This time of year is always fun to sneak in a little holidate with your significant other! We recently had a little day date and it was a festive way to enjoy some time together! Here are a few ideas for seasonal dates around Nashville!
Nashville Holiday Bucket List
2023 Nashville Holiday Guide
- December 8th through 24th
- TPAC
- Nashville’s beloved tradition is back! See the Nashville Ballet’s spectacular version of The Nutcracker come to life! Use code EMERSOND for 15% off
- Friday, December 1st through Sunday, December 3rd
- Schermerhorn Symphony Center
- This hilarious and heartwarming holiday tradition is perfect for the whole family. Experience John Williams’ delightful score performed live while Kevin McCallister’s Christmas misadventures play on the big screen!
- Nov. 11th through January 1, 2023
- Gaylord Opryland
- Ring in the holiday season at GaylordOprylandResort where you can experience ICE! featuring The Polar Express, sledding, ice skating, musical shows and so much more!
- November 18th through January 7th, 2024
- Cheekwood
- Savor the sights and sounds of the season at Cheekwood and make lasting holiday memories with fun activities for all ages. Our enchanting Holiday LIGHTS experience is Nashville’s favorite holiday tradition, with one mile of lights glowing throughout the gardens, s’mores stations and cash bars, dancing lights of train and more!
Free Photos with Santa at Loveless
- Wednesday, November 29th from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.
- Loveless Cafe
- Have your family photo taken with Santa and Mrs. Claus by a professional photographer at Loveless Cafe! Just bring a new toy as a donation for a child in need and your photos will be absolutely free! A complimentary hot chocolate bar will be available for the duration of the event. The last hour of this event (7PM – 8PM) will be pet-friendly.
- Saturday, December 9th and Sunday, December 10th
- Historic Downtown Franklin
- The Heritage Foundation of Williamson County’s 38th Annual Dickens of a Christmas is Middle Tennessee’s largest outdoor Christmas festival. The festival will recreate the time of Charles Dickens using historic downtown Franklin’s charming architecture as the backdrop. A variety of musicians, dancers and Dickens characters will fill the streets. Expect to see and interact with the nefarious Fagin from Oliver Twist; Jacob Marley, Ebenezer Scrooge, Tiny Tim and the rest of the Cratchit family from A Christmas Carol; and of course, a Victorian Father and Mother Christmas with treats for children.
- November 17th through December 17th
- Bowling Green, KY
- The Reindeer Farm, located on a small family farm in Bowling Green, KY will be your new holiday tradition! Come experience the magic of Christmas and meet LIVE REINDEER! Enjoy all the festivities the farm has to offer. Meet and learn about Reindeer, Special events daily, indoor playground, food truck and so much more.
- November 10th through January 1st, 2023
- James Ward Agricultural Center (945 E. Baddour Parkway, Lebanon)
- Family owned The Dancing Lights returns for it’s 13th consective season with Tennessee’s largest synchronized light and music show with a 2.5 mile route and over two million lights dancing to upbeat Christmas music through your car stereo. Open rain or shine and on ALL holidays. $30 per family vehicle.
- November 17th through December 31st
- Williamson County Ag Expo
- The 5th Annual Festival of Lights is a holiday tradition that benefits local at-risk children. There will also be Character nights (Dec 1, 6, 9, 19 and 22) and Walking Wednesdays from 5-6:30 p.m.
- Through December 23rd
- Bass Pro Shop (Opry Mills Mall)
- Experience the magic of Christmas at Santa’s Wonderland! Free photo with Santa!
- November 25, December 21 , 22, 23 and 27, 28, 29, 30 Also, January 6, 13 & 20
- Owl’s Hill Nature Sanctuary
- Enjoy a hike in the winter woods followed by hot chocolate and marshmallows. Register here
- Sunday, December 3rd from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
- Brentwood Academy
- Brentwood Academy is pleased to announce Christmas in Brentwood on Sunday, December 3, from 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM. This community-wide celebration will be a fun and festive way to ring in the Advent season, celebrating the birth of Jesus!
- This free event will feature family-friendly Christmas activities, culminating with the lighting of the Great Brentwood Academy Christmas Tree. Join us rain or shine!
- Saturday, December 9th
- Nashville Public Library
- White Cane Wonderland – free family event – on Saturday, December 9th at the Nashville Public Library. Braille, white cane experiences, games, prizes and more! Presented with generous support from the Nashville Predators Foundation.
Leiper’s Fork Christmas Parade
- Saturday, Dec. 9th at 2 p.m.
- Leiper’s Fork
- The most wonderful and wacky parade in the cutest village of Leiper’s Fork
Grinch Fest
- Saturday, Dec. 9th from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.
- Red Caboose Park ( 684 Colice Jeanne Rd)
- Free! Meet the Grinch himself, have some refreshments, and watch the 2018 animated movie version.
Candy Cane Lane
- Sunday, Dec. 10th from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Fifth and Broadway
- Free event with photos with Santa (12-2 p.m.), gift wrapping, kids activities, and free embroidery from Ranger Stitch for stockings and select items.
Thanksgiving in Nashville 2023
Thanksgiving is just around the corner! Nashville is home to many amazing restaurants to dine in or pick up meals for your family! Here are a few of my favorites!
Friday Favorites: Fall Edition
We are entering into my favorite time of year! I love all the fall festivals, pumpkin picking and Halloween! Here are a few things that I’m loving lately for the season!
These spooky pjs are the cutest! My kids won’t wear holiday pjs anymore but good news is that I still can!
It’s sweatshirt season! Loving this festive one!
My book club just selected this thriller to read! Eeek! I’ve heard it’s really good!
I’m in an earring era at the moment! These are just so cute!
My friend, Abby @belleoftheball shared this recipe for homemade granola bars this week and they turned out so tasty! Let me know if you try them!
Fall at Barnsley
Barnsley Resort in North Georgia has been a family tradition of ours for the last few years! Barnsley is the type of place that allows you to take a deep breath and truly relax! We are thankful to have spent our 4th annual trip there over the weekend! I think it was our best visit yet!
Saturday morning’s forecast was rain, rain and more rain! Barnsley is full of outdoor opportunities so we were at first a little bummed. However, we embraced the rain and it didn’t stop us from enjoying the property!
First up, we had a late breakfast at Woodlands Grill-the kids love their waffles and you can’t beat this breakfast sampler!
It’s so nice having a few dining options onsite-we don’t get in our car the entire weekend.
After breakfast, we strolled over to the Outpost to check out the latest merchandise and gifts! I loved all of their floral books!
This girl loved splashing in the puddles, playing bocce ball in the rain and didn’t mind getting wet!
On Saturday afternoon, we had an adventure like never before! We went muddin’ with ATVs! Barnsley truly has something for everyone-from the spa, farm animals and horse riding, clay shooting, golfing, educational programming and lots more!
My family’s motto was the muddier the better! We rode through beautiful countryside! Seth had a smile on his face the entire time and the kids competed to see who could get the most mud on them!
I think the boys especially are hooked and want to do this more often!
Although, this girl was sad when we were heading back in! She’s my thrill seeker!
While I tried not to get as muddy as everyone else, I just sat back and enjoyed the landscape of the Georgia mountains!
After an eventful afternoon, we showered up and headed over to the Beer Garden for dinner and live music! The kids threw football and played cornhole while we ate our pizza and watched football! It was such a nice evening! And of course, s’mores around the fire pit were the highlight!!
On Sunday morning, we rode over to explore the Manor Ruins. This unique structure has so much history and just takes you back in time!
Barnsley is such a special place and gives guests the opportunity to embrace nature and recharge their spirits! We are always appreciative of the memories made here.
I noticed these flowers shaped like a heart in the garden. It made me smile and think, we do heart you, Barnsley!
See our past trips to Barnsley (Amazes me when I look back at how big my kiddos are!)