Christmas Town USA

I have lived in Charlotte most of my life so let me give you a quick review.
I absolutely LOVE Christmas, and McAdenville is definitely the place to go if you want to see lights, but you will sit in traffic for HOURS no matter which route you take. I sat from 6:30-9:30 once and just as we got in, they shut off all the lights. I also think that the lights were better when I was a kid, but they're still great. My advice? Go as early as possible and if you're up for it, park and walk instead of driving through.

The drive is horrible, the line of cars is epic and it only takes 5 minutes to drive thru? Not worth it in my book. Oh, did I mention no parking unless you wish to walk minimum 1 mile.

We are in the Christmas Spirit and I can't rate this lower than 4 due to the fact that it was a nice experience going through the town but getting there is a real pain in the neck and for that reason I take one star. The line of cars is about 1.5 miles long according to my GPS and it took us two hours to move because it is one lane on the right but the Johnny Come Lately's driving on the middle lane cut in our lane when they get close to the entrance and there are no cops enforcing so dumb me and 250 other cars have to pay the price. State troopers are only at the entrance to make sure there are no fights but they can care less what happens a mile and a half away. Lack of organization in this banana republic chaotic town and for that I should take another star but I can't in the Spirit of Christmas so 3.5 is correct as a whole.

Now to the good part, the lights are fabulous and if it wasn't for the rain I would have gone back a second night on foot so as to not putting up with the abuse of pretty boys.
Christmas Town and rightfully so because I have never seen so many lights in one place, I love the place and all the work that they do and on top of that having to put up with traffic. Santa put the cops to work and the elfs to direct traffic

It is great to drive or walk through at this time of year. It has been years since we have gone at Christmas time and I was super impressed with how much renovation had been done to the shops and buildings around the main strip! The lights are awesome and the decorations get you into the Christmas spirit. My only complaint is the drive through is to short and more cool stuff could be done around the pond.

We went on a Tuesday, around 3pm and parked in town – we wanted to avoid getting caught in traffic. We had dinner at a local restaurant, looked around in a few shops, and then at 5:30 when the lights went on, we drove across the bridge to make that our beginning point, intending to turn around and see the entire display. Once we got to the end of the bridge, we turned around only to find our way blocked by a local police officer with 2 cars with blinding blue lights and headlights. It was extremely hard to see what was going on because the police car lights were blinding all traffic – so I finally got out and walked up to the officer – who told us we couldn't go back across. We were 300 feet from the middle of town, but he wouldn't allow us to cross – long story short, he directed us out of town and back into the line on 74 and I85 that we were trying to avoid by getting there early. Thank you, Barney Fife. Idiot.

It's so-so. I've seen better out in California. I went on a weeknight and took uber, so traffic wasn't an issue for me. It seems much better to walk than to drive. The displays seemed pretty tame, I started to wonder if there were strict rules about what could go up. Mostly green, red, and gold lights. It's cute, but don't bother driving out of your way. I definitely would not want to wait in traffic to see it, not worth it. I would definitely say kudos to the town's marketing team because they have really gotten this place hyped up.

I visit every year I get back home!
Miss Christmastown!
Nothing like it here on the West Coast.
So beautiful! Tat traffic is worth the wait, enjoy your surroundings! Those hay-riding Santa's on NC 74 stopped beside us, sure were happy!
MERRY Christmas!

I see a lot of people complain about the traffic but what else would you expect anyway I think this place is cool. I went here a year ago and I parked my car and walked around with my sister and it was a cute little town that provides hot chocolate for free! It's definitely worth it if you walk around. The lights are pretty and it's a good location to take photos

While the neighborhood and Christmas lights were beautiful – there is no way it was worth the 2 hour wait! We live about 20 minutes from here and came the Sunday night before Christmas (I imagine that this is probably the busiest weekend for them so it may have been wiser to go on a weeknight or earlier in the season). After sitting in standstill traffic for 2 hours we were finally able to park in the Food Lion parking lot and walk to the neighborhood (about a 10 minute walk). You're also able to drive through the neighborhood if you want, but I couldn't sit in the traffic any longer! We walked to the neighborhood and the Christmas lights are nice. Definitely more extravagant than in your average neighborhood, but not worth the claim of being called Christmas Town. The weather was nice so my fianc茅, his mom, and our dog leisurely walked around the streets. It was pretty crowded so don't expect it to be a relaxing stroll. The sidewalks were very crowded. Luckily everyone was friendly and kids driving by in cars were singing or yelling Merry Christmas out the windows. Overall it was an enjoyable experience. Due to the wait I probably won't be back. But if you have an infinite amount of patience for sitting in traffic and searching for parking or live nearby and can walk there it's worth it.

This is not worth the 2 hour wait. I was also expecting more lights and not just ordinary Christmas lights. If they are gonna call themselves Christmas town I would expect more. It was nice to walk and see the beautiful houses and lights but I would never wait again. I went on a Sunday so I'm sure that contributed to the traffic but I wouldn't go back again.

Car ride to hell…drive around your own neighborhood…don't come here . This is three hours wasted in traffic I will never get back

I had heard such great things about this place I told my husband we should go. I did my research and read the website info. We got there at 6pm and granted I knew it was going to be crowded and a lot of traffic but I had no idea. We waited at the light off the highway for 45 min then we finally made it into the neighborhood. I was expecting some extravagant light show and amazing decorations, I mean your town is called Christmas town USA. The first 3/4 of the tour was so blah, all it is is the trees are lit up with multicolor lights and minimal decorations. The last 1/4 was very nice with the nice big houses and the trees around the lake and fountain, now that was nice….but worth the 45 min wait to get in and the next 45 min driving through the neighborhood…. noooooot a chance! It's amazing what people do nowadays with Christmas lights, and a place named Christmas town USA with 600k visitors to their town I would think would have a show worthy of its name! Save your time….. pass.

While I appreciate the spirit of Christmas festivities, I've just never been too into it. Still, I've heard so much hoopla about this place, I decided to go check it out about 2 years ago…and surprisingly, I enjoyed it! In retrospect, I think I enjoyed the Hot Cocoa more than anything lol. Anyway, I thought my husband and son should at least check it out…especially now that our Christmas festivities have somewhat dimmed (after my parents' passing). So…I decided to go again last night, dragging my husband for the first time. On this super-cold night, we also decided to walk through this small Christmas town (instead of driving through)…which wasn't that much (maybe 2 miles total at most?). As expected, we witnessed the full Christmas extravaganza…from cute to all-out garish lights and decorations on display! The best part, for me at least, was the decorated lake…quite scenic. And OH…the free Hot Cocoa (offered inside one of the houses)! In all, I do appreciate the fact that this festive town exists right here, well within driving distance…and kudos to all the folks that decided to amuse the visitors with all of their festive displays. Must be a huge nuisance to half the folks that live there…ones that aren't great, big Christmas Cheerleaders like myself? Anyway, it does help to know that this place is here to help lift the spirits of those that need it. It's also a good place for a holiday photo op…perfect for creating some festive pics. However, I must be critical (since that is why I'm here!). Although some of the displays were good, some were just boring, cheap and/or tacky. In other words, there is much room for improvement in terms of quality and creativity. Most of the trees, for instance, looked quite standard (and cheap?)…with just green and red lights. There wasn't too much that jumped out at me in terms of being spectacular …aside from those that jumped out in terms of being super-tacky lol. Then, here's my biggest gripe from this whole tour. Road blocks and the lack of directions! As with last time we attempted to drive through (and ended up returning home because of this very reason!), there were road blocks set up at the entranceway of this town…with no detour signs! If if wasn't for me asking one of the police officers how to get inside this town, we would probably not have found our way in. Could I have missed the pointed detour signs? My husband didn't see it either…just as with last time (last year) we attempted to tour this town with our son. Unbelievable that this place manages to get a crowd going when it's so hard to find a way in?!? So my advice for newbies is to ASK for directions on how to make your detour into this town…or else, you may end up driving right out of this town before actually seeing a damn thing! For this last bit of aggravation/frustration, I can't give this tour more than 2 stars. No matter, it's still worth checking out…if only once. Merry Christmas!!

I feel like an evil Disney villain but bah-freaking-humbug.
Those commuting from work in Charlotte to Gastonia live a nightmare every December all because people want to look at some lights on a house… lights on a tree… lights in a bush… tail lights for miles in every direction. Thanks, everyone, for making my commute as miserable as possible for 30 days out of the year, and thank you McAddenville for making some little kids sleepy at the expense of everyone else.

How about moving Christmas Town USA to some place well off of the only two roads leading you to your destination.

This is a very nice town with very pretty lights. I would suggest going early around 4 pm and park after the bridge to the left, there is a big lot with nothing at all and it leads to the small downtown and the nice lights. You can walk around downtown, there is a restaurant and a playground for kids. It's better to walk than be sitting in the car. They do close off the bridge at a certain time probably when it gets busy and people park on the side of the road which is a pain because it's a far walk.

I love McAdenville at Christmas. We drive an hour almost every year to visit. If you want to drive thru somewhere with commercial lights….this isn't what you're looking for. If you want to get out, walk and see beautiful older and newer homes decorated while sipping hot chocolate….this is for you. There are usually folks out singing Christmas Carol's, a beautiful church with a Nativity Scene, a beautiful pond, firehouse, and beautiful homes all decorated in a traditional, timeless, nostalgic manner. There is always a line so be prepared for a wait.

Waited in line for 3 hours had no signs up telling us when lights cut off and as soon as we got up there at 9:30 they cut the lights off. Definitely won't plan another date night here unless I want to sit in the car for three hours and talk

I can't post on the lights because we never got to see them. If you plan on going make sure to arrive early. We got in line at 7:30 and traveled at most 1 1/2 miles in 1 hr 45 minutes. We never got anywhere close to the lights when we turned around at 9:15 because the lights would automatically turn off at 9:30. We traveled 2 hours to get there on a weeknight when it is suppose to be less busy. I was disappointed that no information was available to guide us in making our plans. The McAdenville Lights website definitely does not discuss the traffic issues. If you go please plan accordingly so you won't be disappointed by a long drive and long wait only to not see the lights!

A-OK. I think that's an accurate way to describe "Christmas Town USA". My dad had heard about it, so we decided to visit on Friday, December 9, 2016, driving over from Charlotte. We reviewed the (hideous though informative) website beforehand and arrived at 5:30 on the dot–when it was scheduled to start. There is good signage as you come into town about where the lights are (though you make a left turn at one point, and we weren't sure which way to go until after asking some police officers standing nearby, so that was sort of weird).

Anyway, the lights are very pretty. I don't think any were gaudy like you see on current TV shows (so if you expect a jumbo Santa to jump out of a roof and a full size carousel in the front yard, you might want to go elsewhere). The homes were nice too, and there's a little pond/lake with decorations as well. The huge trees covered in lights were crazy to me. (Note: I hate putting up Christmas lights, so it was all crazy to me.)

The route itself is really pretty short and it's pretty, but I think one time was enough for me as an adult. If you have kids (or are a kid on Yelp reading this), you would probably enjoy it once a year. Otherwise, it was nice and all… but I don't really see a need to go back or suggest it to anyone. It was one of those things that was cool to say we did it, but that's about it.

Note: They also have an app, but I didn't find it to be very good.

Hope you love Christmas Lights because you will wait for up to 2 hours to even get into the area itself. And beware of the light timers; the lights will turn off whenever the closing time hits. Honestly, it was an alright show, but not anywhere near the pain we had to go through to get there. IF you are determined to go, get there when there is still light outside so you can find a place to park. And good luck!

A delightful Christmas experience. Worth the drive. Visit nearby Belmont, lots of fun places to shop and eat. We even ran into Santa!

Underwhelming at best, tons of traffic with no one directing it. Took forever to drive a mile with barely any variety in lighting. Every time I drive towards the exit on i-85 now, my wife and I shiver

I came here on a Thursday night in December last year. Even though the ratings on here wasn't that good, I still expected more since it's called Christmas Town USA. Don't get me wrong, it's far from bad but not exactly great and it's mainly because everyone in the area do not participate and if they do, it's only minimal. This leads to also seeing a lot of houses without lights, leaving you to wonder that people live there for other reasons besides Christmas lol.

But putting my selfish ways aside lol, it's perfect for kids. They loved the lights and love sticking their heads out the car windows saying Merry Christmas to the people on the side walks or in other cars. The lines move at a constant flow and there's a few nicely decorated houses that's sure to grab your attention.
As a tip, don't forget to pack some snacks and legal beverages 😉

All in all, if you're a big adult kid like me, it's not that impressive but you should go at least once just to say you've been there. And for the kids, it's a perfect inexpensive trip they would definitely like.

The way this was talked up, I was imagining a large town with multiple displays as the name is Christmas Town USA.. however it was nice to see, especially for a small town gathering.

We got there early to avoid the traffic, and boy were we glad that we did when we left! The traffic was backed up all the way down the interstate from the south, and the entrance from the north was completely barricaded off. We visited on Christmas day and arrived when it was still light out.. approximately 4:45/5 PM.. when it's not dark yet and the lights aren't on, it doesn't look like much.. an unfinished development we some lights and some original older brick ranchers with classic tree, red bows, and nativity sets. When the lights came on at 5:30, we waited about 15 minutes until it finally got dark… and man what a show!!! Love the lake with the Christmas trees lit up all the way around it, the first house next to the McAdenville Common Market, the "Believe" bench, "Merry CHRISTmas" sign, and many more statues, decorations and light displays.

Been there once, don't think i'd venture back.. but it was worthwhile, family-friendly fun and something nice to do. I especially liked how the entire town participates in the festivities from the elementary school to church to firehouse to homes, both new and old. I would possibly return for the Christmas tree lighting or Yule Log celebrations with choral concerts in the future.

On another note, I missed the Billy Graham Library Live Nativity Scene this year and would love to check it out next year. The Ballantyne Hotel & Lodge Gingerbread Lane was deliciously exciting!

Ignore the signs on the freeway and get off at the McAdenville exit. It's open and the powers that be seem to be making sure I-85 stays clear. If coming from the west, do NOT get off exit 22 as directed. Go past exit 23, get off at the next exit, turn around and go back to exit 23 (McAdenville). We got off at exit 22 as directed at 7:30, sat(crept) for 2 hrs while they let everyone coming off I-85 in front of us. Made it to the edge of town, and the lights went off. Pretty miserable!