There’s nothing quite like Christmas in Arkansas.
Of course, you can go see Christmas lights or visit Santa. But you can also ride a Christmas train, go ice skating, shop at a Christmas market, see a live nativity, visit an old-fashioned Christmas celebration, or just get away for a cozy weekend somewhere in Arkansas.
We’ve done quite a few of these things over the years, and some have become favorite Christmas memories.
So whether you’re looking for something fun to do with the kids, planning a Christmas date night, or just trying to enjoy the season a little more, here are some of our favorite ways to celebrate Christmas in Arkansas.
See the Christmas Lights
This one has to be first.
Arkansas has some really great Christmas light displays, from huge drive-through displays to downtown squares, college campuses, parks, and botanical gardens filled with lights.
Seeing Christmas lights is still one of my favorite things to do during the holidays.
You can make an entire evening out of it. Grab some hot chocolate, turn on the Christmas music, pile everyone in the car, and go see the lights.
We have a whole post about the Best Christmas Light Displays in Arkansas. This list includes some of the biggest displays in the state as well as some smaller ones that are worth seeing.
Visit One of the Best Christmas Towns in Arkansas
Another fun way to enjoy the season is to make a day trip or weekend out of visiting one of Arkansas’s Christmas towns.
Some towns go all out with millions of lights and weeks of holiday events. Others have beautifully decorated downtowns, Christmas shopping, markets, restaurants, parades, carriage rides, or just a really nice small-town Christmas atmosphere.
And honestly, sometimes that’s all you need.
A pretty downtown, Christmas music, local shops, somewhere good to eat, and lots of lights can make a really fun December day trip.
We’ve put together a guide to the Best Christmas Towns in Arkansas if you need some ideas.
Ride a Christmas Train
If you have young kids or grandchildren, a Christmas train ride is hard to beat.
We’ve done the Arkansas & Missouri Railroad Christmas train with Lyla and her cousins. The kids wore their pajamas, we rode the train, and they got to meet Santa.
It was one of those experiences that is definitely more magical when you’re doing it with little kids.
The Arkansas & Missouri Railroad typically offers special holiday train rides during the Christmas season. These rides can sell out, so this is one Christmas activity I wouldn’t wait too long to book once tickets go on sale.
Go Ice Skating
Outdoor ice skating is another fun Christmas activity, especially if you want something a little more active than looking at lights.
Several Arkansas towns and attractions have offered seasonal outdoor skating rinks during the holidays.
Even if you’re not exactly an accomplished ice skater, and I’m definitely not saying that I am, there’s something fun about skating outside with Christmas lights and music around you.
It’s a good activity for families, teenagers, couples, or anyone who wants to pretend for an hour that Arkansas is a little more wintry than it usually is in December. Several cities set up an outdoor rink during the holiday season.
A few that I know of are The Rink at Lawrence Plaza in Bentonville, the Wonderland Rink located at Winter Wonderland in downtown Jonesboro, and one at Glisten in Greenbrier in the small town of Greenbrier. Little Rock has a year-round indoor rink at The Skatium.
Shop at a Christmas Market
Christmas markets have a special place in my heart.
My daughter Emily and I used to own a boutique together, and for several years we traveled around doing markets as vendors. I still love going to them.
Arkansas has everything from large boutique shows to small community Christmas markets filled with local artists, makers, food vendors, clothing, jewelry, pottery, Christmas decorations, and all kinds of gifts.
They’re also a good way to find something that isn’t the same thing you’ll see in every big-box store.
A lot of Arkansas Christmas markets actually happen in November, so don’t wait until December to start looking for them.
I’ve put together the current dates and information in our guide to Christmas Markets in Arkansas.
Visit a Christmas Tree Farm
Going to pick out a Christmas tree can be an outing all by itself. We always had a real tree when the kids were growing up and going to pick out the tree was one of our family’s favorite traditions.
I will confess that since the kids have grown and have families of their own, we’ve switched to an artificial tree. If you have, too, don’t think this section isn’t for you!
It’s still fun to visit a tree farm just for the experience. Plus, they can be a great place to take Christmas photos.
Arkansas has Christmas tree farms where you can choose or cut your own tree, and some also have things like wreaths, photo spots, treats, Santa visits, and other holiday activities.
And it’s a nice excuse to get outside on a pretty December day.
Check our guide to Christmas Tree Farms in Arkansas for places to go around the state.
See Santa or Do Something Special With the Kids
If you have young children or grandchildren, seeing Santa is probably going to make the Christmas list at some point.
And you can find him almost everywhere during December.
Santa shows up at Christmas markets, town squares, light displays, museums, tree farms, breakfasts, parades, shopping centers, and all kinds of special Christmas events.
Anybody else especially love the Santas with a real beard? They are the best. That’s commitment to the part.
But there are plenty of other fun Christmas activities for kids too.
Look for cookie decorating, gingerbread houses, Christmas crafts, pajama parties, holiday movies, letters to Santa, children’s programs, and other special events. Last year I went with some of the grandkids to make ornaments. I think I had as much fun as they did.
Some of these small activities can be as memorable as the big Christmas attractions.
Check museums, libraries, parks, churches, downtown organizations, and local community calendars to see what’s happening near you.
Experience an Old-Fashioned Arkansas Christmas
Last year we went to the Old-Fashioned Christmas at Pioneer Village in Searcy and really enjoyed it. The event gave us a little glimpse of what Christmas might have looked and felt like in another time.
There are several places in Arkansas where you can experience this kind of old-fashioned Christmas.
Christmas and Candlelight at Historic Washington State Park is another beautiful one, with the historic town decorated for Christmas and lit by thousands of luminaries.
The Holiday Frolic at Historic Arkansas Museum in Little Rock also celebrates Christmas traditions from Arkansas’s past.
If you like history, old buildings, candlelight, and a quieter kind of Christmas event, put one of these on your list.
Attend a Live Nativity or Christmas Church Program
For many families, celebrating Christmas is all about celebrating the reason for the holiday.
Look for live nativities, Christmas Eve services, candlelight services, children’s programs, choir concerts, Christmas cantatas, and other special programs at churches around Arkansas.
One of the most impressive nativities we’ve seen is the Living Nativity at Searcy First Assembly. We went last year, and it was so beautiful and moving.
You drive through scenes depicting the Christmas story with large sets, costumes, live actors, animals, and a recreation of Bethlehem.
We shared a video of it on our Somewhere in Arkansas Instagram last Christmas, and it ended up getting more than a million views. Apparently we weren’t the only ones who thought it was impressive!
I haven’t been able to find the 2026 dates yet, but I’ll add them here as soon as they’re announced.
Even if you aren’t near Searcy, check churches in your own community. There are some really beautiful Christmas programs happening all over Arkansas that don’t always get a lot of publicity outside their local area.
Take a Christmas Tour of Homes
If you love looking at Christmas decorations, a holiday tour of homes can be really fun.
Several Arkansas communities hold Christmas tours where private homes, historic houses, or other interesting buildings are decorated for the season and opened for special tours.
They’re a good way to get decorating ideas, see some beautiful houses and architecture, and, let’s be honest, get to peek inside other people’s homes.
Many Christmas home tours are also fundraisers for local organizations, so your ticket may be helping a good cause at the same time.
Look for Christmas tours of homes in local event calendars, especially in November and early December.
Enjoy Christmas Events in Little Rock and North Little Rock
Little Rock and North Little Rock have enough going on at Christmas that you could easily spend several days doing holiday activities.
One of the classic Arkansas Christmas traditions is seeing the State Capitol decorated for Christmas. The annual Capitol lighting is a big event, but you can visit throughout the season to see the decorations.
There are also Christmas performances, light displays, markets, Santa events, holiday food and drink events, and other special activities around the city.
If you live nearby, it’s easy to pick one or two things for a Christmas evening. If you’re visiting from another part of Arkansas, you could make a full weekend out of it.
I’ve put all of the current information together in our guide to Christmas Events in Little Rock and North Little Rock.
See a Christmas Show or Concert
Going to a Christmas show is one of those things I always think sounds like a nice holiday date night.
You can see The Nutcracker, attend a Christmas concert, watch a holiday play, hear a choir, or catch one of the touring Christmas shows that comes through Arkansas during the season.
Little Rock usually has several larger productions, but don’t overlook local theaters, college campuses, churches, and community performing arts groups.
Grab dinner somewhere good beforehand and you’ve got a pretty easy Christmas night out.
Go to a Christmas Parade or Tree Lighting
Almost every Arkansas town has a Christmas parade or tree lighting.
They aren’t necessarily events you would drive across the state to attend, but they can be some of the most fun things to do close to home.
There’s just something very Christmas-y about standing along Main Street waiting for a parade, seeing the courthouse lights come on, listening to Christmas music, getting a cup of hot chocolate, and watching the kids run around waiting for Santa.
Check the calendar for your own town or a nearby community. You may be surprised at how much is happening without having to go very far.
Make It an Overnight Christmas Getaway
If you want to visit some of the best Christmas towns or Christmas light displays you can always make it a road trip or a stay.
Book a cabin, a historic hotel, or somewhere close to a pretty downtown and turn your Christmas outing into a night or weekend away.
Spend the afternoon shopping or exploring, have a good dinner, go see the lights after dark, and then head back to a cabin with a fireplace or hot tub.
The next morning you could have a slow breakfast, do a little more shopping, or even take a short winter hike if the weather is nice.
For ideas on where to stay, start with our Best Cabins in Arkansas, or if you want to get a little more specific we have a post about stays with hot tubs. How nice would that be for a winter getaway?
If you are looking for luxury we have a post about this Best Luxury Hotels in the State and if you want something out of the ordinary check our post with the Most Unique Stays in Arkansas!
That should be enough to get you started!
Give Back During the Christmas Season
Not everything you do at Christmas has to involve going somewhere or buying something. The holidays are the perfect time to find a way to help someone in your own community.
That could mean volunteering at a local food pantry, helping with a toy or coat drive, adopting a family for Christmas, serving a holiday meal, donating supplies to an animal shelter, or asking a church or nonprofit what they need most.
This can be especially meaningful to do with children or grandchildren.
And you don’t necessarily have to look for a huge statewide organization. There are people doing good work in communities all over Arkansas, and sometimes the easiest place to start is close to home.
Make Your Own Arkansas Christmas Traditions
You definitely don’t have to do everything on this list. Pick a few things that sound like fun and make them yours.
One tradition we kept was giving each of our kids a Christmas ornament every year. Then when they were all on their own and old enough to have their own tree they got to take the whole collection with them.
It was a small thing but they always looked forward to receiving their ornament. It was usually something that represented a highlight of their year.
Maybe every year you go see the same Christmas lights. Maybe you take the grandkids to see Santa, spend a weekend in a cabin, go to a Christmas market with friends, attend a candlelight service, or drive around your own town looking at decorated houses.
Some of the best Christmas memories aren’t necessarily the biggest events. They’re just the things you look forward to doing year after year.
There are plenty of ways to make Christmas feel special without ever leaving Arkansas.
Go see the lights. Visit Santa. Take a train ride. Shop somewhere local. See a Christmas show. Spend the night somewhere cozy. Volunteer. Or just get in the car with some Christmas music and see what you find.
