See more Southern Living picks

We all know McAdenville does Christmas right. But Southern Living has praised one nearby North Carolina town for its holiday spirit.

The magazine praised several North Carolina locations on a recent list of 18 cutest Christmas towns, Hendersonville included.

Established in 1966, Southern Living aims to “celebrate the food, homes and places that define our region.” Among other recent lists was 11 towns reopened in Western NC post-Helene, which also included Hendersonville.

Here’s why Hendersonville made the list.

Hendersonville, NC Christmas

Areas where Hendersonville stood out to Southern Living writers when it came to Christmas cheer included:

• Downtown Hendersonville’s tree lighting.

• Peppermint Bear Scavenger Hunt, with bear cubs scattered around local businesses and prizes for finding 10 cubs.

• Holiday Tour of Inns, with bed and breakfasts “decked out for the season” and the added bonus of innkeeper meet-and-greets and interesting inn histories.

• Christmas parade on Main Street with floats, bands and firetrucks.

Cutest Christmas towns in the Western NC area

Some more choices that aren’t too far from Gaston County:

Aiken, South Carolina

• 1,000 luminaries lining downtown.

• Decorated trees on display at the visitor center.

• Christmas in the Hopelands Gardens.

Rock Hill, South Carolina

• “ChristmasVille” events including themed crafts, story times, inflatables and art.

• Walk-through exhibit of Vernon Grant’s work in the Arts Council.

Bristol, Tennessee

• Slate Street decorations, including a 30-foot Douglas fir tree with more than 30,000 lights.

• Whimsicals coffee shop with seasonal beverages.

• Hand-painted reimagination of Bristol’s Christmas theme across the windows of the historic Susong Building.

• Cookie-decorating event at Blackbird Bakery featuring Santa Claus.

• Journey’s End event, an interpretation of Las Posadas, a Latin American tradition honoring Mary and Joseph’s journey complete with a candlelit sing-along.

Cartersville, Georgia

• Year-round holiday store ‘Tis The Season, including festive music, hundreds of ornaments and custom jewelry.

• Pettit Creek Farms’ A Country Christmas event, with live reindeer, fresh-cut trees and visits with Santa.

• Christmas parade in historic Downtown Cartersville.

More: There are no ice skating rinks in Asheville: Here’s where to skate in Western NC, Upstate SC

Cutest Christmas towns in the South

Southern Living’s full list of 18 cute Christmas towns:

• Georgetown, Washington D.C.

• Hendersonville, North Carolina

• Rock Hill, South Carolina

Iris Seaton is the trending news reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: ‘Cute’ Christmas towns: Hendersonville NC praised by Southern Living