Louisiana Town Named One Of The Best Christmas Towns in America

Get our free mobile app

It's almost the most wonderful time of the year. The Christmas season is in sight, and in the state of Louisiana that means our attention turns to one city. It turns out, we're not the only ones who know about it either.

We're of course talking about the annual Natchitoches Christmas Season.

The Natchitoches Christmas Season kicks off every November in downtown Natchitoches. It lasts for weeks, and includes multiple weekends of light shows, music, fireworks, and parades. The event has been going on for nearly 100 years, so you know they do it right.

Doing something right for nearly a century will also get attention from around the country too. Which is why no one in Louisiana should be shocked that Natchitoches was recently selected as one of the Best Christmas Towns in America for 2022.

The selection comes from Reader's Digest, who picked The Best Christmas Towns in America You Should Visit at Least Once, and included Natchitoches. Not only did they include the Louisiana town on their list of 52 US towns, they put Natchitoches at #12 on the whole list.

Here's what Reader's Digest said about Natchitoches at Christmastime:

"Perhaps best known as the inspiration and filming location for Steel Magnolias, Natchitoches (pronounced Nack-a-tish) really gets into the Creole Christmas spirit. Although the holiday festival in the movie was actually filmed in August, the event is real, complete with fireworks, a Festival of Lights parade, and even Miss Merry Christmas, just like in the film. Now in its 95th year, the seasonal celebration features 300,000 lights and 100 set pieces, along with music, a lighted boat parade, a Christmas tour of homes, and kids’ fest.

Finding a room in downtown Natchitoches during the festival can be difficult, but if you can, book the comfortable and convenient boutique hotel Chateau Saint Denis just blocks from the Cane River Lake. You’ll be able to enjoy all the season has to offer right outside your door."

If you live in Louisiana, and have never taken advantage of the Natchitoches Christmas Season, you need to change that this year.