigh rides” with Old South Carriage Co. Guided by one of Santa’s elves, the decked-out carriages will clop through downtown, while guests are serenaded with carols. The final stop is at Santa’s stables to enjoy hot chocolate and cookies with Old Saint Nick and his elves and then take photos in the sleigh with the jolly man.
Even the South Carolina Aquarium gets into the Yuletide spirit, where the marine life shares the spotlight with glimmering exhibitions during Aquarium Aglow. Visit the aquarium after dark on certain nights to see a dazzling light show, with hanging pendants, dangling jellyfish and other sea creatures aglow —which makes for perfect photo opps — along with refreshments for all ages. And Santa even dons a dive mask for an underwater extravaganza in the Great Ocean Tank.
To view a dramatic light show where you don’t have to leave the comfort of your car, head to the drive-through “Holiday Festival of Lights” at James Island County Park. At this longtime cherished event, you’ll cruise through three miles of illuminated displays that include exhibitions draped in two million dazzling lights. Stop the car to take a whirl on the old-fashioned carousel and to enjoy other family-friendly activities, including a visit with Santa.
Get gussied up in your holiday finest to attend a classic show, like a rendition of Dicken’s “A Christmas Carol” at the Historic Dock Street Theatre, or take in an entertaining interpretation of the holiday classic “A Christmas Story” by the Footlight Players at Queen Street Playhouse (with several show dates throughout December).
Holiday shopping In Charleston
Pick up a gift for everyone on your list
Looking for a special ornament or a gift? Newly opened Wentworth, by award-winning event designer Gregory Blake Sams, is a holiday beauty where you can choose an ornament stunner from one of their decorated trees or tables dotted with baubles and pick up a unique gift for that hard-to-buy-for friend or family member. Located near King Street, pop in Charleston Candle Co. for a hand-poured candle that smells like Christmas, and nearby The Tiny Tassel is bursting with joyful gifts, accessories and clothing (think oyster-themed clutches and pink ribbon ornaments).
And if you’re looking for jewelry, sister-owned The Goldbug Collection features jewelry that doubles as art, like their signature gilded palmetto bugs and monogrammed pieces. Local artist Rebecca Meixner, known for her watercolor and coastal-infused designs, is hosting a “Stocking Stuffer Bar” at her flagship store at The Mills House Hotel starting Dec. 1. The store is splashed in pink and it’s the place to peruse Charleston-themed stockings which can be stuffed with custom-designed ornaments, small prints and other keepsakes.
Cheers to the holidays
Make spirits brighter at bars and a cocktail tour
There’s no way you can escape the over-the-top holiday enthusiasm at local fixture Blind Tiger Pub on Broad Street. The bar is dripping in merry décor (worthy of capturing for social media), with a throng of colored ornaments dangling from the ceiling and a bevy of seasonal cocktails worthy of sampling. Another bar favorite Prohibition Charleston also goes all out with its “Sippin Santa” pop-up. Slide on your comfy shoes to join Bulldog Tours’ “Holiday Strolls Cocktail Tour,” a holiday-themed walking tour that mixes a sprinkling of history with stops at three boutique inns in the Historic District to try their signature cocktails.
Put a visit to Charleston on your wish list and save this guide for a holiday to remember in Charleston.
This story was originally published November 26, 2024 at 5:40 PM.
