1. Lantern Light Tours at Mystic Seaport
From December 6 through 28 on Thursday through Sunday evenings, tour Mystic Seaport in Mystic, Connecticut, by lantern light for a glimpse of Christmas past. Your tour guide will play the role of someone from the year 1876, and you'll join the citizens of Mystic as they meet at Greenmanville church on Christmas Eve to get to the bottom of recent talk about hidden treasure. Reservations are strongly recommended, and tickets for Lantern Light Tours may be purchased by calling 860-572-5331. Tickets are $25 for adults and $18 for children ages 4 to 18.
Stone Zoo in Stoneham, Massachusetts, is the place to be if you love animals and the holidays. The zoo dances with thousands of holiday lights and also is home to mechanically animated animals and live reindeer during the Christmas season. Santa Claus appears through December 23. See the glittering zoo nightly from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. through December 30; closed Christmas Day. Admission is $4 per person ($3 if purchased online in advance); free for children under 2. Call 617-989-2000 for more information.
3. North Pole Express and Santa Special
Catch the Essex Steam Train's North Pole Express or Santa Special for a holiday train ride with Santa Claus, Fridays through Sundays November 23 through December 23. Tickets are sold online or at the Essex Train Station in Essex, Connecticut. For times, prices, reservations and further information, call 860-767-0103 or toll free 800-377-3987.
4. Spirit of the Season at Old Sturbridge Village
Soak up the spirit of the season and learn a bit about holiday history, too, as Old Sturbridge Village in Sturbridge, Massachusetts, presents six evenings of "Christmas Traditions by Candlelight" in select houses and shops around the Common from 5 until 9 p.m. on the evenings of December 7, 8, 9, 14, 15 and 16. Take my virtual tour of Christmas at Old Sturbridge Village for a preview of what you'll see.
Ogunquit, Maine's annual Christmas by the Sea on December 7-9 features storytelling, caroling by the bonfire, a candlelight walk, shopping, hay rides, music, visits with Santa, a Chowder & Chocolatefest and more. Call the Ogunquit Chamber of Commerce for more information: 207-646-2939.
Escape the commercialism of Christmas at one of the annual Candlelight Carols services at Trinity Church in Boston on December 15 at 4 p.m. and December 16 at 7 p.m. What a spectacular setting! The American Institute of Architects named this Copley Square landmark one of the 10 greatest public buildings in the country. There is no admission fee, but the suggested donation is $10. Preferred tickets are available in advance for $100, $65 and $35. Call 617-536-0944 for more information.
7. Christmas Time at Santa's Village
Santa's Village in Jefferson, New Hampshire, is at its most festive at Christmas time. Visit with Santa and his elves, enjoy theme rides and see magical shows from 11 a.m. until 7 p.m. on Saturdays and 11 a.m. until 6 p.m. on Sundays in December and also on Friday, December 28, from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m. My Santa's Village photo gallery will give you a visual preview of the park. For more information call 603-586-4445.
8. Christmas Prelude in Kennebunkport
Kennebunkport's annual Christmas Prelude from November 30 through December 9 ushers in the holidays as only Maine can, with Santa arriving via lobster boat, the lighting of the lobster trap tree, a lobster bake and many other festive events.
Woodstock, Vermont, hosts its 24th annual Wassail Weekend December 7-9 featuring concerts, storytelling, a Medieval Wassail Banquet, a yule log on the green and a parade of horses and carriages. For more information, call 802-457-3555 or toll free, 888-496-6378.
10. Winterfest
The Connecticut Trolley Museum in East Windsor, Connecticut, celebrates Winterfest on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings November 23 through December 29, plus Thursday, December 27. Climb aboard the "electric sleigh," a restored antique trolley, for a three-mile ride through a "tunnel of lights" featuring more than 6,000 bulbs. Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for those 62 and over, $6 for children ages 2 to 12 and $3 for children under 2. For more information, call 860-627-6540.
