Charlotte Christmas Events 2011

Description

2011 Christmas & holiday themed events taking place in and around Charlotte, NC.

WBT Holiday on Ice 2011 @ NASCAR Hall of Fame Plaza
11/22/11 – 1/8/12
Holiday on Ice has become a favorite of many local families, and it’s back again for 2011. Each year, an outdoor ice skating rink springs up in Uptown. This year it’s at a new location, at the corner of MLK Blvd and Brevard on The NASCAR Hall of Fame Plaza. Regular Hours are Wednesday through Friday from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sundays from 11a.m. to 7 p.m. Special and extended hours exist during holidays and school breaks. Admission to the rink is $9, admission with skate rental is $12. There’s also a “Date Night” package this year, which include admission and skate rental for two, hot chocolate for two, flowers, and a keepsake photo.
400 E Martin Luther King Blvd, Charlotte, NC
www.wbtholidayonice.com

Carolina Christmas @ Charlotte Motor Speedway
11/23/11 – 12/31/11
Carolina Christmas is one of the largest holiday light shows in the United States, featuring more than 600 LED light displays boasting 3 million lights. Carolina Christmas also offers a Christmas Village with a realistic Bethlehem-themed village, a Festival of Trees, photos with Santa and areas with food and music.
Carolina Christmas will expand to be bigger and better in 2011. Visitors will love the extended route filled with Christmas lights and displays. Carolina Christmas goers will enter the light park at zMAX Dragway, pass by The Dirt Track at Charlotte and into Charlotte Motor Speedway where a drive on the 1.5-mile superspeedway is part of the holiday fun.
The light show is open 7 days a week 6 to 10 p.m., while the Christmas village is open Thursday through Sunday. $20 per car.
5555 Concord Pkwy S, Concord, NC
www.visitcarolinachristmas.com

A Tuna Christmas @ Carolina Actors Studio Theatre
11/25/11 – 12/24/11
In this hilarious sequel to Greater Tuna, it’s Christmas in the third smallest town in Texas. Radio station OKKK news personalities Thurston Wheelis and Arles Struvie report on various Yuletide activities, including hot competition in the annual lawn display contest. In other news, voracious Joe Bob Lipsey’s production of “A Christmas Carol” is jeopardized by unpaid electric bills. Cost: $18 – $28
2424 North Davidson St Suite 113, Charlotte, NC
www.nccast.com/performance/a-tuna-christmas

Holiday Lights at The Garden @ Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden
11/25/11 – 12/31/11
Featuring the theme, “A Vintage Christmas,” Holiday Lights will showcase about a half million lights, a breathtaking Christmas tree created with hundreds of orchids, carriage rides, live entertainment and even a visit from Santa in a room designed to capture the essence of Christmas Morning.
Visitors will create enduring memories as they experience lighting designs — featuring energy efficient LED lights — that combine contemporary and traditional displays with accents on nature. Brilliant white lights will sparkle in the White Garden, while the Canal Garden will feature a wide variety of colorful Christmas splendor. Visitors can warm up in The Orchid Conservatory, where the weather is always perfect and exotic tropical plants from poinsettias to orchids are always in bloom.
Southern Breezes will provide carriage rides through a portion of the display Thursday through Sunday for an additional fee.
6500 South New Hope Rd, Belmont, NC
www.dsbg.org

Zootastic Park’s 3rd Annual Christmas Wonderland of Lights
12/1/11 – 12/31/11
The Christmas Wonderland of Lights features over 1.5 Million Lights over a 2 mile drive-through and ends with a light show set to music in our Western Town. We also have Santa Claus joining us every evening, pony rides, petting zoos, concessions, roasting pits for marshmellows, and much much more. 6pm – 10pm each night. $5 per person.
448 Pilch Road, Troutman, NC
www.zootasticpark.com/Events/ChristmasLights.aspx

Snowland @ Great Wolf Lodge
Imagine this: A warm, enchanting place where it snows indoors and happiness reigns. Where you and your family can soak in the holiday spirit, splash in the 84-degree water park – and enjoy the most magical gift of all – uninterrupted time together! It’s all right here during Snowland at Great Wolf Lodge.
Snowland festivities include: Daily snow shows inside the Grand Lobby.
Special appearances by Santa. Cub Club transforms into Santa’s workshop with a writing depot, wrapping depot and toy creation station. North Pole University – Complete fun, holiday assignments to earn your “Snowploma,” arcade tokens and surprise gift! Great Clock Tower Holiday Show with Rowdy the Reindeer.
10175 Weddington Rd, Concord, NC
www.greatwolf.com/concord/deals/snowland

Christmas at the Billy Graham Library
12/1/11 – 12/23/11
At the Billy Graham Library, visitors can see a live Nativity that offers a glimpse into the awe of that first Christmas night, complete with live animals. You can also enjoy horse-drawn carriage rides through one of Charlotte’s most beautiful light displays and hear heartwarming sounds of caroling and festive music. There will be Christmas story time for kids of all ages (5 to 9:30 p.m.) and a chance to pet live animals! (noon to 2 p.m.) Carriage rides are $3 for children 12 and under, $7 for adults.
4330 Westmont Dr, Charlotte, NC
www.billygrahamlibrary.org/pgview.aspx?pid=18&eid=7

Christmas Town USA – McAdenville Lights
12/01/11 – 12/26/11
Our 56th Year, where the lights glow nightly! Each December, hundreds of thousands of twinkling lights turn this small mill town into a spectacular holiday display. Visitors stroll down Main Street surrounded by the sights and sounds of Christmas. The Christmas Spirit fills the air and flows into hundreds of passing cars as they wind through the streets of this beautiful little village. This year celebrate Christmas with the folks of McAdenville, dubbed “Christmas Town USA” by famed CBS TV announcer Charles Kuralt, who reported live from the event.
The best time to view the Christmas Lights is Monday through Thursday. You also can enjoy the lights Friday through Sunday, but traffic is heavier on these days, and waits of 30 to 45 minutes or longer are not unusual.
www.mcadenville-christmastown.com

Junie B. in Jingle Bells, Batman Smells! @ ImaginOn McColl Theatre
12/2/11 – 12/23/11
First grader Junie B. Jones can’t decide how she feels about the holidays. On the one hand, she couldn’t be more excited about her school’s holiday gift shop, especially the super-amazing Squeeze-a-Burp toy. On the other hand, her tattletale classmate May just might ruin the entire Holiday Sing-Along. Tickets start at $18
300 E. 7th St, Charlotte, NC
www.ctcharlotte.org/JunieB_JingleBells.html

Chaps! A Jingle Jangle Christmas @ Actor’s Theatre of Charlotte
12/14/11 – 12/23/11
Whoa Britannia… Panic at the BBC!
Picture it, Christmas 1944. America’s favorite singing cowboy Tex Riley and his troupe are late for a special holiday broadcast to all of England. In an act of desperation, a frantic young producer and Tex’s tour manager grab whomever they can—a snobby announcer, an amiable soundman, a passing soap opera actor—slap them into costume, hand them scripts (hey, it’s radio!) and shove them in front of an unsuspecting studio audience.
The resulting live performance is one that England (and you!) will never forget. Chaps is chocked full of yeehaw-holiday music and boy-howdy fun!
650 E. Stonewall St, Charlotte, NC
www.actorstheatrecharlotte.org

Drive-in Movie Night: How the Grinch Stole Christmas @ Charlotte Motor Speedway
12/23/11 – 12/24/11
Visit the Christmas light show and then enjoy the holiday comedy on the world’s largest HDTV. $20, includes admission to Carolina Christmas. Fri. and Sat., 7pm. 800-455-3267.
5555 Concord Pkwy S, Concord, NC
www.visitcarolinachristmas.com

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