There’s a reason so many holiday movies are set in small Northeastern towns. They radiate warmth and characterize coziness, with holiday decorations lining Main Street, fluffy snow blanketing rooftops and a classic Christmas tree in every town square. The Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States are known for their quaint towns, holiday traditions and community spirit. Faith groups traveling for the holidays will find a plethora of festive lights, spiritual music, hometown festivals, holiday shopping and beautifully decorated historic homes at these five holiday attractions.
A Longwood Christmas
November 2026–January 2027
Kennett Square, Pennsylvania
Every year, Longwood Gardens near Philadelphia hosts A Longwood Christmas, which transforms the property into a holiday wonderland with twinkling lights that accent the many themed gardens. Inside the conservatories, majestic trees glimmer with decorations in shades of red, green, blue and gilded metallics.
A 12-foot-tall, jewel-encrusted tree sparkles in the Music Room, which is set up for a grand holiday banquet. The Silver Garden features a living tree and living wreaths. Christmas trees decorated by local art centers dominate the Ballroom, and the Acacia Passage glows with red and gold fabrics draped with crystal strands.
Outside, more than half a million lights illuminate the gardens, including gem-inspired forms that float on Large Lake and lights that dance to holiday music in the Italian Water Garden. The Wildlife Tree is covered in faux pearls and gilded oyster shells, along with millet and other grains to attract native birds and wildlife. Visitors can stroll Flower Garden Drive, which is alive with lights, or gaze upon the Garden Railway, which features miniature trains chugging past Longwood landmarks. Longwood’s Open Air Theatre delights guests with fountain shows set to holiday music every 15 minutes, beginning at 12 p.m. Timed reservations are required for visitors, and Longwood recommends that groups book their tickets early.
Christmas Prelude
December 2026
Kennebunkport, Maine
World renowned as a Christmas destination, Kennebunkport, Maine, dresses up its small-town charm during its annual Christmas Prelude. Founded 44 years ago, the Christmas Prelude is a way for the Kennebunkport business community to show appreciation to the locals for hosting the hordes of tourists who descend on the town every summer. The 10-day holiday celebration kicks off the first Friday night of December with a tree lighting ceremony in Dock Square, featuring Christmas carols by the Kennebunk High School Chamber Choir. In Cape Porpoise Square, groups can join in the Christmas carols at the lighting of the lobster trap tree, a beloved Cape Porpoise tradition.
The rest of the weekend involves shopping, craft fairs, a hat parade and Christmas Candlelight Caroling at the Franciscan monastery, St. Anthony, where Christmas songs are interspersed with the story of Jesus’ birth.
Groups can catch a glimpse of Santa Claus as he travels upriver on a lobster boat and docks at The Nonantum Resort. Families can meet Santa and Mrs. Claus at the resort, create holiday crafts and enjoy warm beverages. During the second weekend, the town hosts a street festival with live music, ice carving and a fireworks display. Upper Ocean Avenue also hosts a brand-new street festival with entertainment, food, a firepit, holiday shopping and a fire juggler.
Several properties can accommodate groups, including The Nonantum Resort, The Colony Hotel, Rhumb Line Resort and King’s Port Inn.
Mystic Seaport Museum Lantern Light Village
December 2026
Mystic, Connecticut
Mystic Seaport Museum in Mystic, Connecticut, is a maritime museum and living replica of an 1800s whaling community. It is nestled on the Mystic River in the southeast corner of Connecticut, just before the river empties into Fishers Island Sound.
Every year, Mystic Seaport hosts Lantern Light Village, an immersive holiday experience that takes guests back in time. When guests arrive, they enter a modern holiday world with Christmas trees and twinkling lights, and children can visit Santa Claus. Heading toward the museum’s waterfront village, groups can participate in a theatrical tour where they move from building to building, picking up parts of a storyline.
Visitors are asked to dress warmly and bring flashlights as they wander through the lantern-lit streets of the seaport. Several maritime trade spaces are open so that visitors can learn more about blacksmithing and shipbuilding. The Charles W. Morgan, the last wooden whaling ship in the United States, will also be open for tours.
Guests can take horse and carriage rides around the village green and warm up at firepits throughout the grounds. Games and craft projects engage younger visitors, and the tavern is open for food and drinks. Groups of 10 or more are eligible for discounted tickets to the event.
Christmas in St. Michaels
December 2026
St. Michaels, Maryland
Christmas in St. Michaels is a four-day event that first began 39 years ago. Today, the money raised at the event supports numerous charities in the area.
The 2025 event kicks off with a Gingerbread House Preview Cocktail Party at the community center. On Friday, a holiday Marketplace and Sweet Shoppe featuring handmade goods runs from noon to 3 p.m. On Saturday. At 10:30 a.m., a parade winds through town with floats, marching bands and, of course, Santa Claus.
The holiday marketplace is open all day, but the signature event is the Tour of Homes. Historic homes are decked out for the holidays and within walking distance of each other. The Tour of Homes is a ticketed event, and there is a charge for services at any of the church-sponsored events.
The Lighted Boat Parade wends its way around St. Michael’s Harbor, beginning at 6 p.m. The gingerbread houses, tour of homes and marketplace are all open on Sunday, and the evening finishes off with a free choir concert at Union United Methodist Church at 5 p.m.
Holidays at the Newport Mansions
November 2026–January 2027
Newport, Rhode Island
A playground of the rich and famous during the Gilded Age, Newport, Rhode Island, attracted many wealthy industrialists who built summer “cottages” there. During the holidays, The Preservation Society of Newport County goes all out decorating the Newport Mansions for Christmas.
This year’s event includes The Breakers, Marble House, The Elms and Chateau-sur-Mer.
The Breakers is the largest and most opulent of the Newport Mansions. Built in 1895 by the Vanderbilt family, the home — which covers about one full acre of the 14-acre estate — sits on the cliffs overlooking Easton Bay. At night, Sparkling Lights at The Breakers offers a wonderland of holiday lights spread throughout the mansion’s grounds. Tickets to the light display include entrance to the mansion.
Chateau-sur-Mer was built in 1852 and was considered the most palatial residence in Newport until the Vanderbilt houses were built in the 1890s.
Nearly 30 Christmas trees are decorated to complement the decor and theme of each room of the Newport Mansions, such as Mr. Vanderbilt’s tree in The Breakers, which is decked out with trains and top hats. Hundreds of poinsettias, garlands, wreaths and fresh floral arrangements add color and warmth to the homes. Made up of 150 poinsettia plants, the 15-foot-tall poinsettia tree in the Great Hall of The Breakers makes a perfect holiday photo spot.
Groups can listen to a self-guided audio tour by downloading it from the Newport Mansions app.
