Winter Wonderland - Christmas in Atlanta

Sleigh bells ring, are you listening? In Atlanta ... there's no snow glistenin'..

But! There's plenty to do in and around Atlanta to celebrate the holidays! From Christmas lights to popup bars, and a new, Insta-worthy interactive museum, Atlanta has plenty to offer to spread some Christmas cheer!

Looking to get festive this season? We've rounded up some of the main attractions and high-lights:


Light the Night 

Atlanta may not be the City of Lights, but for the holidays, there's plenty of extra lights on display.
At Atlantic Station, you can enjoy 250,000 lights by walking around the eight blocks of the complex. In the center of it all is a 50 foot Christmas tree, and starting at 6 p.m. each night, there's a snowfall right there in Atlanta! In addition to the lights and snow, there is also an ice skating rink, a German Christmas market, and Santa may be stopping by as well.
Of course, the Atlanta Botanical Gardens boast an impressive light display this time of year as well. The Garden Nights, Holiday Lights event runs through January 6 and features a tunnel of lights, glowing orbs and a canopy of lights that dance to music, as well as hot chocolate and s'mores to keep you warm as you walk around the gardens.
The Holidays at the Park event in Six Flags is also going on now through January 6. Guests can enjoy more than 1 million LED lights with 16 different themes around the park as well as live performances, delicious holiday foods, and of course, the thrilling rides of the park.
In Marietta, Life College also hosts their Lights of Life, a drive-through light display with Santa, pony rides, and a petting zoo, and Lake Lanier also has a 7-mile drive-through light display along with carnival rides and a Snow Island.
For more lights in the Atlanta area, check out this list.

Miracle on Peachtree Street 

It may not be on 34th street, but there are some Miracles happening in Atlanta.
The Miracle pop-up bar is back again, with several locations throughout the city.
Miracle on Monroe, located at 931 Monroe Drive, is back for its third year. These pop-up bars look like the Grinch's storage room for all that he stole from the Who's down in Whoville.  From Christmas lights on the ceilings to over-sized packages and toys, there's plenty of festive to go around. Aside from the decorations, the menu is also ready for the holidays featuring cocktails like Run Run Rudolph, Jingle Bell Nog, and Christmapolitan. Miracle on Highland, located at 240 North Highland Avenue NE, features its own set of decorations.
Those OTP aren't left out of this new-festive tradition, however. Red Sky Tapas, located at 1255 Johnson Ferry Road in Marietta, is getting in on the action this year with bar based on the beloved movie, A Christmas Story. Not much has been released about the menu according to Eater Atlanta, but you can expect a holiday-themed menu of tapas and drinks such as cranberry mules and spiked eggnog.
The S.O.S. Tiki Bar in Decatur is also featuring a holiday bar with an island-flair. Mele Kalikimaka will return this year with retro-themed decorations and bar tenders with holiday Hawaiian shirts. Last year, the bar featured drinks like rum raisin and hot buttered rum, and the owner told Eater Atlanta that new, and more fun drinks are planned for this year.
With all these pop-up bars, it's hard to believe there are even more to visit, but you can check out the complete list here.

Fantastic Fantastical 

If your Instagram is filling up with people getting sucked into a black hole of peppermint or giant ornaments that seem to go on forever, look no further than Atlanta's newest attraction, Santa's Fantastical.
This is the first year the interactive museum has come to Atlanta and is located at 1155 Mt. Vernon Hwy in Atlanta. Santa's Fantastical is a walk-through immersive experience with 12 worlds that feature synchronized lights, interactive technology, and Instagram-worthy photo set ups like a Christmas house straight from the 50's and a future Christmas set in space.
The museum is great for all ages. There's slides for kids to play, visits with Santa, and live performances. In the Sketch-Tastic world, you can create your own character and then watch it come to life in Santa's workshop. Photos are encouraged, so if you're looking to win social media this holiday season, be sure to check it out.

However you spend your holiday season, spend it with friends and family and spread some holiday cheer!