Go Small for the Holidays

Is this the year you think smaller for the holidays?

Why not lean into the small details, the simple pleasures and the smaller places that can still make for a big end-of-year experience.

Here are six small town spots to consider that will fit neatly into this idea: 

1. Art Galleries in Carmel-by-the-Sea. Home of fairytale cottages straight from a storybook, this Central California retreat on the Pacific Ocean is also a draw for great local artists. Galleries dot downtown and are a cozy way to spend a winter weekend. On Dec. 6, catch the annual City Holiday Tree and Menorah Lighting Celebration at Devendorf Park, and then head to Carmel Plaza for an Open House event to shop the galleries and enjoy small bites and festive warm drinks. Stay at neighboring Pebble Beach Resorts, and enjoy the resort’s own standout works of photography, sculpture and paintings, including Ansel Adams’ black-and-white photograph, Morning Fog in Del Monte. Don’t miss the culinary artistry of the resort’s signature gingerbread house display as well, regularly heralded as one of the premier (edible) architectural triumphs of the season.

2. The Chosen Spot in The Finger Lakes. Head to Canandaigua, located on one of the eleven Finger Lakes of New York’s upstate area. Named from the Seneca word meaning, “The Chosen Spot,” holiday draws include the Canandaigua Christkindl Market, held Nov. 8-10 at the Granger Homestead and Carriage Museum. Inspired by a traditional holiday market, travelers will find horse-drawn carriage rides and hand-crafted items for end-of-year giving. Cap the experience with a stay at The Lake House on Canandaigua, and don’t miss a chance to turn their Willowbrook Spa Sauna Barrel Ritual into a holiday tradition. It includes time in a private barrel sauna with contrasting bathing therapy and a variety of topicals and tonics. (Good to note: It can be a solo experience or accommodate couples and even up to four adult guests.)

3. Winter Wonderland in Lake Placid. A charming village with a big Olympic Games history, it’s not an overstatement to call Lake Placid, NY a winter wonderland. Just driving through its roads surrounded by trees laden in heavy snow makes you feel instantly transported to C. S. Lewis’ fictional realm of Narnia. The town is small but lively during the annual Lake Placid Holiday Village Stroll, and the area’s luxury all-suite Whiteface Lodge offers a rustic timber design that evokes the Adirondack great camps of the 19^th century. Catch its gorgeous holiday décor, take a spin on the resort’s ice-skating rink (with complimentary skates to borrow), or sip hot cocoa next to a cozy fire with s’mores courtesy of the resort as the snow falls. 

4. Winter Wine Tasting in Woodinville. About 20-minutes north of Seattle, Woodinville, WA offers a small-town feel and is known for its wine scene (located at the same latitude as some of the top French and Italian wine-growing regions). Stop into Jaine Patio at Matthews Tasting Room & Farm, a bright and cozy spot to try creations by family-owned Jaine. Early December typically brings Winterfest to Woodinville, a holiday fair and tree lighting event that celebrates the charm of this community, with activities like wreath making, caroling, a candy cane hunt and a “Wine Walk Row” tour. For holiday guests of Willows Lodge, part of Benchmark Resorts & Hotels, they can savor farm-to-table dining at Barking Frog, explore miles of trails along the Sammamish River, and warm up at The Spa. There, recommend adding a Candle Hand Massage service to a body treatment – guests receive a candle to take home as a bonus.

5. Parade of Boats in St. Michaels, MD. A quaint, historic town on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, St. Michaels is easy to reach by car from D.C., Philadelphia and beyond. Here, the Historic District trades traffic lights and major store chains for a walking- and local-friendly vibe. The community’s holiday traditions include the Lighted Boat Parade around St. Michaels Harbor, drawing visitors to the waterfront. Catch a front row seat from the lawn of The Inn at Perry Cabin, part of Benchmark Resorts & Hotels. The Inn is beautifully adorned for the holidays – think boxwood garland draping roaring fireplaces, wreathes in windows offering a warm welcome to onlookers, and thick trees dressed in lights and Maritime-hued bobbles.

6. Farms Aglow in Westchester. Many small towns make up Westchester County in New York’s Hudson Valley, and there’s a strong agricultural tradition to be discovered. Harvest Moon Farm & Orchard in the charming, rural town of North Salem creates a Festival of Lights from November to December, magically transforming into an illuminated forest full of marvelous structures and festive decorations. Stay nearby at Chappaqua’s Crabtree’s Kittle House, a late 1700s estate experience nestled on a quiet, tree-lined road, that is always draped in dreamy lights of its own for the holidays.