Where to see a Dickens Christmas in the U.S.

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A Dickens Christmas is probably the unique scene to see during the holiday season. Imagine when you drive into a town or visit a place and are greeted by people or mannequins dressed up in the Victorian era. When you look around, you will see familiar characters from Charles Dickens classic A Christmas Carol: Ebenezer Scrooge, Bob Cratchit and Tiny Tim, the town crier, carolers, the ghosts, and many more.

Definitely these scenes add joy to the season. Like Charles Dickens himself described the holidays as “a good time: a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time: the only time I know of in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of other people below them as if they really were fellow-passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys.” (copied from charlesdickenspage.)

I have asked some of the travel bloggers to share their good times when visiting a Dickens Christmas in the U.S. with you. From west to the east, and north to the south, find the closest place for you to enjoy the holiday season in this Dickens Christmas.

A Dickens Christmas in the U.S.

Philadelphia – Pennsylvania

by Derek and Mike from Robe Trotting

Philadelphia is one of America’s greatest cities and it’s a festive destination during the holidays. Christmas in Philadelphia means pop up ice skating rinks, Christmas Markets and brightly-lit trees in most of the city parks. You can’t help but feel the holiday spirit walking around Philadelphia in December. 

One of the best Philadelphia holiday activities is visiting the Market Street Macy’s Department Store. They offer a dazzling holiday light show that entertains crowds, and of course the store visited by Santa Claus each day. Still, there’s one incredible attraction on the third floor from Black Friday to New Years Eve – Charles DIckens’ Christmas Village. 

Stepping onto the upper level of the store is like suddenly appearing in Victorian England. The beloved story of A Christmas Carol comes alive through a collection of over 100 life-like figurines. With authentic costuming and sets, 26 scenes from the story are displayed across the 6,000 square foot space. 

The design of the scenes is exquisite. Walking through the displays feels like you’re strolling down narrow alleyways of 1840’s London. You’ll hear sound effects of horse-drawn carriages and see flickering lanterns along the recreated shops and squares from the story and you follow the tale of Ebenezer Scrooge.

The Macy’s Dickens’ Village has been one of the best Philadelphia Christmas traditions since 1985. Over 200,000 people visit the attraction every year between 10am and 7pm. Best of all, the village is free of charge and open to the public.

Boerne – Texas

by Ida – Boerne’s resident

Christmas in Boerne started as early as days before Thanksgiving where stores transformed their displays into Christmas themes. But the real kick-off of the holiday season is Dickens on Main, taking place the weekend after Thanksgiving.

For two days, Friday and Saturday, the historic Hill Country Mile transforms into a vintage Christmas experience, complete with snow on Main Street, photos with Santa, a 60-foot ice slide, and of course holiday shopping. Some of my favorites are watching live performances of Bah Humbug, a one man performance who played characters from A Christmas Carol on stage, ice sculpture shows with rock ‘n roll soundtracks, and riding on horse-drawn carriages with a guy from the Victorian era.  

Besides shops and restaurants on Main Street, you can also get something from food trucks, food booths, and arts & crafts vendors. Some of the vendors like to dress up like people in the Victorian era, which makes the event more festive.

The city closed the Main Street for this event, so it really feels like you are in a Christmas village. Not to mention the carolers and small groups of high schoolers playing Christmas songs with their instruments in front of different stores. Ahh… Christmas time is really thick in the air!

Just make sure you don’t come alone. One time I went there by myself, and I felt like something was missing. I was happy, I could feel the joy, but I didn’t feel complete. I wished my family or friends were there with me. It’s just something that you must attend with your loved ones. That being said, expect a lot of people when you go to Dickens on Main in Boerne. This event is not only popular in Boerne, but also to neighboring towns in the Texas Hill Country all the way to San Antonio and Austin.

Antioch – Illinois

by Melissa from A Little Time and a Keyboard

The magical world of Charles Dickens comes alive in Antioch, Illinois each holiday season the night after Thanksgiving through New Year’s Day. Charming and heartwarming Dickens Scenes cobbled together with mannequins, costumes and storylines crafted by local volunteers enchant families during holiday adventures. Over 40 scenes positioned around town create whimsical snippets of Dickensian tales. A descriptive plaque accompanies each scene providing details of the scene and life in England during the Dickens Era. As we strolled through town one brisk December day, we truly appreciated the craftsmanship and care that went into shaping the touching scenes.

Antioch’s Dickens Holiday Village has emerged as a holiday tradition with visitors from all over Illinois and other states venturing to town to capture a little classical Christmas nostalgia. In recent years, the event has expanded to include Kringle’s Christmas Village featuring large animated holiday shadow boxes. A Dickens Holiday Village Welcome Center offers Dickensian hospitality and a guide to the touching scenes. Special family days feature delightful music, carolers and even visits with Scrooge!  Outdoor Dickens vignettes may be seen at any time. Kringle’s Christmas Village and indoor displays are viewable 10AM-8PM. Guided tours of the handcrafted Dickens Village are also available.

While perusing the heartwarming displays, we also enjoyed wandering the village streets of Antioch investigating boutiques and eateries. The whimsical holiday adventure provides for a lovely afternoon adventure. Nestled near the Wisconsin border and a little over an hour from Chicago, Antioch welcomes revelers to small town holiday enchantment year after year.

San Francisco – California

by Tatiana from Family Road Trip Guru

The Great Dickens Christmas Fair is one of the most prominent Christmas festivals held in the San Francisco Bay Area for 50 years. It takes place in Daly City, at the Southern edge of San Francisco, in a huge arena/ event venue called Cow Palace. The whole venue is completely transformed into Victorian London with walking streets, pubs, shops, several stages for performances and so much more.

Costumed characters stroll the streets of this amazing Christmas town among which you can see Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, Father Christmas, a great number of Charles Dickens’ stories characters and the great writer himself. In addition to that you can meet “regular” Victorian London folks such as chimneysweeps, newsboys, sailors, carolers and many others.

During the Fair you can do Victorian crafts in the London stores (ex. making fairy houses, candles or Christmas ornaments), shop for Christmas gifts, eat authentic British food, have Victorian tea and watch dozens of performances from traditional dancers to jugglers to carolers and everything in between. There are performances for kids and adults. Kids in particular love meeting Father Christmas in person and tell him their Christmas wishes. The Great Dickens Christmas Fair runs for a month from the middle of November to the middle of December. The great benefit of Cow Place is that it is a 100% indoor venue so bad weather will not spoil your experience in the least. It is a very popular event among all other Christmas activities in San Francisco so I recommend buying your weekend tickets well in advance.

Cambridge – Ohio

by me, Umiko from Two Worlds Treasures

For more than 10 years, Old England has lived in Cambridge Ohio from the beginning of November to the first day of the New Year. When you stroll along Wheeling Avenue in downtown Cambridge, you will see scenes of Dickens Victorian Village at each antique lamppost and bench between 6th and 11th Streets, as well as in windows on the street level, and in second story windows.

You will see over 92 scenes of 180 lifelike figurines representing classic scenes from the Victorian era. Some of them are Bob Cratchit and Tiny Tim, the town crier, the carolers, street peddlers, and of course Father Christmas. They are handmade and each of the characters’ faces were sculpted and painted carefully by local artists. Isn’t it wonderful? These mannequins are wearing real vintage clothes, too.

When we drove into town, we thought there was some kind of a festival where people dressed up in a Victorian era. Once we got closer, we realized there were mannequins. It was pretty cool to stroll along the street with a cup of hot chocolate in hand, learning about each of the characters from the plaques accompanying each of the scenes.

When you plan a visit (and I think you should), don’t forget to stop at the Welcome Center. Actually, it is the heart of the Dickens Victorian Village experience, so you must stop there first. The Ambassadors will assist you in planning your visit. You will also find information on other activities during this holiday season, such as Chocolate Tour, Cemetery Tour, Horse Drawn Carriage Rides, and the Victorian Era Tea. The Welcome Center is also home of the Curiosity Shoppe, The Imagination Station, and the Educational Side of Dickens, but they only open on Fridays and Saturdays from 10 am to 6 pm.

Moreover, visitors can experience shopping and eating at the local eateries along the main street. Stay until dark to see the Courthouse Light Show.

Have you been to one of these places? What do you think about them?

Be aware, this list will go longer as I will add more places to see the Dickens Christmas around the country. So, make sure to come back often.

In fact, contact me if you have been to a different Dickens Christmas and want to share your experience with others. I will be more than happy to add it.

Hope the coming holiday season will bring more joy into your life. Be happy and be safe. Merry Christmas!