A small Southern town finds its glow again

By Kerri Parker

There’s a moment — just as the sun slips behind historic buildings and mature trees — when Lake DeFuniak becomes a mirror. The century-old homes that curve around its shore soften into silhouette, and then suddenly, with the flick of a switch, Christmas Reflections comes to life. Millions of twinkling lights ripple across the water of one of only two nearly perfect spring-fed lakes in the world.

DeFuniak Springs was built for gatherings. The L&N railroad once delivered thinkers, teachers, and travelers to this very lakefront, where the Florida Chautauqua flourished in a flurry of lectures, concerts, and conversation. It was a hub of culture, a place where ideas arrived before the rest of the state caught up. Time moves on, as it does. The rails quieted. The world chased the beaches to the south — the sugar-white ones along the Gulf that made Walton County famous.

But here in the county seat, around this improbably round lake, the glow never faded — it simply waited.

Today, visitors are drifting back from across the Southeast — families who’ve heard that something special is happening here again — discovering what locals have quietly known all along: DeFuniak Springs is stirring.

Along Baldwin Avenue, old brick storefronts are waking up again, many with the careful confidence of a place rediscovering its footing. Chef Todd Misener, who recently opened Iron & Grape Italian Kitchen, has quietly elevated the town’s culinary heartbeat. His scratch-made pasta and attention to detail draw locals and visitors alike, not with flash or fanfare, but with the steady rhythm of well-crafted meals and the kind of hospitality that doesn’t announce itself. 

And for those who arrive from farther afield — and many do — the night has a way of convincing them to linger a little longer. Travelers who prefer something more tucked-away often find themselves settling into century-old homes now offered as guest stays. It isn’t hard to stay the night here. In fact, it feels almost expected — as if Christmas Reflections was meant to be savored slowly, long after the last lights shimmer across the water.

Just down the street, a historic theater has found its breath again, too. National recording artists slip into its intimate acoustics — drawn by the purity of a true listening room — thanks to songwriter Tim Jackson, a full-time resident championing live music as part of the town’s very pulse.

These aren’t manufactured attractions. They’re the signs of a place remembering exactly who it is.

But the crown jewel — the reason families pack up thermoses of cocoa and make the drive — is Christmas Reflections.

The community has transformed its iconic lakefront into a glowing wonderland every holiday season. Through December nights, the breeze carries laughter from the horse-drawn carriage rides. Families stroll the mile-long promenade beneath archways of evergreen and light, the water throwing their reflection right back at them — a reminder that some moments can only happen here.

Every weekend in December, Baldwin Avenue becomes the sort of scene casting directors scout for holiday films — carolers in the street, small-batch hot chocolate, shop windows frosted just enough to catch a sparkle. It’s charming, yes — but never contrived. What’s happening in this town isn’t a revival — it’s a return to gathering for inspiration and connection.

If you’re not here on a December night, standing on the edge of a perfect circle of spring water watching stars and Christmas lights mingle as one — well, you’ll feel like you’ve missed something. Something rare.

And if you come once? You’ll circle back.

Christmas Reflections begins the day after Thanksgiving through the end of the year; 7 days a week from 5:30 pm to 9:00 pm. 

Admission Information:
$5 per person
Free for children 5 and under
Tuesday Discount for Military: $10 (for a carload of up to 6 people)
Bus Group Rates- $65 (12 adults or more)
Walkers get in Free – Donations Accepted
Season Passes: Available for $50 (for a carload up to 6 people)

Entry, Passes, and Donations can be paid in advance, link here. 

Carriage Ride Reservations:

Pettis’s Little Patch of Heaven, 850-896-6859 for reservations.

Carriages of Pensacola, 850-304-1069 for reservations.

Check the HWY 331 Calendar for holiday events and more.