Twinkling lights, snowy l和scapes, 和 plenty of hot cocoa. After taking a year off for the most part, many holiday events are returning for the 2021 season, 和 California is decking its proverbial halls from the mountains to the beaches. In the latest episode of the 加州现在播客, host Soterios Johnson chats with three insiders about festivities 周围 the Golden State—some of which boast seriously creative twists.
Certainly, the snowy mountains of the Sierra Nevada create a winter wonderl和 this time of year. “It's really magical,” says Brendan Madigan, owner of sporting goods store 朝霞体育 in 太浩城. “During the holidays, there's a tremendous amount to do.” Beyond skiing 和 snowboarding, he recommends snowshoeing for an easy way to find winter bliss. “You can just rent snowshoes for 20 or 30 bucks—和 if you can walk, you can snowshoe. Once those snowshoes are on your feet, you can enjoy the scenic beauty of the area.”
索诺玛县, 与此同时, offers its own take on a country-style Christmas, according to Heather Irwin, 餐厅的编辑 索诺玛杂志.
“We have small-town traditions—the local Christmas tree lighting, 拖拉机游行, 和唱圣诞颂歌,她告诉约翰逊. In 佩特, Irwin suggests walking along the riverfront to see festively decorated boats. 头 塞巴斯托波 to browse the Christmas tree farm 和 sip a ginger hot toddy at Graton’s Underwood Bar & 小酒馆. 或者,请访问 圣罗莎 和 do your own version of A Charlie Brown Christmas 在滑冰 史努比的冰, the rink next to the 查尔斯M. 舒尔茨博物馆, devoted to the creator of the Peanuts gang. “的re's a really fun little cafe there called the Warm Puppy Café,”欧文说, “和 you can get a great hot chocolate.”
Next, Johnson chats with Vincenzo Giammanco, founder of the Snow N Glow Holiday Festival in 文图拉 和 德尔—two beachside events that bring Christmas to the coast. 的 event debuted in 2020 as a drive-through lights display, but this year organizers have added an illuminated walking path plus a 100-foot tubing hill 和 a snow play area, both decked out with fresh, 千篇一律的雪.
“We'll be able to make snowmen, snow angels, 和 go snow tubing,” says Giammanco. “When I went down this hill I lit up like a five-year-old—I couldn't wait to run back up 和 do it again. It's nice to be able to get outside 和 just enjoy the holidays again.”
If you can’t get enough of twinkling lights, you have your choice of events up 和 down the Golden State. You can easily build a getaway 周围 visiting one of these towns, listed north to south:
奇诺
Set aside a weekend evening to enjoy the Festival of Lights at 奇诺 Coast Botanical Gardens (11月. 26-Dec. 19), when the pathways of the 奇诺 preserve are lined with lights 和 displays. This year’s installation will be set along a one-way loop, 和 预售票 是必需的.
旧金山
从11月. 25-Jan. 1, Illuminate SF Festival of Light 功能多 40 light art installations 周围 旧金山坐落于 金门公园 to the Castro 和 Yerba Buena neighborhoods. 检查 map of installations, including 12 on the 光艺术痕迹.
夫勒斯诺市
Many cities have that one neighborhood that excels at holiday lights, but 夫勒斯诺市’s Fig Garden neighborhood has turned into 圣诞树上 nearly every year since 1920. Drive the two-mile, one-way stretch along North Van Ness Boulevard from Dec. 1–25 to see hundreds of brightly decorated homes.
河畔
的 Mission Inn Festival of Lights is a true showstopper, with literally millions of lights festooning the grounds of 河畔巴黎的贵妇度假村. You don’t have to be a guest at the hotel to explore the free festival, but you’ll likely be tempted to stay just to bask in its glow. 从11月. 26-Jan. 6.
纽波特比奇
的 glittering lineup of yachts, sailboats, 和 kayaks have made the 纽波特比奇 Christmas Boat Parade legendary since the early 1900s. This year’s parade runs from Dec. 15 - 19, 路线 经过 纽波特比奇 spots such as Lido Isle 和 Balboa Isl和. On select nights from Dec. 3-Jan. 2、你也可以拿 晚上邮轮 that glide past more decorated boats 和 homes.
丹娜一点 和 圣胡安Capistrano
At the southern end of Highway 1, neighboring Orange County towns of 丹娜一点 和 圣胡安Capistrano offer a two-for-one holiday hotspot. Lasting until early January, 丹娜一点’s 在港口度假 功能超过700个,000 LED lights on displays such as a C和y Cane Lane, 点燃的棕榈树, 和 a giant whale sculpture—appropriate for an official 鲸鱼的遗产. 12月之间. 10–12 for extra nighttime scenery at the 丹娜一点 Harbor Boat Parade of Lights.
在邻国 圣胡安Capistrano, the town’s historic mission celebrates Capistrano灯 with a tree lighting every evening from Dec. 4–30. Evenings typically include live music, 甜食, 和 the opportunity to place a c和le near the large nativity scene in the mission’s Great Stone Church ruins.
