Charleston’s great to visit any time of the year, and the holidays are no exception. In fact, folks here in the Lowcountry sure do know how to celebrate, decorate, and make merry.
As a holiday bonus, you can score some great deals on our luxury vacation homes on the Isle of Palms in November and December, since technically it’s the off-season. Don’t tell that to Santa, though. It’s prime time for him.
A beach house is a terrific place to bring the whole family together for some holiday memories. The kids can get some beach time in, then you can dash off to enjoy some fun family activities all over the Charleston area.
Here’s a quick list of five festive family faves…
1) Marvel at some of the best holiday lights in the country.
Head west of the Ashley River to James Island County Park, site of the beloved Holiday Festival of Lights. It’s an annual extravaganza with over two million lights arranged in over 750 different creative, cool, coastal, Charlestonian, Christmasy displays. USA Today dubbed it one of the top ten holiday light shows in America.
Going to the Holiday Festival of Lights is especially fun because you can all pile into your vehicle and drive through it together, oohing and ahhing out the windows. Then, after you’ve done the loop, hop out to explore Santa’s Village on foot. Be sure to check out the carousel, The Festival Express train ride, climbing wall, massive holiday sand sculpture, interactive light displays, photo ops with Santa, gifts shops, reindeer workshop, and holiday treats from Santa’s Sweet Shoppe like Comet’s Kettle Corn, Prancer’s Pretzels, Frosty’s Fixin’s, sipping hot cocoa, toasting marshmallows and making s’mores around the fire pit.
The Holiday Festival of Lights is open 5:30 pm – 10:00 pm every night from November 15th through December 31st. It’s located at 871 Riverland Drive in Charleston; find out more about it on our Events page.
The South Carolina Aquarium, overlooking the harbor in downtown Charleston, gets decked out for the holidays in a major way. Sure, you can visit the Aquarium during the day… but why not do it in the evening instead, when you can see it all lit up, with twinkly displays and photo ops galore?
It’s called Aquarium Aglow, and they really transform the place each November and December. Plus, it’s your chance to see the most unusual Santa in the Lowcountry… Scuba Claus!... complete with dive mask and flippers, as he makes his way through the water of the Great Ocean Tank.
Aquarium Aglow happens on select evenings (5:30 pm – 9:00 pm) from November 21st through December 30th. There’s plenty of holiday-themed fun all throughout the Aquarium plus food and libations for all ages. Word to the wise: tickets sell out fast for these evenings. Read more about it here.
3) Go ice skating in a stadium
Here’s a fun holiday activity that just started a couple years ago. It proved so popular that it sold out, had extra dates added, and has been brought back twice by popular demand.
Head over to the professional tennis and outdoor event venue, Credit One Stadium on Daniel Island, and take a spin on the ice. Tickets for “Skate the Stadium” are just $10 for a 45 minute session, and that includes your skate rentals. It starts the day after Thanksgiving, then takes place Thursdays through Sundays through December.
As a special bonus in 2024, they’ve added special outdoor holiday movie nights on Fridays (A Christmas Story on 12/13, Elf on 12./20, and The Santa Clause on 12/27), as well as a giant tree lighting celebration on November 29th. Get the scoop here.
4) Visit a German Christmas market right here in the Lowcountry.
It’s one of the most enchanting new Christmas traditions near Charleston. Located just up Highway 17 North from the Isle of Palms, is a place where it feels like you’re stepping back a century or so into an Old World Advent & Christmas market.
It’s the ChristKindlMarkt, the brainchild of a very creative mother/daughter team inspired by a German au pair who’d become part of their family. They’ve managed to recreate some of the holiday magic of the Romantik Christmas Markt in Reindenburg, Germany right here in the Lowcountry, on their lovely property RiverOaks in Awendaw. Festive music, German treats, handcrafted wooden räuchermann wafting incense, advent wreaths and seasonal décor, gifts, toys - it’s the sights and smells of Christmas done right.
The markets happen Friday through Sunday, the first two weekends in December. They host both day markets geared toward children/families and night markets for adults. Tickets go quickly, and you’re encouraged to book early. Find more info here.
5) Check out an Island Tree Lighting & Holiday Street Festival.
The Isle of Palms loves to host fun events all through the year, with a special fondness for holidays. The first week of December, they take over Ocean Boulevard on Front Beach and transform it into a Christmas fun zone.
This year’s IOP Holiday Street Festival takes place on Saturday, December 7th from 2:00 pm till 7:00 pm.
There will be plenty of live music, free carnival rides, face painting, festive food and drinks from vendors and area restaurants, Christmas shopping galore from artisans and craftspeople, visits with Santa Claus, plus the lighting of the 24-foot tall official Isle of Palms Christmas Tree. Santa will be available for visits from 4:00 – 6:00, and the tree lighting will happen around 5:30. Ring in the holidays, island style.
Charleston’s a perfect place to catch the Christmas spirit. Plenty of wholesome holiday happenings abound.
All best,
Lowcountry Lisa
your Isle of Palms vacation blogger