Annapolis Makes List of Best Small Towns for Holidays

Image: Lights on the Bay (Patch file photo)

ANNAPOLIS, MD - Annapolis is one of the best places in the country to celebrate the Christmas season, according to a magazine survey.

In its latest issue, Country Living magazine ranks Maryland’s capital at #10 of 20 small towns around the country with the best holiday celebrations. Tops on the list is Leavenworth, Wash., which celebrates the season with handbell concerts, caroling around the town’s Christmas tree and other events, the magazine says.

The rest of the top five include Woodstock, Vt.; Asheville, N.C.; Jackson, Wyo.; and Natchitoches, La. The restored colonial village of Williamsburg, Va., made the magazine’s list at #7, and other towns on the list include Durango, Colo.; Taos, N.M.; and Santa Claus, Ind.

Country Living praises Annapolis for showcasing “its impressive 18th-century historic district at the holidays, with candlelit strolls and guided tours of some of the town’s grand homes.”

Here’s a list of upcoming holiday events in Annapolis:

• Lights on the Bay: Sandy Point State Park, 5-10 p.m. daily until Jan. 2
• Midnight Madness: Downtown 7 p.m. to midnight Thursday
• 11th Hour: Downtown 7-11 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 17
• Hanukkah Festival of Lights: Sunday, Dec. 6 to Monday, Dec. 14
• Menorah Car Parade and Lighting: Ends at City Dock for lighting of the Menorah at 6 p.m. Thursday
• Eastport Yacht Club Lights Parade: 6-8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 12