Arguably the best time to visit the Great Lake State is during the month of December for our gorgeous winter wonderland. There are so many festive Michigan towns to visit for Christmas that it’s hard to choose from. Spending Christmas in Rochester, Michigan should definitely be at the top of your holiday travel bucket list. The darling downtown offers caroling in the city, and the Royal Park Hotel has exquisitely decorated Christmas-themed hotel rooms.
Rochester, Michigan is a medium-sized town 40 minutes north of Detroit.
Downtown Rochester hosts The Big, Bright Light Show which lights up the town with over 1 million Christmas lights in a variety of colors. This might be the most beautiful Christmas display in Michigan that you can drive through! It also happens to be one of the best Christmas festivals in Rochester, Michigan with dates set between late November and mid-January.
If you enjoy shopping small, then you’ll love the many independent stores and boutiques for Christmas shopping in Downtown Rochester. There are also several incredible eateries you can try like The Meeting House, Lipuma's Coney Island, and Red Knapp's Dairy Bar.
Downtown Rochester is home to the perfect combination of charming historic buildings, shops, restaurants, and cool local events. One of the best family-friendly Christmas activities in Rochester, Michigan is the Lagniappe (which means "a little something extra" in Creole) event. This is when you can find choirs singing, the start of The Big, Bright Light Show, and fireworks. Make sure to bundle up for the festivities and warm up your singing voice with a hot drink at one of Rochester’s coffee shops. Caroling takes place the Monday after Thanksgiving on Rochester's Main Street. Santa will also be available to visit during the event.
For the grand finale, the entire town gathers around a huge Christmas tree to sing songs. Bring along your friends and family and live out the scene from The Grinch where all the Whos down in Whoville sing together.
Now that you’re all tuckered out from a night of caroling and Christmas light spotting, stay the night at the luxurious Royal Park Hotel located right downtown.
The merriment lasts all night long when you book one of Royal Park’s holiday-themed rooms! Lovers of holiday lights will enjoy staying in the beautifully decorated Holiday Pop-Up Suite with its winter wonderland theme. You can curl up in bed surrounded by floor-to-ceiling lights, festive trees, ornaments, and garlands, and enjoy a signature cocktail while you're at it.
Book the Maker’s Mark Merry & Bright Suite and you won’t need to pass through the seven levels of the candy cane forest to stay at the Buddy The Elf-Inspired Suite. You’ll get to snack on Buddy’s four main food groups (Candy, candy canes, candy corn, and syrup) in a reimagined way. Then wind down with a "Mailroom Cocktail" which features Maker’s Mark Bourbon and coffee that will help recreate the mailroom scene.
You can book your stay on the Royal Park Hotel website To find out the dates of Rochester, Michigan’s holiday events you can visit the Downtown Rochester website.
Have you spent any time at Christmas in Rochester, Michigan before? You can also check out some of the other best small towns to visit during the holidays in Michigan.
Are you looking for unique gifts for the travelers in your life? Take a look at our Amazon Storefront for ideas!
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