Frankenmuth, known as Michigan's Little Bavaria, keeps the holiday spirit alive all year, with its main attraction, Bronner's CHRISTmas Wonderland, open 361 days annually. The town, founded by German missionaries in 1845, retains its Bavarian architecture and traditions, offering horse-drawn carriage rides, an ice rink, and festive lights during the Christmas season.
World's Largest Christmas Store
Bronner's CHRISTmas Wonderland, the world's largest Christmas store, houses more than 50,000 Christmas trims and gifts and around 100,000 individual lights. The store is larger than a football pitch and is open 361 days a year, allowing visitors to experience a Christmas atmosphere even in July.
Visitors in winter may enjoy a white Christmas, as the town averages 11.4 inches of snowfall in December. North American travel experts at Journeyscape named it one of the most Christmassy small-town escapes across the USA and Canada.
Recommended Road Trip Stops
Journeyscape spokesperson Rob Holmes recommended stopping at several towns along the way. "Some of the best moments are the simple ones - walking around after dark, stopping somewhere warm for a drink, or just seeing the town once the lights come on. A wider self-drive holiday can work really well here, letting you build a Christmas town into a broader itinerary rather than treating it as a standalone stop."
Just over the border is Almonte, Ontario, which Journeyscape calls the "best place in Canada" for Christmas. The town has become a festive backdrop for many films, including Unlocking Christmas and Christmas Scavenger Hunt.
Almonte and Ottawa Itinerary
Holmes added: "Almonte works particularly well because you don’t have to make the film locations the whole focus of the day. Many are around the historic centre, so you can spot them naturally while exploring the independently owned shops and boutiques, cafés and riverside."
"It’s also only around 40 minutes from Ottawa, which makes it easy to build into a wider Ontario trip. For Christmas film fans, I’d combine the smaller-town atmosphere of Almonte with a few nights in Ottawa, where even more holiday films have been shot and there are Christmas markets, lights and winter activities to enjoy."
Holmes also noted that visitors can experience the Rideau Canal, which temporarily freezes over to become the world’s largest naturally frozen skating rink.
