MACON, Ga. — Santa Claus is coming to town!
Here's a full list of events and dates where you can catch a glimpse of Old Saint Nick in Central Georgia.
Where to see Santa
BIBB COUNTY
Santa Paws Pictures – Hart's Petuary is hosting a free picture session with Santa & Mrs. Claus in the Barn at Sardis-Heard on November 28 from 2-5 p.m.. Pets are welcome too. Appointments are required due to COVID-19. Call 478-741-0409 to set up an appointment.
Visit with Santa – Father Goose's International Toys at 4524 Forsyth Road is hosting a visit with Santa event on Nov. 30 from 3-7 p.m. They are taking appointments to try and limit the number of people in the store at one time. Please call the store at Store (478) 477-8538 or Susan’s cell (478) 731-5551 for details and time availability. You can also get your gifts wrapped.
Santa's Wonderland at Bass Pro Shops – From Nov. 7 to Dec. 24, visit Santa at Bass Pro Shops at 5000 Bass Pro Blvd. and receive a free 4x6 studio-quality photo, as well as a free shareable video when you provide your email address. Reservations are required. Visit the Bass Pro Shops website to make a free reservation. The website says there will be temperature checks, contactless Santa visits, sanitization stations and more to keep everyone safe.
Santa Days at the Hay House – On Dec. 5 and 6, join the Hay House for Santa Days to get custom photos of your children taken with Santa. Pre-scheduled appointments and payments are strongly encouraged for the safety of staff and guests. Face coverings and liability waivers are required. All children ages 5-12 can participate in the “Elves at Hay House” Scavenger Hunt.
Christmas at the Castle Outdoor Market – On Dec. 5 from 1-7 p.m. Windsor Academy is having an outdoor market at 4150 Jones Road. There will be local vendors and kids can take a picture with Santa and enjoy a hot cocoa. Masks are not required, but they are requested. There will be hand sanitizing and washing stations. Admission is $5 per adult. Children 12 and under are free.
Christmas Bazaar & Cake Walk – On Dec. 6 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., come to Macon Moose Lodge at 2217 Gray Highway and join Every Shade of Purple for free pictures with Santa, free pictures with Santa, raffles, and cash giveaways every hour. There will be over 30 vendors there too.
Christmas Tree Lighting – Join First Presbyterian Day School on Dec. 6 at 5 p.m. for a Christmas Tree Lighting on FPD's campus. Enjoy hot chocolate, cookies, carols, games, and performances by the 5th grade band and chorus before the lighting of the Christmas tree. There will also be baked goods available for purchase at the bake sale.
Santa Paws – Macon Bibb County Recreation invites you to take pictures with Santa and get holiday gift bags at the Macon Dog Park on 831 Adams Street on Dec. 19 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. There will be live music.
Breakfast with Santa – Rock Springs Church Macon is holding Breakfast with Santa on Dec. 12. Tickets are $12 and include breakfast from Cracker Barrel, photos with Santa, ornament making, letters to Santa and hot chocolate. There will be 2 time slots available: 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. You can reserve tickets here.
Breakfast with Santa Drive Thru Edition – On Sunday Dec. 16, have breakfast with Santa in a Drive Thru. There are six stations: Reindeer Feed Store, Little Elf's Crafting Workshop, Santa's Bakery, Christmas Angel's Balloon Show, Snowman's Art Gallery, and Snapshots with Santa. The event is in the High Street and First Baptist Parking lot. Tickets are $15 per car in advance, $20 per car on the day of the event.
BLECKLEY COUNTY
Drive-thru Winter Wonderland: The free drive-thru event will be held on Dec. 4-5, 11-12 and 18-19 from 7-9 p.m. each night. It will be at Heartland EMS on Lucas Road and there will be lights and Santa!
HOUSTON COUNTY
Dinner with Santa and Miss Claus – At Shane's Rib Shack located at 1365 Sam Nunn Blvd. on Dec. 2, you can have dinner with Santa and Mrs. Claus starting at 6 p.m.
Santa Is Coming – Join Twisted Scissors salon at 1104 GA-96 E, Ste A for a visit with Santa. The event is on Dec. 19 from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Stop by to talk and get pictures with him.
LAURENS COUNTY
Dexter Produce Christmas Market -- Dexter Produce has five separate days of events where you can catch Santa on Dec 5, 10-11 and 18-19. Bring a toy for their toy drive, take photos with Santa, sip some hot cocoa and send a letter to the North Pole. It starts at 5 p.m. each day.
MONROE COUNTY
Winter Wonderland at EM Farms on Highway 80W in Culloden. Meet Santa, enjoy the scenery and snack on treats on Dec. 12 from 6-8 p.m. Admission for children is $5, adults are $10.
Are you one of Santa's secret helpers and have an event to share with us? Send us an email at news@13wmaz.com
Holiday events without Santa
BIBB COUNTY
Main Street Christmas Light Show Extravaganza Opening Concert –Come out to downtown Macon at the intersection of First and Poplar streets on Nov. 27 from 6-7 p.m. for a free outdoor concert featuring Macon Pops and a variety of local artists, synchronized to over 500,000 lights. Concert location is on First and Poplar Streets in downtown Macon. Masks are required in the designated concert area, there will be sanitizing stations, guests must enter and exit the concert area through designated entrances, and social distancing is encouraged.
Christmas is Beautiful – Come to Turning Point at Mabel White Baptist Church at 1415 Bass Road on Dec. 13 at 10:30 a.m. for a morning of worship and special guest singer Shelly Johnson.
Holiday Movie & Live Music Drive-In: The Grinch (2018) – Macon Centreplex and Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Georgia are hosting a movie drive in on Dec. 5 at the Macon Centreplex. Gates for The Grinch (2018) open at 5PM. Movie starts at 5:45 p.m. Die Hard will start at 8:20 p.m. Find information about tickets and parking here.
A Christmas Celebration – Turning Point at Mabel White Baptist Church is holding a musical Christmas celebration at 1415 Bass Rd along with Tattnall Square Academy. The event is on Sunday Dec. 6 at 10:30 a.m.
Annual Lizella Christmas Parade – Head to the Annual Lizella Christmas Parade at 2 p.m. on Saturday Dec. 5. The parade starts on Columbus behind the fire department. Then they will take a right on Eisenhower and a left on the bypass to Marathon.
Christmas Bazaar - Santa will be taking free pictures at the Moose Lodge at 2217 Gray Highway from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on December 13. Find out more here.
BLECKLEY COUNTY
Lite-a-Lite ceremony: The Pilot Club of Cochran will be holding its annual ceremony on the Chamber of Commerce lawn on December 4. The ceremony will be to light the tree filled with lights in honor or memory of others and proceeds go toward scholarships for BCHS seniors.
HOUSTON COUNTY
Toy giveaway – The local chapter of the American Society of Military Comptrollers will give away toys to kids in a drive-thru event on Dec 12. Families can drive up to the event from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on December 12 at McCall's restaurant on Watson Boulevard, and volunteers will load up the toys for their children. Parents must register children by Dec. 7. Registration can be done online by calling (478) 213-5759, or by emailing asmc2020toydrive@gmail.com.
Christmas Toy Drive - BossRyder Car Club presents a Christmas toy drive to help local kids. People can donate new, unwrapped toys before Dec. 18. Local kids can pick up toys on Dec. 20 at The Galleria Mall where Sears used to be between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m.
LAURENS COUNTY
Christmas Drive-thru - Southwest Laurens Elementary in Laurens County is hosting a Christmas Drive-Thru on Dec. 10th. For more info, contact Ronda Walker at rondawalker@lcboe.net or 478-984-4276.
