Almost every town in Arkansas has a Christmas parade and a tree lighting. But some places take Christmas a little more seriously!
For this list, I wanted towns where you can actually plan a Christmas outing or even an entire weekend. These are places with pretty downtowns, great light displays, Christmas events, shopping, restaurants, and enough holiday spirit that they feel a little different during the season.
Some go all out with millions of lights. Others have outdoor ice skating, carriage rides, Christmas trains, or town squares that look like they were made for December.
Here are some of the best Christmas towns in Arkansas and what makes each one worth visiting during the holiday season.
Best Christmas Towns in Arkansas
Batesville
You can’t talk about Christmas towns in Arkansas without mentioning Batesville. It has actually earned the trademarked title Christmas Capital of Arkansas.
The biggest attraction is White River Wonderland, a huge Christmas light display with millions of lights. In a normal year you can walk or drive through the display, and there are typically additional Christmas activities throughout the season.
Batesville also has a historic downtown with shops and restaurants, along with a Christmas parade and other holiday events.
A note for 2026: Riverside Park is undergoing a major renovation, so White River Wonderland will look different this year. The lights are still returning, but the final route and details are still being worked out, and the White River Express train will not operate during the 2026 season.
You can find the latest information in our guide to the Best Christmas Light Displays in Arkansas.
Benton
Benton might not be the first Arkansas town that comes to mind when you think of Christmas destinations, but the downtown courthouse and square are really pretty during the holidays.
I used to live near Benton, and Christmas on the Square was always something I enjoyed.
The historic Saline County Courthouse is covered in lights, and the square becomes the center of the town’s Christmas celebrations. There is typically a courthouse lighting, Christmas parade, Santa, hot chocolate, music, and other activities throughout the season.
Downtown Benton has also continued to grow, with local restaurants and shops that make it easy to turn a trip to see the lights into an evening out.
It feels like a true small-town Arkansas Christmas.
Bentonville
Bentonville has one of the prettiest town squares in Arkansas anyway, so it isn’t surprising that it looks especially good at Christmas.
Each November, thousands of lights are switched on during the Lighting of the Square. The lights stay up throughout the Christmas season, so you don’t have to attend the lighting ceremony itself to enjoy them.
Take some time to walk around the square, do a little Christmas shopping, and stop for coffee or something to eat.
Bentonville also has outdoor ice skating at Lawrence Plaza during the winter and a large Christmas parade downtown.
And because this is Bentonville, there are plenty of restaurants, museums, shops, and other things to do if you want to make a weekend of it.
We have an entire guide to Christmas events in Bentonville as well as a list of the best things to do in Bentonville.
Blytheville
The biggest reason Blytheville makes this list is Lights of the Delta.
And it really is BIG.
Lights of the Delta is the largest holiday lighting festival in the Mid-South, with more than six million lights spread along a 1.5-mile drive. There are dozens of large displays, and you can even book a hayride if you would rather bundle up and see the lights in the open air. We did the hayride last year and loved it.
Santa also makes regular appearances during the season.
But I wouldn’t just drive in, see the lights, and immediately leave town.
Take a look around downtown Blytheville and check the local Christmas calendar while you’re there. Mississippi County has quite a few holiday events throughout November and December.
We have a complete guide to Christmas in Blytheville and Mississippi County.
El Dorado
El Dorado has a lot of what makes a great Christmas town: a beautiful historic downtown where the Christmas activities actually happen.
Union Square and the Union County Courthouse are decorated with traditional red and green lights, and there are plenty of reasons to come downtown throughout the season.
You might find Santa on the Square, horse-drawn carriage rides, train rides for the kids, shopping, and one of the largest Christmas parades in the state.
Then there is MAD on Ice at the Murphy Arts District, where you can go outdoor ice skating right in downtown El Dorado.
Add in some genuinely good restaurants and the beautiful historic buildings around the square, and El Dorado makes a very nice Christmas weekend destination.
Eureka Springs
Honestly, Eureka Springs was practically built to be a Christmas town.
The winding streets, Victorian buildings, historic hotels, shops, and mountains already give the town plenty of atmosphere. Add Christmas lights, decorated storefronts, and an absurd number of holiday events and it gets even better.
The Christmas season typically includes the Parade of Lights, Santa in Basin Spring Park, the Christmas Tour of Homes, Christmas train rides, holiday shopping events, live performances, and plenty more.
Even just wandering through downtown and looking at the decorated shop windows is fun.
And the historic hotels get into Christmas too. The Crescent Hotel in particular is beautiful during the holidays.
If you want to turn your Arkansas Christmas trip into a romantic weekend instead of a quick evening looking at lights, Eureka Springs would be one of my top choices.
If you are planning a Christmas visit to Eureka Springs be sure and take a look at our guide to the best things to do in Eureka Springs.
Fayetteville
The Fayetteville square is one of Arkansas’s classic Christmas destinations.
Every year, Lights of the Ozarks covers the historic downtown square with more than 500,000 lights.
This is a walk-through display, which I think makes it even more fun. Bundle up, grab something warm to drink, and wander around the square under the lights.
The surrounding blocks are full of shops, restaurants, bars, and coffee shops, so you can easily spend an entire evening downtown.
Fayetteville also holds a Christmas parade and other special events during the season.
We have a full list of Christmas events in Fayetteville.
Hot Springs
Hot Springs is one of my favorite Arkansas towns during Christmas because there is so much more to do than just look at one light display.
Of course, you have to see the Holiday Lights at Garvan Woodland Gardens. The gardens are filled with millions of lights, and it is one of the most impressive Christmas displays in the state.
But don’t skip downtown.
Bathhouse Row and the rest of historic downtown Hot Springs are decorated for Christmas, and Central Avenue is lined with lights. There is an annual Christmas parade, and you will definitely want to pop into the Arlington Hotel to see their giant gingerbread house.
You can shop for ornaments at the Christmas store, browse downtown shops, have a good dinner, and stay overnight in one of the historic hotels.
Hot Springs is definitely a place where I would recommend making a whole Christmas weekend out of your visit.
Check out our Hot Springs, Arkansas guide for even more things to do.
Jonesboro
Downtown Jonesboro has become a really fun Christmas destination.
Historic downtown is already a cute area to walk around, with local restaurants and shops, but JoyFest has turned Christmas into a much bigger event.
The downtown celebration includes a giant Christmas tree, a Christmas Tree Trail, Santa, live entertainment, rides, holiday vendors, and other family activities.
There is even a skating rink.
Jonesboro also holds an annual Christmas parade, so there are several opportunities to enjoy downtown during the holiday season.
I especially like that the Christmas activities are concentrated in the historic downtown area instead of being scattered all over the city. It makes the whole thing feel much more like a Christmas town.
Mountain View
Mountain View already has one of the best town squares in the state, so when they deck it out for Christmas it becomes even more magical.
Christmas on the Square takes place around the Stone County Courthouse and includes a Christmas parade, Santa, live music, vendors, caroling, and activities for kids.
There is also a Christmas Tree Trail that winds around the courthouse square which is a good excuse to get out of the car for a while and also browse through some of the shops.
Mountain View is always known for its music so don’t be surprised if you hear someone picking out some Christmas carols on a guitar, a fiddle, or even a dulcimer as you walk around the downtown.
This is a good choice if your idea of Christmas leans more toward a small Ozark town, courthouse square, Christmas carols, and local shops than a giant commercial light display.
Searcy
Searcy is one of my favorite Arkansas towns at Christmas.
The Holiday of Lights isn’t confined to one little corner of town. You will find Christmas lights and decorations downtown, around the White County Courthouse, in city parks, and on the Harding University campus.
Harding is particularly beautiful. I went to college here so maybe I’m slightly biased but this university has a stunning campus at any time of year. But during Christmas the huge mature trees across the front lawn are covered with thousands of white lights, and walking underneath them is one of my favorite Christmas experiences.
It’s also way better in person in my opinion.
Downtown gets into the spirit too, with a Christmas parade, decorated storefronts, Santa, and other special events throughout the season.
Because the lights are spread through several areas, Searcy is a town where you can drive around for a while, get out and walk, have dinner, and make an evening of it.
We have an entire guide to Christmas in Searcy, Arkansas.
Van Buren
Van Buren might seem like a surprising choice, but its historic Main Street is already very pretty, lined with beautiful late-1800s and early-1900s buildings, with shops, restaurants, and the old Frisco Depot. Then when everything is covered with Christmas lights it becomes something even more special.
Christmas at the Parks brings thousands of lights to historic downtown and the nearby parks. There is also an outdoor ice skating rink and a huge Christmas tree with lights synchronized to music.
Then you have events like Jingle and Mingle on Main with carriage rides and the courthouse lighting, the Christmas parade, Holiday in Whoville, and other downtown celebrations.
And this is also one of the locations where you can board the Arkansas & Missouri Railroad Holiday Express Pajama Train.
We’ve done the Holiday Express before with the kids in their pajamas, and it is really a fun Christmas experience.
Put the train, lights, historic Main Street, ice skating, and all the other activities together and Van Buren absolutely earns a spot on this list.
Wilson
Wilson is a tiny Delta town, but it puts on an impressive Christmas display.
The centerpiece is Wilson Winter Wonderland on the historic town square.
Huge lighted Christmas trees, walk-through light tunnels, music, and thousands of lights fill the square. On select nights you can also find Santa and Mrs. Claus, hot cocoa, cookies, and other Christmas activities.
What makes Wilson especially fun is that everything is concentrated around the square, so you can get out of the car and actually walk through the display.
Wilson has also become more of a destination in recent years, and with the beautiful Louis Hotel right there in town you could make an entire night of it.
More Christmas in Arkansas
Christmas is one of my favorite times to explore Arkansas. There are light displays, Christmas trains, outdoor ice skating, markets, parades, and all kinds of unusual holiday traditions scattered throughout the state.
If you’re planning your Christmas adventures, you might also be interested in:
- Best Christmas Light Displays in Arkansas
- Festive Christmas Activities in Little Rock
- Christmas in Searcy, Arkansas
- Christmas Events in Bentonville
- Christmas Events in Fayetteville
- Christmas in Blytheville and Mississippi County
Whether you want millions of Christmas lights, a decorated downtown square, an old-fashioned parade, or a whole weekend away, these Arkansas towns are some of the best places to enjoy the Christmas season.
