As Atlanta prepares for its colder season, it is time to look forward to all that it will bring. With ski days and hockey leagues ahead, planning a trip may be just what you need to properly get in the winter mood.
Finding the perfect destination can be hard, so look for an event to plan your trip around. These festivals are a good reason to get out of town.
Chinese Lantern Festival
Just a few minutes outside Raleigh, North Carolina, the Chinese Lantern Festival in Cary is a perfect reason for a long weekend trip.
Centered around a Chinese dragon 200 feet long, the festival hosts more than 25 artisan presenting their hand-assembled lanterns. The event also features cultural performances an entire family can enjoy.
You can visit the Chinese Lantern Festival any night from Nov. 16 to Jan. 12. Tickets are available here for $31, and children 2 or under can visit for free.
Wintersköl in Aspen
If you and your family love to ski, this may be a good year to visit Wintersköl, a four day festival in Aspen, Colorado.
Called Aspen’s “toast to winter,” the event features snow sculptures, a craft beer festival and a soup competition, peaking with a torchlight ski parade down Aspen Mountain.
Wintersköl takes place Dec. 12-15. The event is free, but some activities require separate tickets.
NYE on Beale Street
If you’re looking to ring in the new year in a new city, check out Memphis’ NYE event on Beale Street.
Bars and restaurants participate in the fun and throw their own small parties before the event spills onto the streets and tens of thousands of people party together to celebrate the night. Performers and DJs will also be there to hype up the crowd.
No tickets are needed for the event, but you can make a reservation at a Beale Street establishment you would like to start your party at. You must be 21 or older to join NYE on Beale Street.
Stowe Winter Carnival in Vermont
If you and your family love all things winter and cold, the Stowe Winter Carnival in Stowe, Vermont, is worth checking out.
Featuring an ice carving competition, where professionals will shape elegant sculptures to be judged, the festival also boasts snow golf, snow volleyball and a kids carnival.
The festival will take place Jan. 22-26. Tickets are not needed.
Polar Plunge at Folly Beach
If you want to do something extraordinary to ring in this new year, head to Folly Beach in Charleston for the Polar Bear Plunge.
You and your fellow swimmers will dive into the Atlantic Ocean on the first day of the new year, allowing yourself to wash off the old and prepare for the new. Paying homage to actor Bill Murray, a resident of Charleston, the event will kick off with a Bill Murray character costume contest.
The Polar Plunge will take place Jan. 1.
Fur Rendezvous in Anchorage
If you are looking for a once-in-a-lifetime trip to round out your winter, head to Anchorage, Alaska, for the Fur Rendezvous festival, which surrounds the Open World Championship Sled Dog Race.
For the 90th anniversary of Alaska’s “spring break celebration,” the festival will feature a talent competition, a fur auction, a fireworks show, a carnival and most notably, a running of the reindeer. There are also events around the city.
Fur Rendezvous takes place from Feb. 20 to March 2. No tickets are needed to enter the festival.
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