Is Cary becoming North Carolina's newest Christmas Town?
Hundreds of people have been flooding the streets of Downtown Cary each night for a chance to walk through the brand new wonderland of lights.
For the past few years, Downtown Cary has provided a walkable holiday experience -- with Christmas trees lining the streets, interactive light displays for family photos, glowing Chinese lanterns, a mailbox to Santa and more. This year, with the opening of the new Downtown Park, the attractions are drawing larger crowds than ever before.
The new park has become a twinkling crown jewel of dazzling lights, rainbow-lit archways and a glowing sky walk overlooking the botanical gardens below. The sky walk offers sweeping views of the grand Christmas tree and red-and-green fountain that flickers to the sound of holiday music. Sometimes, there's even snow falling.
Downtown Cary's walkable holiday wonderland has been described many ways: Like a scene from a Christmas card, or a vintage Norman Rockwell painting. Kids and dogs play in the grassy field beneath the giant Christmas tree or pose for a photo in Santa's sleigh. Giant polar bears hide in a glittering forest, surrounding an ice-skating rink where kids and families can enjoy outdoor ice-skating.
If you need a break from the cold, there are fire pits stationed around the park, where cozy groups of friends and family huddle and chat long after dark. There's a snack station and a 'bark bar,' where you can get a hot cocoa or a beer to enjoy while walking around the social district.
For families who want to create holiday memories in the form of photos, there are roughly a dozen spots for photo opportunities. Step inside a dazzling, giant Christmas ornament. Pose in a glittering forest with life-sized polar bears made of twinkle-lights. Stand beneath an archway of stars, pose with your family inside a giant wreath, stand inside the swirling metal portal on the sky walk, sit on a throne made of ice-lights, or take your pick of selfie stations where you can put your face inside a snowman. You can even pose with shimmering angel wings behind you.
The Downtown Park and surrounding areas host regular holiday events, all within walking distance -- Christmas movies at The Cary Theater, a gingerbread house competition at the Arts Center, ice-sculpting and live music on an outdoor stage at the park. Take a look at the dozens of Christmas trees up and down Academy Street, each one designed by a local family or business.
Remembering Cary Christmas Past: 100,000 luminaries around Cary
For those who prefer a more rustic, old-fashioned Christmas, historic buildings like the Ivey-Ellington, the old Cary High School, Ashworth's and the Page-Walker provide a glimpse at Cary Christmas Past. In early December, the historic Page-Walker offers a Victorian Christmas, complete with old-timey carolers in the parlor and horse-drawn carriages.
In these historic places, you'll find people who remember exactly how long Cary has lit up the holidays with lights. While the displays have grown bigger each year, the town has long been known for its lights.
For decades, Cary's neighborhoods have been known for their devotion to a very specific tradition: Lining the streets with glowing luminaries. At its peak, as many as 100,000 luminaries could be seen glowing around town. The tradition was so prolifically ingrained in Cary's culture that many locals share fond childhood memories of assembling the luminary bags at church or with their families – then driving around on Christmas Eve after church services to see the luminaries all around town.
According to Tom Hartrick, who has been creating a series of 'Did You Know?' posters based on Cary's history and research from historians Thomas Byrd and Jerry Miller, the luminary tradition began by happenstance in 1973 when Scoutmaster Don Simmons happened to hear about luminaria as a fundraising project for his troop. The fundraiser began with just 452 homes in the Greenwood Forest and Tanglewood neighborhoods – then ballooned over the next several decades to over 100,000 luminaries.
This tradition, along with the iconic reindeer that used to visit Cary's first mall during the holidays, make up some of the town's rich Christmas memories and heritage -- long before the light show grew into downtown and began attracting people from all across the state.
People from across the state visit these Hallmark Christmas Towns each year:
North Carolina has several small towns referred to as 'Christmas Towns' because of their charming or amazing holiday light displays, combined with their rich history and sense of community.
- Banner Elk: A snowy wonderland with log cabins, skiing and cocoa in the heart of the NC mountains
- Old Salem: A rustic, old-fashioned Christmas with Moravian stars and a 200-year-old bakery churning out gingerbread cookies from ages past
- Bryson City: A real-life Polar Express train ride through the snowy mountains
- Forest City: Carriage rides, vintage decor and a small-town main street that's been lit up at Christmas for nearly 100 years
- McAdenville: The authentic Christmas Town, where literally every house, business and structure decorates for Christmas.
