It's time to plan your winter getaway!
Hallmark Christmas movies are the cozy hugs of the entertainment industry. Many people crave them come winter, and apart from their holiday-centric tales, they all have one throughline: delightfully festive settings. The stories often take place in small towns where the community’s charm is amplified every season with glowing lights, red and green decor, and wholesome activities. But let’s not forget the few films that transport us to bustling cities, like New York, and even take us on international escapades.
While watching these places come to life on screen is always a joy, many of the filming locations are possible to visit in real life. So if you’ve ever felt the desire to live in a Hallmark fantasy, even just for a weekend, we’ve compiled 10 great options for your consideration. Read on to start planning your last-minute holiday getaway!
While many Hallmark Christmas movies are set in small-town America, a great deal of them were filmed in Canada. Specifically, Vancouver has been the backdrop for countless Hallmark classics. Whether you walk by the Hycroft Manor seen in A Timeless Christmas or visit the Orpheum Theatre featured in Christmas Waltz, you can practically design your own Hallmark Christmas movie tour in and around the city.
Movies: The Christmas House (2020), Let It Snow (2013), A Glenbrooke Christmas (2020), Jingle Bell Bride (2020), The Christmas Secret (2014), A Timeless Christmas (2020), Christmas Waltz (2020), and more.
Speaking of tours, the state of Connecticut recently introduced a Christmas movie trail map. More than 22 holiday films—by Hallmark, Netflix, and Lifetime—have been filmed in the state across a handful of towns, including Mystic, Hartford, Norwich, Wethersfield, and Essex. The map details the towns in which 22 Christmas movies were filmed, with itineraries for each (which you can access using the QR code), making it easy to plan a weekend getaway or a little road trip.
Movies: One Royal Holiday (2020), A Holiday in Harlem (2021), Holiday for Heroes (2019), Christmas on Honeysuckle Lane (2018), Ghosts of Christmas Always (2022), Sugar Plum Twist (2021), Mystic Christmas (2023), Trivia at St. Nick's (2024), Where Are You, Christmas? (2023), Christmas at Pemberley Manor (2018), Next Stop, Christmas (2021), Romance at Reindeer Lodge (2017), Broadcasting Christmas (2016), and more.
Wilmington, North Carolina, isn't simply a hot destination for your TV favorites like The Summer I Turned Pretty. The city has also lent idyllic settings for beloved Christmas films, including the Hallmark Hall of Fame movie Christmas in Conway (2013), which stars Mandy Moore. The Ferris wheel featured in that movie was built in Wilmington's Forest Hills neighborhood.
Movies: USS Christmas (2020), Christmas in Harmony (2021), A Christmas Proposal (2021), and more.
If you're enamored with the Christmas-themed village and farm from Christmas Land (2015), consider visiting Farmington, Utah, where the movie was filmed. The area's Pioneer Village in Lagoon Park was an excellent location for bringing the snow-covered, magical place to life. Apart from the town's Main Street, filming also took place in Riverton and Salt Lake City, which are nearby.
For Candace Cameron Bure's debut Hallmark Christmas movie, Moonlight & Mistletoe, filming for the 2008 movie took place in the small town of Chester, Vermont. The quaint location has all of the crucial ingredients for a cozy, festive film: charming inns, adorable boutiques, local cafes, and even a historic train station. Specifically, the local Fullerton Inn and Hugging Bear Inn (which is now closed) were featured in the movie.
While Christmas Everlasting (2018) is set in the fictional small town of Nilson’s Bay, Wisconsin, many of the small-town scenes were filmed in Covington, Georgia. According to Atlanta Magazine, Covington Square was turned into a winter wonderland for the holiday production. A mix of Victorian architecture makes up the downtown district, and the tree-lined square is where fun city events often take place.
The 2018 film Christmas at Graceland and the 2019 movie Christmas at Graceland: Home for the Holidays were both, in fact, filmed at Elvis's former estate in Memphis. It's no surprise, considering the home is known for being fully decked out every holiday season. Every year, visitors can take festive tours of Graceland and attend the holiday lighting weekend. This year's roster also brings viewers to another iconic Tennessee destination, the Grand Ole Opry, with A Grand Ole Opry Christmas.
Similarly, Christmas at Dollywood (2019) was set and filmed at Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. During Christmastime, the theme park hosts Smoky Mountain Christmas, in which the location is outfitted with more than six million twinkling lights and dozens of Christmas trees. Along with going on rides and seeing the attractions, visitors can also enjoy festive foods, holiday shows, and seasonal shopping.
In 2024, Hallmark gave us a new kind of Christmas movie, very loosely inspired by Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift, titled Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story. It was filmed in Kansas City, Missouri, including at Arrowhead Stadium. During the holidays, the city is filled with plenty of winter magic in the form of various light displays and fun activities.
There's nothing quite like Christmastime in New York, which is naturally the setting of Christmas at the Plaza (2019). Elaborate holiday displays are a tradition at the famous hotel, and the movie was partially filmed there. Of course, there's much more for travelers to see throughout the city, including the Radio City Rockettes Christmas Spectacular, the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center, Bryant Park's Winter Village, and more.
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