Recapping our weekend getaway to Bryson City… which has been on my Christmastime bucket-list for some time now! Bryson City is a hidden gem located in the Great Smokey Mountains – about a 3 hour car ride from Charlotte, NC. I’ve heard it’s one of the most beautiful spots to explore in the spring and summer, but I was dying to experience their small Christmas town magic that I’ve heard all about over the years. We promised Henry another trip to Bryson City during the warmer months so he can fish in the streams and even do an excursion.
Bryson City is covered head to toe in Christmas magic and every-time we walked out of our Aloft (where we stayed right on the main street) I felt like I was walking onto a Halmark movie set. Old town, Christmas magic feel. We walked everywhere with the exception of the one evening when we ventured off to Darnell Farms. Everything else was on foot – exploring the charm of Bryson City.
We arrived on Friday afternoon and got settled into Alot in the Smokies – we loved staying on the main street and our loft was spacious, warm and cozy with two bedrooms & bathrooms, large kitchen & dining area, living room and lots of room for Oli to perform all of her tumbling tricks.
We spent the daytime hours on Friday & Saturday shopping, visiting the Railroad Museum, Holiday Market, The Yard (for ice skating!) and popping in and out of restaurants/ food trucks for a quick bite and drink. We loved our lunch from Food Truck at Bryson City Outdoors – the wine slushie was so good! We had breakfast at La Dolce Vita both days (LOVED their speciality coffees!) For dinner we ate at Anthony’s Pizza and Pasqualino’s Italian Restaurant.
Some of the shops we loved: Humanite Boutique, Madison’s On Main, Chocolate Shoppe, Uncle
Bunky’s Christmas Cottage, Loose Moose and more!
One evening we got in the car and ventured to Darnell Farms (5 minutes down the road from main street) it’s a Christmas farm that lit up from head to toe in all the lights! The kids loved the winter wonderland hayride, playgrounds and hot cocoa! There are vendors set up for a little shopping and some festive food (like pies, jams, etc!)
Here’s a deeper dive into what we saw, where we ate and the amazing place we stayed!
Absolutely LOVED where we stayed right off of the main street! Aloft in the Smokies has 5 lofts available for rent located directly on Everett Street in Bryson City (the heart of it all!) Our loft was spacious and super cozy! Two bedrooms & bathrooms, roomy kitchen, dining and living room!
The kiddos had a blast dancing, singing and sipping hot cocoa! Prior to going on the Polar Express we ate dinner at Anthony’s, walked around and then went back to Alot in the Smokies to change into our matching jammies and then walked down to board the Polar Expres!
Railroad Museum – the kiddos had a blast walking through the railroad museum.
This was a highlight! During the holiday and winter season, The Yard is transformed into a synthetic ice rink with food truck, and a full-time bar with snacks.
Bryson City cute little elf’s around downtown!
We loved the random food trucks around Bryson City!
Cute little finds in shops!
Anthony’s Pizza – the best pizza!
I loved this boutique! Humanite Boutique!
The main street of Bryson City is so magical this time of year!
A 5 minutes down the road from main street! It’s a Christmas farm that lit up from head to toe in all the lights! The kids loved the winter wonderland hayride, playgrounds and hot cocoa! There are vendors set up for a little shopping and some festive food (like pies, jams, etc!) The hayride had music and a light show! So much fun!
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