Best Small Towns to Visit This Holiday Season
In many of California’s small towns, the magic of the holidays comes alive with twinkling lights, old-fashioned events, and inns decked out in festive finery. From sleepy beach towns to Scandinavian villages to wine country escapes, here are the nine best small towns for an unforgettable holiday getaway.
Healdsburg
Situated along the Russian River and centered on a historic tree-lined plaza, the town of Healdsburg makes for a festive and picturesque wine-country holiday. This year, the town is making itself all the more festive with its Season to Sparkle event. From November 15 to December 31, local restaurants, tasting rooms, bars, boutique shops, and art galleries will celebrate the season with daily events, special menu offerings, and unique shopping finds. The Merry Healdsburg Tree Lighting is one of the season’s headliners, complete with carriage rides, live holiday music, a holiday market, and an appearance from Santa himself. Other highlights include a 1970s disco-inspired Vinyl Valley wine-tasting party and a Glitter & Groove New Year’s Eve Bash. Downtown businesses will compete in a window decorating contest, ensuring a festive vibe throughout the season. Costeaux French Bakery, one of the town’s most celebrated holiday stops, will display its famous collection of over 800 nutcrackers and host Breakfast with Santa events for kids.
Where to stay in Healdsburg
River Belle Inn, a historic estate fronting the Russian River, is decking the halls and spreading the cheer with a sparkling amenity cart, a gingerbread house decorating contest, and fireside s’mores during evening happy hour. Healdsburg Inn on the Plaza boasts a prime location right on the town’s festive plaza, with some rooms overlooking the plaza’s holiday decorations.
Carmel-by-the-Sea
This seaside enclave is a magical destination all year round, but during the holidays Carmel shines even brighter. Decked with lights and draped in evergreens, the city’s storybook ambiance feels like a European Christmas market, with holiday gifts on offer from a diverse collection of high-end boutiques, art galleries, and wine shops. A towering tree at the center of the village comes to life at the Holidays in the Park celebration (December 6), becoming the city’s welcoming beacon throughout the holiday season. On the second Saturday of each month, the Carmel Art Walk allows visitors to tour 16 artist-owned galleries and experience the city’s deep reverence for the arts. In addition, the annual Homecrafters Marketplace (November 23) is one of the most anticipated events of the holidays, with 100 carefully curated local vendors selling handmade crafts and artwork.
Where to stay in Carmel-by-the-Sea
Visitors will find a range of charming hotels in the village. Carmel’s newest boutique hotel, Stilwell Hotel, is a luxe, modern, coastal-inspired oasis. The quiet and romantic Carmel Country Inn is known for its extraordinary pet-friendly hospitality. Newly revamped in 2024, the well-appointed Coachman’s Inn offers serene spaces to unwind. Carmel Cottage Inn features five cozy, standalone cottages with fireplaces. A meditative calm envelops the Asian-inspired Tradewinds Carmel. The third-generation family-owned Hofsas House offers warm hospitality in an impeccably maintained Bavarian-inspired lodge.
Solvang
Newsweek magazine recently named the Danish village of Solvang the best Christmas town in California and the second best in the nation. During its annual Julefest celebration, the entire village is illuminated with twinkling lights, celebratory scenes, and Instagram-able holiday vignettes. The festivities for the month-long holiday celebration will run from November 29, 2024, through January 5, 2025. Special events include a tree lighting ceremony (December 6), the Julefest Parade (December 7), an open-air Christmas Market (first three Wednesdays in December), and holiday carolers (first three Saturdays in December). There are also ongoing events throughout Julefest, like the Light & Music Show, a city-wide gnome hunt, and a selection of holiday tours. On New Year’s Eve, the town comes together for a European-style countdown to midnight in Denmark (3:00 p.m. Pacific time).
Where to stay in Solvang
Boutique hotels in Solvang range in design from the Old-World Danish storybook style to modern Scandinavian cool. Great choices for a holiday getaway include downtown’s Wine Valley Inn & Cottages, the hip yet affordable Viking Inn, the intimate The Winston, the retro-glamorous Mirabelle Inn & Restaurant, the well-appointed New Haven Inn, the inviting Vinland Hotel, the playfully refined Corque Hotel, the garden-enveloped The M Solvang, the bright and airy The Landsby, the budget-friendly hipster haven Hamlet Inn, or the modern minimalist Scandinavian aesthetic of Atterdag Inn.
Mendocino and Fort Bragg
With its rugged natural beauty and small-town charms, the Mendocino Coast is the perfect backdrop for a winter holiday getaway. This year, Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens’ 14th annual Festival of Lights will once again kick off the season (weekends from November 29 through December 22), with dazzling light displays, sweet treats, and holiday fun. Fort Bragg Winter Wonderland follows on December 7, with a festive holiday market, photos with Santa, a tree lighting ceremony, and a lighted truck parade. Other unique holiday events include the Noyo Harbor Lit Boat Parade (December 8), Handel’s Messiah Sing-Along (December 14), a Candlelight Shopping Night (December 14), and a Solstice Poetry event at Gallery Bookshop (December 21).
Where to Stay in Mendocino and Fort Bragg
Noyo Harbor Inn offers convenient access to the harbor and other Fort Bragg attractions. Inns of Mendocino is a collection of neighboring inns in the heart of Mendocino village. The historic MacCallum House offers a variety of guest rooms with luxury amenities. The charming Seagull Inn offers a garden setting and ocean views in the heart of the village. Guests of the romantic Headlands Inn are treated to gourmet breakfasts delivered to their door. Alegria Oceanfront Inn & Cottages boasts secluded ocean views and a private path to the beach. Mendocino Seaside Cottage provides the perfect perch for sunset views and whale watching. Nestled on 10 acres overlooking the ocean, Stanford Inn by the Sea is the only completely plant-based resort in the U.S. The award-winning Brewery Gulch Inn offers its holiday guests complimentary four-course dinners on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve.
Pacific Grove
Pacific Grove’s unique coastal take on holiday romance includes festive lights, picturesque Victorian architecture, ocean breezes, and the sound of waves crashing against the rocky shore. A host of holiday events evoke memories of Christmases past, kicking off with the annual Holiday Tree Lighting (December 2) and Holiday Parade of Lights (December 5). During the Holiday at the Inns tour (December 10), the town’s boutique hotels and bed and breakfast inns give visitors the chance to enjoy the same holiday elegance guests experience, complete with live music and tasty holiday treats at each stop. During the Holiday Shop, Sip & Stroll (December 12 and 19), visitors can enjoy holiday lights, live music, and beverages while browsing unique shops, boutiques, and galleries.
Where to stay in Pacific Grove
Opulent at every turn, Seven Gables Inn offers stunning views of the rocky coast from every room. Centrella Inn is a striking Victorian with antique furnishings and clawfoot soaking tubs. Both Seven Gables and Centrella (part of the Kirkwood Collection of hotels) welcome guests with a heartfelt Holiday Milk and Cookies service, featuring a family recipe from the collection’s CEO and founder. In the heart of downtown, the venerable Gosby House Inn was handsomely renovated in 2023. Green Gables Inn is a meticulously restored Queen Anne Victorian with panoramic views of Monterey Bay. Tucked in the hills above town, Old Monterey Inn is an elegant Tudor estate with attentive staff and beautiful gardens.
Buellton
With a population of just over 5,000 and a Santa Barbara Wine Country location off the beaten path, Buellton shines as a vibrant holiday destination. This year’s festivities start off on December 8, when the annual Winter Fest sees the town transform into a winter wonderland. Events include breakfast with Santa and an afternoon at the Holiday Village, complete with 20 tons of snow, local vendors, music, beer and wine, and the lighting of the town Christmas tree. Every weekend in December until Christmas, the Santa Ynez Valley Botanic Gardens host the Holiday Lights Festival, with thousands of dazzling lights, live entertainment, food and beverages, a visit with Santa, and a ride on the Polar Express. A Cowboy Christmas (Fridays and Saturdays from Thanksgiving to Christmas) is a chance for children (and children at heart) to interact with farm animals, sip hot cocoa, and take part in a variety of unique family-friendly activities.
Where to stay in Buellton
Taking its name from the film that brought a new level of fame to Santa Barbara Wine Country, Sideways Inn is a spirited boutique hotel that welcomes pets, wedding parties, and palates of all kinds. With hand-carved doors, century-old stonework, hand-troweled walls, and artisan-crafted woodwork, the Inn at Zaca Creek transports guests from the rustic charms of the Central Coast to the ethereal beauty of pastoral Provence.
McCloud
Nestled at the base of Mount Shasta’s southern slope, the former lumber town of McCloud is the ideal holiday destination. Winter in McCloud brings a variety of snow sports, including skiing and snowboarding, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and snowmobiling. During the month of December, Winter Fest transforms the town’s streets into an enchanted Victorian winter wonderland, complete with carriage rides, arts and crafts for kids, and a tour of locations dressed in their holiday decor. A highlight of the season is Kids Day (December ), a free event featuring games, crafts, raffles, music, food, and kid-friendly shows. Yuletide Bazaar Weekend is December 14 and 15, with community tours, vendors, and a character breakfast. On December 21, there will be a special screening of Polar Express, the animated Christmas adventure film directed by Robert Zemeckis.
Where to stay in McCloud
The Art and Crafts-styled McCloud Hotel Bed & Breakfast features an inviting front porch, a cozy lobby, beautiful gardens, two restaurants, and 16 handsome guest rooms. The McCloud Mercantile Hotel features a stylish assortment of 12 unique guest rooms, each inspired by an aspect of the region’s rich history. On the National Register of Historic Places, McCloud River Bed & Breakfast is a country Victorian Inn set on five serene acres of lawns and woodlands.
Ferndale
Visiting this dairy-farming town during the holidays is like stepping into an old-fashioned Christmas card. Nestled amid bucolic farms on California’s Redwood Coast, the Victorian storefronts lining Main Street glow with twinkling lights. Lamp posts are wrapped in garland and topped with red ribbon bows. At the end of the street, America’s tallest living Christmas tree towers over the scene. Despite its small size, the town abounds with mom-and-pop shops offering one-of-a-kind gifts, including Artisan Alley Studios (an association of artists specializing in everything from stained glass and wooden ship models to wool work and ceramics), Golden Gait Mercantile (one of the last authentic general stores), and Sweetness & Light (handmade chocolate and old-fashioned confections crafted on-site with local cream and butter). Popular holiday events include the Holiday of Trees and Bazaar (weekend of November 29), the Lighting of America’s Tallest Living Christmas Tree (December 1), and the 32nd annual Christmas Lighted Tractor Parade (December 15).
Where to stay in Ferndale
The grand Victorian Inn at the top of Main Street is elaborately adorned for the season, with many rooms featuring cozy fireplaces and bay windows overlooking the town. The Gingerbread Mansion is a meticulously restored Victorian that also dresses to the nines for the holidays and is one of the most photographed inns in Northern California.
Cambria
Cambria is a quiet seaside town known for its mild climate and laid-back vibe. Its charming streets are lined with eclectic boutiques, antique shops, quirky cafes, and mouthwatering restaurants, making the town well-suited for a holiday getaway. A favorite local holiday tradition is the Cambria Christmas Market, which features three million twinkling Christmas lights, a German-inspired artisan market, live music, and festive foods. The market operates daily beginning November 29 and is only closed December 2-3, 9-10, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day. Just a short drive away in San Simeon, visitors can experience Hearst Castle decked out in holiday splendor, an opportunity to view the estate as holiday guests would have seen it during the 1920s and 1930s.
Where to stay in Cambria
Pacifica Hotels’ Cambria Collection of hotels includes five properties along Moonstone Beach. OceanPoint Ranch stretches across nine acres, complete with firepits, lawn games, and a private beach trail. Newly revamped with modern décor, Fireside Inn on Moonstone Beach is ideal for couples seeking a romantic escape. The pet-friendly Cambria Landing Inn & Suites features several ocean-view suites. The oceanfront FogCatcher Inn has charming old English exteriors with coastal-inspired interiors. Enjoy ocean views and cozy fireplaces at the Pelican Inn & Suites, which also features a new wine-tasting room. For stays during December, all five hotels are offering 10% off for Cambria Christmas Market attendees (use promo code XMASMKT).