Things to Do in Connecticut this Holiday Season

Hallmark declared Connecticut the "Christmas Capitol of New England" — so there's no better place to get in the holiday spirit than Connecticut. Find glittering light displays, Santa sightings, festive Christmas towns, Hanukkah happenings, and more. Check out our top holiday guides below.

1. See the stage all aglow. Grab your tickets to festive holiday shows like A Christmas Carol at the Hartford Stage, Warner Theatre's Holiday Movie Event, White Christmas: The Musical at the Goodspeed Opera House, and Christmas on the Rocks at TheaterWorks Hartford.

2. Rock around the Christmas trees. Admire artistically designed, classic Christmas trees at events by the Florence Griswold Museum and the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art.

3. Hear Christmas concerts. Enjoy the sounds of your favorite holiday tunes and gorgeous classic arrangements at concerts like JHSO Masterworks Series: Winter Dreams and Jessica Lynn’s – A Very Merry Classic Christmas.

4. Make holiday ornaments. Get crafty Christmas-style and attend an ornament-making workshop at the Guilford Art Center in Guilford.

5. Go classic for Christmas. Explore holiday traditions of the past at Christmas by Candlelight 1940s Christmas.

6. Enjoy caroling. Join in a festive celebration as talented carolers, dressed in beautiful traditional garb, bring holiday cheer to the Broadway Shopping and Chapel Historic Districts.

7. Paint and hang. Bring holiday cheer to your canvas when you paint and sip at Muse Paint Bar. Choose a festive design and get creating!

8. Pick-your-own tree. Bring your axe, put on your heaviest layers, and head to Charlie Brown’s Christmas Tree Farm in East Hampton, Dzen Family Christmas Tree Farm in South Windsor, Fairview Tree Farm in Shelton, Broken Arrow Nursery in Hamden, Maple Hollow Farm in New Hartford, and Yurechko Tree Farm in Griswold to chop down this year’s perfect tree. Find more tree farms here.

9. Walk in a winter wonderland. Stroll through communities across the state transforming their shops and streets into magical winter towns. Check out Olde Mistick Village’s Holiday Lights Spectacular, the Bethlehem Christmas Town Festival, or Glow Gardens in Hartford.

10. Love the lights. Look at thousands of dazzling holiday lights right from your car at Magic of Lights in East Hartford, Fantasy of Lights in New Haven, or Lights in Motion in Hebron. And find more here.

11. Attend Hanukkah happenings. Celebrate the Jewish "festival of lights" with menorah lightings and other festivities.

12. Ride the rails with Santa. Hang with Old Saint Nick aboard the Santa Express at the Railroad Museum of New England in Thomaston and the Snow Clipper at the Danbury Railway Museum.

13. See Santa. Spot (or even meet) Santa Claus at exciting events like the Annual Greenwich Reindeer Festival & Santa's Workshop, Olde Mistick Village's Holiday Carnival and Santa in the Village, Santa's Workshop in Wickham Park, Storytime and Selfies at The Shops at Yale, and Heights & Lights: Rappelling Santa and Tree Lighting.

14. Stash up on sweets. The holidays were made for cookies, brownies, cupcakes, and more. Swing by top notch bakeries like Sift Bake Shop, Scratch Baking, Mozzicato DePasquale Bakery & Pastry Shop, Soleil Bakery, LuAnn’s Bakery, or these great spots for your sweet seasonal fix.

15. Have a wine night — with cookies. Gather your friends and join in a cozy evening of decorating GIANT house-made gingerbread cookies—paired perfectly with a glass of wine!

16. Dine among the lights. Enjoy dinner surrounded by majorly decked out displays of lights and trees — all with creative themes — at Cava.

17. Crawl the pubs. Sleigh the night! Hit holiday bar crawls like the Stamford Ugly Sweater Bar Crawl and the Magic of Middletown Pub Crawl. And don't miss Miracle at Riley's: a pop up Christmas bar!

18. Have brunch with Santa. Devour breakfast favorites and hang out with the jolly old elf himself at Avon Old Farms, the Madison Beach Hotel, Lyman Orchards, or the Shoreline Trolley Museum.

19. Skiing is believing. Head to Powder Ridge Mountain Park & Resort for downhill thrills and Winterfest including Santa visits, live music, and snowy slopes.

20. Run, run, Rudolph. Lace up your sneakers and participate in holiday road races like the Blue Back Mitten Run and Santa's 3.5 Mile Run. 

21. Celebrate the lively way. Plan a unique holiday outing with coworkers, family, and friends. Go axe throwing, try indoor ropes courses, bounce at trampoline parks, get active at indoor sports centers, or try any of these indoor adventure destinations.

22. Stroll a holiday market. Spend a leisurely day feeling festive when you explore holiday markets like Ellington Farmers Winter Market, The Christmas Market in New Haven, the Chester Holiday Market, and Winterfair in Hartford.

23. Shop then detox. After a long day of holiday shopping, treat yourself to a treatment at one of Connecticut’s top spas — and unwrap relaxation.

24. Unwind in coffee shops. Take a load off and sample seasonal holiday flavors while lounging at coffee shops in Connecticut.

25. Make shopping simple. Stress less about what to get everyone on your list. Instead of something that comes in a box, buy the gift of an experience instead!

26. Take a winter retreat. Essex, Madison, and Greenwich are just a few of Connecticut’s historic and charming towns that offer the perfect winter getaway for you and that special someone.

27. See Hallmark hotspots. You’ll feel like you’re falling in love all over again when you visit the magical small towns that Hallmark and Lifetime movie lovebirds have walked through on-screen during the holidays.

28. Snap wintry photos together. Plan a romantic road trip to these Instagram-worthy winter spots and capture a few sweet moments in the stunning scenery.

29. Go on a sleigh ride. Grab your date and embark on a romantic, festive sleigh ride pulled by horses.

30. Visit festive towns. Stroll hand in hand through some of the state’s most spirited holiday towns.