Tweetsie Christmas

Written By Larry Deane, local expert for 20+ years.

Enjoy the wonders of Tweetsie Railroad combined with the magic of Christmas, at Tweetsie Christmas! 

The train ride features the famous Tweetsie steam engines, all decorated for the holidays, and they'll take you on an open-air train ride featuring thousands of lights, displays and Christmas music.

If you love trains and Christmas time, this is the perfect combination for all ages.

Tweetsie Christmas Videos

We've visited Tweetsie Christmas several times, and LOVE going.  Here are our videos from our adventures for your enjoyment!

Our 2021 visit video:

What is Tweetsie Christmas?

Tweetsie Railroad in Blowing Rock North Carolina is an amusement park and heritage railroad, that people from all over the world have been visiting since it opened in 1957.

While Tweetsie itself, on a normal day of operation, is about as much family fun as it gets, Tweetsie also has a number of special events and trains throughout the year, including the magical Tweetsie Christmas Event.

The train ride itself takes about 20 minutes. The historic steam engines and cars are decorated and lit up for Christmas, and just beautiful. On your 3-mile ride, you'll see thousands of Christmas lights and displays while listening to cheerful Christmas music played on LCD displays in the train cars. Be sure to wave at the crowds as you leave and enter the station area!

Besides the train ride, there is much more to see and do! Tweetsie Christmas offers:

  • The entire lower portion of the park is decorated with beautiful Christmas lights and displays. The upper portion of the park is closed for Tweetsie Christmas.
  • Santa's Ginger Bread house where you can see Santa.
  • There are campfires to stay warm by, or roast s'mores on (available for purchase)
  • You can enjoy a hot cup of cocoa or spiced cider.
  • Visit the man gift shops
  • See the Live Christmas show
  • Limited children's rides are open and running

What You Need to Know

We thoroughly enjoyed our recent visit, and want to share a few tips with you:

  • It was 32 degrees when we were there, so dress warmly to enjoy your visit.  Remember too, that the train cars are open-air cars, so it gets a bit chilly (they are not heated cars).
  • Space is limited on the train, so we highly recommend you purchase your tickets in advance, which will also book you a train time in advance.
  • If you are a photographer or videographer, you'll want to do you train ride early, so there is more light.   We also recommend sitting towards the back of the train to get that long train shot from the rear.
  • We sat on the left side of the train, and while it was pretty, the lights on the right side of the train are better. 
About the author

Larry Deane is the co-owner and voice behind Blue Ridge Mountain Life, a travel resource built from more than two decades of exploring the Blue Ridge Mountains firsthand. A Western North Carolina local, Larry has spent 20+ years hiking the trails, visiting small towns, chasing waterfalls, and documenting life in the mountains he calls home.

Alongside his wife Jenn, he created Blue Ridge Mountain Life to share their real-world experiences with others who love — or are just discovering — the Blue Ridge. Larry is a seasoned travel writer, photographer, and videographer with a background in journalism, and his work reaches more than 500,000 mountain lovers each month. Whether he's deep in Pisgah National Forest or strolling Main Street in a mountain town, you can count on Larry to give you the inside scoop from someone who’s truly been there.


Tags


You may also like

{"email":"Email address invalid","url":"Website address invalid","required":"Required field missing"}