This GA city is a ‘Christmas wonderland,’ Travel + Leisure says. Here’s why it’s so amazing

Caption

Visitors walk through the tunnel at the Macon Christmas Lights Extravaganza on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025, in downtown Macon, Georgia. The nightly light shows will occur throughout December.

Credit: Katie Tucker/The Telegraph

Year after year, it seems Macon, Georgia’s Christmas Light Extravaganza is the talk of the town and this year is no different.

Travel + Leisure featured Macon in a story, calling it an “underrated Southern city” that “transforms into a Christmas wonderland every December.”

With over a million lights twinkling and synchronized to instrumental holiday hits, the popular travel magazine said the Macon light show is a “one of the great unsung holiday experiences in America.”

“The Macon Christmas Light Extravaganza, launched in 2017, is a spectacle of over 1 million lights across more than six blocks. The LED show is choreographed to upbeat tunes from the Macon Pops, a local orchestra with a flair for energetic renditions,” said Travel + Leisure writer Lauren Dana Ellman.

Ellman also recognized the light show’s mobility, as visitors travel through downtown on foot.

“The colorful lights are mounted on different building facades, storefronts, medians, and public spaces, each responding in a carefully calibrated dance to the Pops’ soundtrack. So instead of settling in at a single stationary viewing area, you’ll want to view the whole show from several different perspectives,” Ellman said.

However, the light show isn’t the only event in Macon that Ellman spoke about in the story. Ellman also noted the Marché de Noël: Macon Christmas Market and the Festival of Trees. Macon’s new holiday bar, Switch Macon, also got a shoutout.

See the full story online.

What’s your favorite Macon, GA holiday event this year? Let me know in the comments or email me at cmadden@mcclatchy.com

This story comes to GPB through a reporting partnership with Macon Telegraph.