It may be warm and sunny with sand beneath your feet and a breeze filtering in from the ocean but the holidays reign in Coastal Georgia’s festive town of Kingsland. From a historic train ride with Santa and enjoying a rare treat of snow to celebrating with cast members of “Star Trek Continues,” there’s something for everyone.
Holiday Lights
Get in the spirit by grabbing a hot cocoa at your favorite Kingsland coffee house and enjoy a light-filled road trip through town. Residences and businesses have been decorating their homes and storefronts to win bragging rights in Kingsland’s second annual “Home for the Holidays” lights contest. Grab a holiday roadmap to the displays at the Kingsland Welcome Center (1190 Boone Ave. at the Interstate 95 Exit 3, VisitKingsland.com) and cast your vote for your favorites from Dec. 1-25.
Take the Santa Train
Visitors enjoy taking a ride on the Georgia Coastal Railway (440 St. Lee St., Kingsland, TheGeorgiaTrain.com) rolling from the Kingsland Station to St. Marys all year long but in late November and throughout December the 70-minute rail journey on the historic Georgia Train includes Santa and his delightful friends. Holiday characters sure to please every age include Mrs. Claus, elves and Frosty the Snowman.
Downtown Shopping
Downtown Kingsland offers several boutiques offering special items for every member on your gift list, such as fine leather goods at Hooks Crafted Leather Co. (100 S. Lee St., HooksCraftedLeather.com), unique fashions at Highlands & Heartache (106 N. Lee St., www.facebook.com/highlandsandheartache) or antiques and collectibles at Southern Shenanigans (101 S. Lee St., www.Southern-Shenanigans.com/), to name a few. The Makery on Lee (111 S. Lee St., TheMakeryonLee.com) allows visitors to create their own special crafts. While perusing the downtown streets, be sure to take in the Christmas trees and window displays featuring sweet holiday scenes.
A Christmas Story at Oakwell
Start this special holiday event with a hayride to the Oakwell Farm on the St. Marys River (5035 Clarks Bluff Road, Kingsland, www.facebook.com/OakwellontheSt.MarysRiver). Guides will then lead visitors through “a walk to Bethlehem” where the story of Jesus’s birth is told with a live Nativity. The evening includes holiday selfie stations, Santa hospitality barn where kids may create holiday ornaments to take home and refreshments. A Christmas Story at Oakwell will be from 6 to 9 p.m. December 2-3. Admission is free with donations to the Harbor Hope Truck welcome.
A Snowy Kingsland Christmas
It may be Southern Georgia but for one evening, Kingsland will enjoy a white Christmas. We’re talking real snow in downtown Kingsland (200 E King Ave., Kingsland, https://fb.me/e/2WeAZ4nul)! This annual frosty holiday event features a visit from Santa on a Kingsland Fire Department firetruck, hot cocoa and cookies, sugarplum dancers and more from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 7.
Christmas on a Starship
Neutral Zone Studios (16 W. William Ave., Kingsland, NeutralZoneStudios.com), where the fan-based “Star Trek Continues” is filmed, routinely open their 9,600-square-foot facility for Fan Appreciation Weekends. On Dec. 9-10, it’s “Christmas on a Starship!” with festive guided tours of the full-scale starship sets, such as the bridge, transporter room, engineering, captain’s quarters and more. The weekend also includes Q&A sessions and autographs from “Star Trek Continues” Executive Producer Vic Mignogna and a visit from Chris Doohan, son of James Doohan who played Montgomery Scott in the “Star Trek” film series.