After Christmas in Blue Ridge: what’s still running Dec 26 to Jan 2

The week after Christmas in Blue Ridge, Georgia is quieter, but it isn’t empty. Regular Winter Ride trains run through Feb 28, 2027. The Fannin County Chamber lists Blue Ridge on Ice through Jan 2, 2027, though the rink itself hasn’t confirmed its season. And Mountain Country Christmas in Lights in Hiawassee runs as a drive-thru from Dec 26 to 31. The Art Center stays closed until Jan 10.

Dec 26, 2026 falls on a Saturday, and Jan 2, 2027 is the Saturday after, so this is one long week with New Year’s Day on the Friday. Dates can change; confirm with each venue before you go. The holiday trains, the pageant and the Gingerbread Village have all finished by then, but several things carry on.

Still running, Dec 26 to Jan 2

Winter Ride trains

The 1-Hour Holiday Express ends on Christmas Eve, but the Blue Ridge Railway runs regular Winter Rides from Nov 5, 2026 through Feb 28, 2027. The railway describes its regular trips as a 26-mile round trip along the Toccoa River to McCaysville, Georgia and Copperhill, Tennessee, in two-hour or four-hour versions. We found the Santa program described only for the Holiday Express. The railway’s pass policy mentions a New Year’s Eve train, but none appears on the 2026 calendar or in the booking system, so don’t plan on one unless the railway announces it.

Blue Ridge on Ice

The Fannin County Chamber lists the seasonal rink from Nov 17, 2026 to Jan 2, 2027, at the Blue Ridge Farmers Market, 787 Summit Street, next to the Swan Drive-In. It lists admission at $15 for ages 13 and up, $12 for 12 and under and $10 for active military. The rink’s own site still said 2026-27 dates and hours were “coming soon” on Oct 17, so all of that is not yet confirmed. For what it’s worth, in the 2025-26 season the rink stayed open through Jan 6, 2026.

Mountain Country Christmas in Lights (Hiawassee)

The Georgia Mountain Fairgrounds show runs Nov 26 to Dec 31, 2026. From Dec 26 to 31 it is drive-thru only, at $25 per car, without Santa, train rides or vendors. It closes after Dec 31, and it is in Hiawassee, not Blue Ridge, so plan it as an evening drive.

December 26-31 (and Christmas Eve) the light show is drive-thru only at $25 per car, without Santa, train rides or vendors. (Georgia Mountain Fairgrounds, checked Oct 17, 2026)

Closed or finished by Dec 26

• The Art Center is closed for its Christmas break from Dec 23 to Jan 10, per the BRMAA 2026 schedule. The Holiday Market ended Dec 20 and the Gingerbread Village at noon on Dec 22.
• Mercier Orchards is closed Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. On other days its market and bakery keep their usual hours: Monday to Thursday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday to Sunday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• The Best Christmas Pageant Ever closed Dec 20, and the last Holiday Express runs Dec 24.
• Blue Ridge City Hall hasn’t posted 2026 closings. In 2025 it closed at 2 p.m. on Dec 23 and reopened Dec 26.

New Year’s Eve: what’s known

As of Oct 17, 2026, no primary source had published a 2026 New Year’s Eve event in Blue Ridge. Last year gives you an idea of the scale: in 2025 the Fannin County library hosted a Noon Year’s Eve party on Dec 31 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., according to the Fannin County Chamber. No 2026 date is posted. We’ll cover anything new on our New Year’s Eve page.

Are the lights still up in January?

We couldn’t find a published take-down date for the downtown decorations from the organizers or the city, so we can’t promise you’ll see them after New Year’s. The Hiawassee light show has a firm end: Dec 31. If seeing Blue Ridge lit up is the reason for a January trip, call Light Up Blue Ridge at 706-258-8289 and ask. Our Christmas lights guide lists every display with a public source.

Outside, if the weather cooperates

Blue Ridge Lake

The TVA says the lake level normally varies about 22 feet between summer and winter for flood storage, so in late December you’ll see a lower lake than the one in summer photos. The reservoir covers 3,290 acres with over 60 miles of shoreline. Its name in the federal place-name register is Blue Ridge Lake; most people here say Lake Blue Ridge.

Morganton Point

The Forest Service’s Morganton Point Recreation Area is at 475 Lake Drive in Morganton. Check its Recreation.gov page for what is open in winter before you drive over.

The Toccoa River Swinging Bridge

It is a 270-foot footbridge built in 1977 on the Benton MacKaye and Duncan Ridge trails. Getting there means about 3 miles of rough gravel Forest Service Road 816 off GA-60 south of Morganton, per the Fannin County Chamber. After rain or a freeze, that road is the part to think about, not the bridge.

January is colder still. NOAA’s 1991-2020 normals for the Blairsville station, the nearest with temperature records, are a 49.4°F high and a 25.4°F low. Our December weather page explains the numbers.

January's normal high and low at Blairsville are 49.4°F and 25.4°F. (NOAA climate normals, checked Oct 17, 2026)

A sample day between the holidays

Take a morning Winter Ride, have lunch downtown, skate in the afternoon if the rink confirms its hours, then drive to Hiawassee after dark for the drive-thru lights (any night through Dec 31). On Jan 1, remember Mercier is closed. Train excursions operate rain or shine, so a wet morning doesn’t cancel the ride. If you drive up to McCaysville instead to stand on the Blue Line, the visitor center at 53 East Market Street is normally open Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 4; call 706-632-5680 to check holiday-week hours. If you’re here the week before Christmas too, our Christmas week guide covers Dec 19 to 26.

Questions people ask

Written by the Christmas in Blue Ridge Editorial Team. AI tools help us draft; people check every fact before it publishes.