"Devils Grill is only available to Wintergreen Club Members and registered Wintergreen Resort Lodging Guests." That line appears on Wintergreen Resort's 2026 Thanksgiving page three times, once under each of the weekend's big meals. It covers the Thanksgiving Buffet, Prime Rib Friday and Breakfast with Santa.
If you own a home on the mountain but aren't a Club member and aren't booked into resort lodging, those three meals aren't open to you. The rest of the schedule is, though, and most of it falls in one short window. On both Friday and Saturday, the free and public events gather around the 5:30 p.m. lighting on the Blue Ridge Terrace. Plan around that hour and the rest of the weekend fits around it.
Thursday Is the Day to Stay Home
Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 26, is the quietest day of the weekend for anyone outside the Club and the lodging program. The resort's Thanksgiving Buffet runs from noon to 8 p.m. at Devils Grill, reservations required, and it is limited to members and lodging guests.
Some of the best-known places down the mountain close for the day. Blue Mountain Brewery's calendar lists it as closed all day on Thanksgiving, with regular hours the rest of the week. Veritas Vineyard & Winery closes its entire property on November 26.
For a home on the mountain, the resort's answer is its Turkey Dinner To-Go. The resort pitches it to people who want "a warm, delicious Thanksgiving feast at your cozy vacation home without the hassle of cooking." The order page lists it at $195. It feeds 6 to 8 people and comes with homestyle gravy, sourdough stuffing and cranberry sauce. The order link is on the resort's Thanksgiving page.
On the mountain, the open-door restaurant is The Edge. In the resort's weekly hours sheet, The Edge "is open to all for indoor dining & takeout," and you can reach it at 434-325-8080. The Market takes takeout orders at 434-325-8224. The sheet also says hours are "tentative and subject to change without notice due to staffing," so check the current Wintergreen Weekly for Thanksgiving week before you plan a meal around it.
Friday Builds Toward the Terrace
On Friday, November 27, the schedule starts thin and fills up in the evening.
The 11 a.m. Turkey Trot Golf Tournament at Stoney Creek Golf Course is an 18-hole shotgun start. Register by calling 434-325-8250. From 2 to 4 p.m., the "Holiday Sparkles" Paint + Sip in The Edge's Windsong Room walks you through a holiday painting step by step. No experience is needed, the ticket includes an 11×14 canvas and acrylic paint, and you have to buy in advance.
At 5 p.m., the weekend opens up. Light the Night starts on the Blue Ridge Terrace with free hot chocolate and holiday music, and the terrace lights come on at 5:30 with a live DJ. Devils Grill's Prime Rib Friday starts at the same hour, $40 per person until it sells out, but only for members and lodging guests.
The evening's last free event follows the lighting. From 6 to 8 p.m., the Crawford Room shows the TGR film Actually…it is Rocket Science, shot in places like Haines, Japan, Jay Peak and Jackson Hole. The resort calls it "a complimentary showing, no RSVP required." That gives you three hours of free evening on the mountain with no reservation.
Saturday Puts Santa on Both Sides of the Line
Saturday, November 28, has the most going on, and it shows the split most clearly. Santa is on the schedule twice that day. Breakfast with Santa runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Devils Grill and is limited to members and lodging guests. In the evening, Santa moves to the Mountain Inn, and those visits are free for anyone.
| Time | Event | Where | Access |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 a.m. to noon | Living with Nature at Wintergreen Hike, led by a Foundation naturalist | Meet at Trillium House | Pay in advance; rated moderate to strenuous |
| Noon to 2 p.m. | DIY Mini Tote Bag Painting with hot cocoa, ages 5 and up | Upper Crust Banquet Hall | Buy in advance |
| 4 to 5 p.m. | Cookie decorating, ages 12 and under, one cookie each while supplies last | Upper Crust Banquet Hall | Free |
| 5 to 6 p.m. | Pictures with Santa | Mountain Inn | Free |
| 5:30 p.m. | Light the Night lighting with a live DJ | Blue Ridge Terrace | Open to all |
| 6:30 to 7 p.m. | Story Time with Santa | Mountain Inn Hearthside Room | Free |
From 4 p.m. on, the table follows the same pattern as Friday. A family with young kids can go from cookie decorating to Santa photos, watch the terrace lights come on, and finish with story time in the Hearthside Room without a reservation or a membership. For the Nature Foundation hike, pay ahead through The Nature Foundation at Wintergreen before Saturday morning.
Down Route 151, the Same 5:30 Slot Has Competition
The public events on the mountain fill the dusk hour, and so does the biggest public event in the valley below. Veritas Illuminated is in its fifth season at Veritas Vineyard & Winery in Afton, with a new light trail through the grove and vines. Its November 28 session runs from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Veritas says tickets cost less this year. The trail is accessible and welcomes dogs, and you can warm up by the fire with mulled wine or hot chocolate.
The trail is open Wednesday, November 25, and again on Friday the 27th and Saturday the 28th, but not on Thanksgiving. Because both lightings start at 5:30, you can't see both at once. On Saturday the Veritas trail stays open until 8:30, so you can watch the terrace lights come on and still drive down for the light trail. Wednesday night is the one evening of the weekend when Veritas has no competition from the terrace.
Daytime Saturday along Route 151 is spread out, and the Nelson 151 events calendar lists several options:
- Holiday open house at Montebello Country Store, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- "The Toader" at Blue Toad Hard Cider, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- Live music at Afton Mountain Vineyards, 1 to 4 p.m.
- Live music at Brewing Tree Beer Company, 2 to 4 p.m.
Brewing Tree also has live music on the Friday calendar. With Blue Mountain and Veritas both closed on Thursday, Friday and Saturday are when the valley is open for business again.
The Date Inside the Weekend That Outlasts It
One deadline from the weekend carries into the ski season. Wintergreen's 2026–27 Mission Affordable 4-Pack costs $279 through December 1, the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, and goes up to $319 from December 2 through December 17. The pack holds four unrestricted 8-hour lift tickets, sold online only. The tickets are good any day the resort is open during the 2026–27 winter season, and you can use all four yourself or bring three friends. At $279, each lift day costs less than $70. Holiday guests may want to look at it before they leave.
Much of the work for that season happened during the off-season. Wintergreen's July update lists 14 new TechnoAlpin TT10 fan guns, expanded ATASS automation and a new CVEC electrical substation to support its snowmaking. It also lists a replacement haul rope on the Patch Lift and a new conveyor system at The Plunge Tubing Park.
The terrace lights come back after Thanksgiving, too. Light the Night returns to the Blue Ridge Terrace on December 26 and December 31, with the lighting at 5:30 p.m. again. The Nature Foundation's December calendar includes a Holiday Ornament Craft Night on December 3 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., a hike on December 5, and a Winter Holiday Open House at Trillium House on Saturday, December 12.
Wintergreen weekends change with the season, and knowing which events are open to everyone is part of owning on the mountain. If you're thinking about a place here, or about what your Wintergreen home could look like to the next buyer, Sunset Properties at Lake Anna is happy to talk through it with you. Schedule a Free Consultation.
