Two of the season's charity events land on Saturday, December 5. The MAINx24 Chili Championship runs late morning on the Southside and benefits Reflection Riding Arboretum & Nature Center on Garden Road. That afternoon, the Black Creek Holiday Tour of Homes opens six decorated houses off Cummings Highway. Each one happens one time, in one place, on a set schedule.
Up the mountain, Rock City's Enchanted Garden of Lights runs from November 13 through December 31 and sells tickets by date and entry time. For someone who lives at the base of Lookout Mountain, that makes the lights the easiest part of December to move. Plan the fixed dates first and fit the lights in afterward.
The Saturday that has to be planned
December 5 works as a full day because the two events don't overlap. The chili ends before the home tour starts, which leaves enough time to drive back from the Southside.
- 11:00 a.m. MAINx24 Chili Championship opens at 326 East Main Street. Tickets are $15 at the door.
- 1:30 p.m. Chili service ends, or earlier if the pots run out, and the awards are announced.
- 2:00 p.m. The Black Creek Holiday Tour of Homes opens at the Black Creek Clubhouse, 4700 Cummings Cove Drive.
- 6:00 p.m. The home tour closes.
The chili tickets are sold at the door. The home tour sells tickets ahead through its own site. Those two different ticketing methods make it easy to plan both.
Six houses, one ornament, and a cause
This year is the fourth Black Creek Holiday Tour of Homes, and proceeds go to recovery programs at CADAS, the Council for Alcohol and Drug Abuse Services. As Chattanoogan.com reported in October, the afternoon starts at the clubhouse with holiday sweets and warm cider. Guests pick up a tour guide and receive a Christopher Radko ornament there, then head out to six homes across the community.
According to the same report, this year's homes run from new construction to a range of architectural styles and interiors. The Kitchen Collection is styling the holiday tablescapes. Hors d'oeuvres along the route come from four local kitchens:
- Events with Taste
- River Street Deli
- Marsha's Back Street Cafe
- Cupcake Kitchen
Chattanoogan.com lists tickets at $35 per person, sold through HolidayTourChattanooga.com. The tour is a few minutes' drive for anyone living along Cummings Highway or Brown's Ferry Road, so it fits easily into a December Saturday.
The chili across the river that benefits Garden Road
The chili cook-off takes place on Main Street, but its proceeds go to Reflection Riding. Reflection Riding's event page says the proceeds benefit the arboretum directly and thanks OCI for hosting the space at 326 East Main Street. Teams can register to compete through the same listing.
The cook-off is part of MAINx24, a community-led, 24-hour Southside festival where neighborhood participants host their own events. The chili has been held at that lot for years. In 2021, green|spaces listed a "MainX24 World Heavyweight Chili Championship" at the OCI parking lot. Reflection Riding ran it last year with the same $15 door price. The one change for 2026 is the schedule. In 2025, the chili ran from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. with awards at 2 p.m. This year it wraps at 1:30 p.m., which is what lets the chili and the 2 p.m. home tour fit in the same day.
Why Rock City is the piece that moves
Once the fixed Saturday is set, Rock City is the easiest piece to move. The Enchanted Garden of Lights is in its 32nd year and runs every night from November 13 through December 31 except December 24. That gives residents most of seven weeks to choose from. Tickets are sold online only, and prices vary by date and entry time. Adult tickets range from $35 to $52 and tickets for ages 3 to 12 run $25 to $42, so the same adult admission can cost $17 more depending on the night and time.
Out-of-town visitors usually have to take whichever entry time is left on the one night they're in town. Someone who lives at the foot of the mountain can compare dates on the calendar before buying. Rock City's own guidance makes that choice more important. Guests can't enter before their entry time, and that includes the indoor food options and Santa. Rock City also recommends not arriving too early, to avoid parking and line congestion.
The details that shape a visit:
- Hours: 10:00 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. from November 13 through December 31, with select nights running to 11:30 p.m. Last entry is 45 minutes before closing.
- Christmas week: Closed December 24, then open December 25 from 4 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.
- Santa: Visits nightly through December 23. After that, the Carter Cliffs trail, the Christmas tree walk and Santa's workshop stay open.
- Before your entry time: Restrooms are on the ticket plaza. A Starbucks across the street serves hot coffee and snacks, and you can eat at the Mockingbird Lane picnic area or carry your food into the event.
- Passholders: People with a 2026 or 2027 pass don't need reservations unless they're using a Bring-A-Friend entitlement. They can visit any night their benefits include, sold-out nights included. A 2027 Gold pass is $99 per adult and $89 per child, and a Family pass covering two adults and four children is $249.
- Accessibility: The trail isn't fully stroller or wheelchair accessible. Stroller parking is available, and a limited-access ADA trail reaches certain portions.
The new feature this year is at Carter Cliffs, the original Rock City home. Guests can now go inside to the front patio for hot chocolate after walking down Christmas Tree Lane to Santa's workshop. The other four trails are back. The Grand Corridor has the original peace doves, the nativity scene and Toyland. The Bridges Trail crosses the swing-a-long bridge to the night view at Lovers Leap, with the Stone Bridge open as an alternate route. The Hall of the Mountain King Trail has the gnomes, and the Fairyland Caverns Trail runs through Mother Goose Village.
The quieter Saturdays on Garden Road
After December 5, Reflection Riding's own campus at 400 Garden Road has a calmer December. Its calendar lists several small, registration-based programs on the valley floor:
| Date | Program | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Saturday, Dec. 12 | Project ReWild | 9 to 10 a.m. |
| Saturday, Dec. 12 | Healing with Nature with The Chattery | 10 a.m. to noon |
| Saturday, Dec. 12 | Woodland Walk | 2 to 3:30 p.m. |
| Tuesday, Dec. 15 | Hard of Hearing Night: Winged Wisdom | 5 to 6:30 p.m. |
| Saturday, Dec. 19 | Project ReWild | 9 to 10 a.m. |
| Saturday, Dec. 19 | Woodland Walk | 2 to 3:30 p.m. |
Every program links to its own registration page. Both December 12 and December 19 have a morning and a mid-afternoon option, which leaves the evening free for the mountain. For anyone who wants Rock City on a weekend, those two Saturdays combine easily with an afternoon Woodland Walk.
The parade on Kellys Ferry Road
The Lookout Valley Christmas Parade and Holiday Market is the valley's own street event, and it has been held in recent Decembers. In 2024, Chattanoogan.com described a parade presented by the LV Sports Association's cheer and soccer programs, the Lookout Valley Neighborhood Association and the Lookout Valley Lions Club. It ran from 701 Browns Ferry Road to the John A. Patten Community Center at 3202 Kellys Ferry Road, with lineup at 11 a.m. and the parade at noon.
That year, the market after the parade had vendors, make-and-take crafts, live music from Freedom Sings USA, Santa photos, sweets and food. Vendor fees and donated toys went to local families. In 2025, the parade was set for Saturday, December 6, at noon, with local businesses, churches, school groups and decorated utility trailers rolling down the route.
The Lookout Valley Soccer Association homepage carries a "Sign up for Christmas Parade and Holiday Market" link, and it is the organizer page to watch for this year's details.
If December's home tour has you picturing a decorated house of your own on this side of the mountain, Bridge City Realty knows the streets between Cummings Highway and Kellys Ferry Road and can walk you through what's available. Start Your Home Search with a family-owned team that lives this calendar too.
