The Wilson County Convention & Visitors Bureau is pleased to bring you sample highlights of upcoming holiday events in our area. We have everything from parades to train rides with Santa, to holiday theatre musicals and amazing drive-thru light displays! Wilson County has something for everyone this holiday season!

Pack up your family and head to some of Wilson County's drive-thru Christmas light displays! The Festival of Lights is open from 5 p.m. until 9 p.m., every Thursday through Sunday inside historic Fiddlers Grove at the James E. Ward Agricultural Center from Nov. 26 through Dec. 26. Admission is $5 per car. Then visit one of the nation's largest Christmas light displays at Chad's Winter Wonderland, located just off Hwy. 109 in Lebanon. Admission is $10 per car. View over two million lights and visit the live Santa while you're there!

Another holiday favorite is the Tennessee Central Railway's North Pole Express Train with Santa. The train will run Nov. 27, Dec. 4 and 11. Tickets for the train sell out quickly, so get yours today! For train information and tickets, please contact the Tennessee Central Railway Museum at 615-244-9001, or visit www.tcry.org.

Experience the holiday cheer with marching bands, floats, Santa and so much more! Enjoy the City of Lebanon's Christmas Parade on Dec. 5, beginning at 2 p.m. The Jingle Jog 5K will take place prior to the Lebanon Christmas Parade. This fun run is sure to warm your heart! And don't miss the City of Mt. Juliet's Christmas Parade on Dec. 11, beginning at 11 a.m. The theme for this year's parade is "Toy Store Christmas."

If you love shopping during the holiday season, you're in luck! The Art Mill in Lebanon will host a Parent's Day Out "Shop 'Til You Drop" Kids Art Camp on Nov. 26 and 27. You can treat your kids to a fun painting class while you do some holiday shopping. Then head to Mt. Juliet for their annual Holiday Bazaar at the Mt. Juliet Community Center on Dec. 4 and 5. Get in the holiday spirit with caroling, carriage rides, hot apple cider and more at Providence Marketplace's annual Tree Lighting Celebration on Nov. 27. Also on Dec. 4 and 5, Providence Marketplace will host Snowfest. Enjoy outdoor ice skating and visit with Santa. You can also visit with Santa on the Watertown Square on Dec. 4 and 11.

Celebrate Christmas the old-fashioned way with the City of Watertown at their annual Christmas Tour of Homes on Dec. 11 and 12. You'll tour some of Wilson County's beautiful and historic homes. You also won't want to miss Historic Lebanon Tomorrow's 3rd Annual Tour of Historic Places on Dec. 4 and 5.

All dates and times are subject to change. For more information on these events and others, contact the Wilson County Convention & Visitors Bureau or visit www.visitwilsoncounty.com. You can also look for us on Facebook and Twitter!

PHOTO BY candrews