Visit the backdrop of your favorite holiday movie.
It’s beginning to look a lot like…Hallmark holiday movie season! The channel’s official “Countdown to Christmas” marathon has already kicked off this year, with 24 brand-new movies. Are these made-for-TV rom-coms a tad formulaic? Sure are! Are they also irresistible? You betcha, with their sweet storylines, perfectly timed snowfalls, and too-cute-to-be-real villages. Only guess what: Many of those charming little villages are real. They look like film sets and smell like hot cocoa, and they have actual, visitable holiday festivals this time of year. Read on and get ready to leave your uptight fiancé and big-city life behind for the small town where your rugged ex who never did settle down now runs a dairy farm. Pack a sweater!
Victoria, British Columbia
Dozens (!!!) of Hallmark movies have been filmed in and around this seaside Canadian city of fewer than 100,000 people. It’s easy to see why. Nestled at the southern tip of Vancouver Island, it boasts historic architecture in various styles (Tudor, Gothic, Châteauesque), abundant parkland, and loads of culture. A few must-sees: the Parliament Buildings (completed in 1897), the Butchart Gardens (which hold a Christmas light display starting December 1), and views of the Olympic Mountains. Spend a day in the Oak Bay neighborhood, where you can peep those mountains and pop into quaint shops, many of which may look familiar—they’ve played backdrop to more than one meet-cute.
Mystic, Connecticut
The aptly titled Mystic Christmas was filmed here in 2023, and the movie showcases some of the area’s iconic attractions: the historic seaport, Olde Mistick Village (an open-air market designed to look like it’s from the 18th century), and the aquarium, which gets lots of screen time as the romance between a marine veterinarian and local pizza shop owner unfolds. The village feels old-timey—until nightfall in winter, when a dazzling holiday light display, billed as the biggest in southern New England, turns on. And if you’re there on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, you’ll see the village lean into its seaside roots with a lighted boat parade that culminates in Santa’s arrival via tug.
Asheville, North Carolina
The Biltmore Estate is the largest privately owned home in the country—it’s bigger than the White House—and the crown jewel of Asheville. So it’s no wonder that Hallmark made a movie (A Biltmore Christmas) centering on the 250-room mansion-turned-museum. (The movie follows a screenwriter who travels back in time to a holiday movie set in 1947. Meta!) While the 130-year-old estate, built by the Vanderbilt family, is breathtaking on its own, during the holidays the halls get decked like no other. Last year, there were more than 45,000 interior lights, 58 trees with thousands of ornaments, and hundreds of lights glittering along the pathways. Consider splurging on a ticket (from $150) for the “Candlelight Christmas Evenings” event, a nighttime tour with live music and many a crackling fireplace.
Related: 13 Comfort Shows We Rewatch Every Fall (Gilmore Girls Is on the List, Obviously)
Vail, Colorado
The holidays in Vail give “very chic snow globe” vibes. The town was the backdrop to Winter in Vail (starring the one and only Lacey Chabert), which features a super-romantic ice skating scene (no spoilers!) in the middle of Lionshead Village. Stay near the rink at the winter wonderland that is the Hythe, a resort at the bottom of Vail Mountain. On Fridays, you can sample melty raclette cheese, inspired by a 300-year-old Swiss tradition of sharing wheels made during the summer. The Hythe also offers firepit s’mores and hosts visits from reindeer, carolers, and, of course, Santa. When it’s time to venture out, walk the cobblestone streets and dip into chalet-style shops in Vail Village.
Dahlonega, Georgia
Dahlonega was the location for Christmas in Homestead, about a small-town mayor whose life gets turned upside down when a famous actor arrives to shoot a holiday movie. (Meta again!) If you didn’t know better, you might assume the entire town was built purely to use as a Hallmark movie set. It’s got a historic downtown that twinkles with lights, copious carolers, and a full calendar of holiday events from the end of November through early January. Don’t miss the “Festival of Trees” (through December), showcasing more than 25 decorated evergreens in Hancock Park. While hot chocolate abounds, local wineries like Montaluce and Wolf Mountain host seasonal tastings too. Cheers!…