Southern Affairs

This holiday season is the time to be thankful – for friends, family, life getting back to normal, and for the return of these hip happenings and festive events. 

 Get ready to discover the outstanding and extraordinary good times that await you at these all-out Southern soirees. Meet friendly folks and enjoy the perfect fall weather that makes any trip to the South more than memorable. They make it phenomenal. 

U.S. Army Airborne & Special Operations Museum 
D-Day: Freedom from Above 
Fayetteville, North Carolina  
October 19th – March 22nd  

For over 20 years the U.S. Army Airborne and Special Operations Museum has shared the stories of soldiers, veterans, and the legendary protectors of the freedoms held most dear. Creating a 21st-century immersive experience, learn about the more than 80 years of U.S. Army Airborne and Special Operations history. Experience the reality of the 82nd and 101st Airborne divisions at this season’s exhibit – D-Day: Freedom from Above. With approximately 1,500 square feet, the exhibit features historic D-Day artifacts, archival films, interactive maps, and augmented reality presented in conjunction with the HistOvery of Paris, France, and the Airborne Museum in Saint-Mere-Eglise in Normandy, the first French town to be liberated during the largest seaborne invasion in history.  
asomf.org  

Oklahoma's Largest Drive-thru Light Display 
Yukon, Oklahoma 
Tuesday, November 20th through Friday, December 31st  

Holiday excitement and free family fun are in store at Yukon’s breathtaking Christmas in the Park, a magical wonderland of visual entertainment offered starting the Saturday before Thanksgiving at 6 p.m., then running from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. every night through New Year’s Eve. Motorists from across the country drive along nearly three miles of illuminated fun in three inter-connected city parks to see 5 million twinkling lights and over 500 one-of-a-kind lighted displays. Guests may also enjoy walking through the lights or, for a small fee, riding the Santa Express Train. The tour starts in Yukon City Park, winds through Freedom Trail, then concludes Chisholm Trail Park. Walkers: stop by several “selfie stations” scattered throughout the parks. These festive stations are a great backdrop for a family photo or your next profile picture. Be sure to tag the City of Yukon in your pictures! Walkers, as well as those who want to visit Santa, are encouraged to park in the Oklahoma Parking Lot, located on the north end of Chisholm Trail Park At the Santa Express Train Station, young and old alike will love taking photos in the adorable Gingerbread Family Photo Cutouts, in the airplane, on the toy train or by Czechers, the massive Polar Bear! The recently added singing Christmas tree is sure to add some magic to your visit. For a small fee, the ever-popular Santa Express Train carries you on an enchanting ride among millions of Christmas lights. A new 30-foot RGB Christmas Tree presents a stunning light show throughout your visit. Enjoy animations and dancing lights, all synched to your favorite Christmas tunes. Other recent additions include a majestic unicorn and juggling dragon. 
yukonok.gov/city-departments/parks-recreation/Christmas-in-the-park 

Thomas Jefferson Poplar Wine Festival 
Forest, Virginia  
Saturday, November 13th  

Eat, drink, shop, and explore a gem of American history at the Poplar Wine Festival. Returning to Mr. Jefferson's south lawn, the Thomas Jefferson Wine Festival celebrates Jefferson's legacy as the father of Virginia wine with tastings from more than a dozen regional wineries. Enjoy live performances by local musicians, graze on foods by local vendors, and tour the president's private retreat. A unique opportunity to hear the stories of Jefferson's family, the free and enslaved craftsmen who built the historic masterpiece, and the enslaved people who lived and labored on the plantation. Come explore the world of Thomas Jefferson. Experience the festival as a Jefferson VIP— with access to a private tent, heavy hors d’oeuvres, exclusive wine tastings, and a private audience with Mr. Jefferson himself, it is an affair to remember.
poplarforest.org/event/thomas-jefferson-wine-festival-2021  

Foods & Feasts of Colonial Virginia at American Revolution Museum  
Yorktown, Virginia 
Friday, November 26th & Saturday, November 27th  

Explore the 18th-century culinary practices of Virginia this Thanksgiving weekend. At the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown, explore 18th-century culinary practices of Virginia. On the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, visitors trace the bounty of a Revolution-era farm from how the food was grown in the fields to how it was preserved and prepared in the kitchen. At Jamestown Settlement, a museum of 17th century Virginia, learn about the fare of a typical soldier during the war, the Virginia Colonists while at sea, and the Powhatan Indians before the settlement. With a traditional Thanksgiving dinner served at the Jamestown Settlement Cafe on Thanksgiving Day, a holiday at the Jamestown settlement in Yorktown is an unforgettable glimpse into the past.  
historyisfun.org

The Festival of Texas Fiddling 
Blanco, Texas 
Friday, December 3rd – Sunday, December 5th  

Presenting the best and most diverse array of Texas fiddle music stylings, the Festival of Texas Fiddling is 3 days of music and dancing not to be missed. From Country to Western Swing, Tejano, and Texas-Polish, the first weekend of December is bound to be a hoot. Located at the historic and beautiful Twin Sisters Dance Hall in Blanco, the Festival features all-day dancing, workshops, jamming, camping, vendors, barbecue, and beer. A celebration of the unique styles and traditions of fiddling, the 7th Annual Festival of Texas Fiddling welcomes all to enjoy Texas fiddling and dancing in historic and unique Texas dance halls. Discover why Texas music is fiddle music. 
texasfiddle.org 

Reveillon Dinner 
New Orleans 
December 2021 

Visitors to New Orleans during the holiday season should make it a purpose to sample an old Crescent City tradition dating back to the early 19th century. Reveillon (REV-ee-on) Dinner comes from the French and means "awakening," and is a celebrated Christmas tradition in Creole Country. Some of the city's earliest inhabitants celebrated the start of Christmas in the early 1800s, with a big family meal when they returned home from midnight mass. Two o'clock in the morning may be an odd time to start a feast consisting of gumbo, game pies, soups, souffles, lavish desserts, and bottles of brandy, but Christmas only comes once a year. By the 1990s, the emphasis on the Reveillon tradition shifted from family dinners at home to the tables of the city's top-tier restaurants. Today, dozens of New Orleans restaurants offer Reveillon Dinners with menus inspired by those enjoyed by the Creole families who began the tradition. Featuring house specialties and other delectable culinary creativity, the Reveillon tradition is a great way to gather family and friends around a large table in an old French Quarter restaurant. Enjoy a new year with togetherness, good cheer, and great memories – you'll never forget a good time in the Crescent City.  
frenchquarter.com/reveillon-dinners 

Knoxville Jazz Orchestra: A Swinging Jazz Christmas 
Knoxville, Tennessee 
Tuesday, December 14th 

Featuring acclaimed vibraphonist, Warren Wolf, the Knoxville Jazz Orchestra’s A Swinging Jazz Christmas is guaranteed to be the hippest concert of the season. Effervescent arrangements of holiday favorites in the style of Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and more other jazz greats will have concert goers moving to the beat. The 17-piece big band features saxophones, trombones, trumpets, guitar, piano, bass, and drums, all performed by East Tennessee’s top professional musicians. With extraordinary performances and special guests, make this season merry and bright with the music of America – jazz.  
tennesseetheatre.com 
knoxjazz.org  

Enjoy more fun festivals and exciting events throughout the South this season!