THE BALLANTYNE HOLIDAY TEA & GINGERBREAD LANE
Don your best attire and spend an afternoon inside the Ballantyne’s elegant lobby for a specially themed holiday tea Thursdays through Sundays during December. Or take a trip down Gingerbread Lane starting in mid-December to see intricate gingerbread masterpieces. Stop inside the Cocoa House, a life-size gingerbread house, for a cup of hot cocoa. December 4-28, The Ballantyne, 10000 Ballantyne Commons Pkwy.
LIGHT THE KNIGHTS FESTIVAL
The Charlotte Knights will host their sixth annual Light the Knights Festival. An ice skating rink and snow tubing hill are set up in the middle of the baseball field, but you can also wander through light displays, peruse a holiday market, or pose for photo ops with a baseball glove and ball that’s big enough to sit in. November 26-January 4, Truist Field, 324 S. Mint St.
HOLIDAY POPS AND CIRQUE DE NOËL WITH THE CHARLOTTE SYMPHONY
Let the sounds of holiday favorites wash over you at the Charlotte Symphony’s Holiday Pops concert. An hour-long family matinee on Dec. 13 makes the event approachable for even the youngest music fans. A week later, the annual Cirque de Noël returns with festive symphony music providing a backdrop for jaw-dropping acrobatic performances. December 12-14 and 19-21, Knight Theater, 430 S Tryon St.
WINTER AT WHITEWATER
In the middle of November, Whitewater’s 1,300-acre campus becomes a winter wonderland. Bundle up and grab a cup of hot chocolate to enjoy outdoor activities like ice skating on the largest outdoor rink in the Carolinas, curling, pond hockey, a winter market and trails twinkling with thousands of lights. There’s also a Christmas tree lot on site. Mid-November to mid-February, U.S. National Whitewater Center.
CHRISTMAS AT THE LIBRARY
The live nativity scene at the Billy Graham Library includes a camel, donkey, lambs and other animals on display six days a week during the holiday season. You can also take a horse-drawn carriage ride around the grounds and listen to Christmas carolers each night. Although admission to the nativity and carolers is free, you’ll still need a reservation. December 1-23, Billy Graham Library, 4330 Westmont Dr.
SPEEDWAY CHRISTMAS
Speedway Christmas presented by Atrium Health is back for its 16th season. Open every night from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., more than five million lights adorn a four-mile course that circles the oval, pit road and infield road course. A Christmas Village is open in the infield most nights and includes photos with Santa and a race car selfie station. November 21-January 5, Charlotte Motor Speedway, Concord.