Up, Up and Away
December 2nd, 2009 by Jenni Betts Deming
While there’s no place like home for holidays, there’s also no better time for a quickie vacation. If you’re looking to get away without putting too many miles on your sleigh, check out a few must-do family holiday happenings just hours from your own front door.
Chattanooga
It may not be the Polar Express, but the Tennessee Valley Railroad’s North Pole Limited (pictured above) might be the next best thing. Board this real steam locomotive in downtown Chattanooga, and your family can enjoy storytelling, treats and caroling before Santa enters at the North Pole.
For a lights extravaganza, Ruby Red Christmas at Ruby Falls features a lighted waterfall, falling “snow,” and charming, costumed characters. And if you want to See Rock City all lit up, check out Enchanted Garden of Lights, which features 30 holiday scenes and more than a million lights. Prefer to forget winter’s chill? Dive into the Tennessee Aquarium’s Tropical Holiday Adventure, complete with Santa divers (pictured below), Caribbean holiday music, and the debut of the soft-beaked Aracari bird.
Best Bets — North Pole: $22/ages 1 and up, tvrail.com (through December 22). Ruby Falls: $15.95/adults, $7.95/ages 3-12, rubyfalls.com (Friday & Saturday nights in December). Enchanted Garden: $16.95/adults, $8.95/ages 3-12, seerockcity.com (through January 2). Tropical Holiday: starts at $21.95/adults, $14.95/ages 3-12, tennesseeaquarium.com (through January 3).
Hot Springs
Ever seen a 6-foot house covered with gingerbread? Neither have we. But if you visit the Arlington Resort Hotel during the Holiday Gingerbread House Celebration, you can take in this fanciful, sugar-trimmed abode, along with carolers, a tree-lighting, and of course, a chance to nibble some delicious gingerbread. From the Arlington, you’re just steps away from Hot Springs’ Historic Downtown Holiday Lights Display. Downtown will also feature a Holiday Christmas Parade, with floats, bands and Santa himself. For another St. Nicholas sighting, stop and see the Santa Train, which delivers Santa, games and goodies at the Transportation Depot in downtown Hot Springs. Finally, make sure to drive over to Garvan Woodland Gardens, where you’ll be treated to 14 twinkling acres of decorations with their Lights on the Landscape display.
Best Bets — Gingerbread Celebration: Free. arlingtonhotel.com (December 4). Holiday Lights: Free, hotsprings.org (through December 31). Christmas Parade: Free, hotsprings.org (December 7). Santa Train: Free, hotsprings.org (December 5). Lights on the Landscape: $5.50/adults, $3.50/ages 6-12, garvangardens.org (through December 31).
Nashville
A Country Christmas at the Gaylord Opryland Resort puts on a chilling display with ICE!, a frozen world constructed of 2 million pounds of ice, this year depicting scenes from A Charlie Brown Christmas. The famous Rockettes perform in The Radio City Christmas Spectacular at the Grand Ole Opry House. Mom will enjoy the Season of Celebration at Cheekwood Botanical Garden, where lavishly-decorated Christmas trees are one display, along with storytelling, and a holiday concert.
Once inside Nashville’s Belle Meade Plantation (pictured above), your modern brood can experience A Victorian Christmas with the Jackson Family, complete with period gown-clad guides, Victorian décor, and park-like grounds for play. And for some hands-on fun, kids print their own holiday card or T-shirt at the Country Music Hall of Fame’s Letterpress Art Workshop, led by Hatch Show Print.
Best Bets — ICE!: $22-$24/adults, $13-$15/ages 4-11, gaylordhotels.com (through January 2). Christmas Spectacular: $35-$84/person, gaylordhotels.com (through December 27). Season of Celebration: $10/adults, $5/ages 6-17, cheekwood.org (through January 3). Victorian Christmas: $15/adults, $7/ages 6-18, bellemeadeplantation.com (through Dec. 31). Letterpress Art: Free, countrymusichalloffame.org (December 5).
New Orleans
A very merry, very free New Orleans attraction is the Miracle on Fulton Street, featuring a daily faux snowfall, live music, and holiday-themed movies each weekend. New Orleans City Park presents the 23rd annual Celebration in the Oaks, with its spectacular lights display, “A Cajun Night Before Christmas,” and carousel and train rides. For a royal day at the museum, head to the New Orleans Museum of Art’s Dreams Come True display of Disney Princess artwork, coinciding with the new movie Princess and the Pea, set in 1920s New Orleans.
And for an extra helping of holiday cheer, try the Teddy Bear Tea at The Roosevelt New Orleans hotel, where children receive their own teddy bear, enjoy a high tea with mum and dad, as well as a jolly visit with Old Saint Nick. Finally, don’t miss the free Cathedral Christmas Concerts, happening all season long at St. Louis Cathedral on Jackson Square.
Best Bets — Miracle: Free, harrahsneworleans.com (through January 3). Celebration: $7/ages 4 and up, celebrationintheoaks.com (through December 30). Dreams: $8/adults, $5/ages 3-17, noma.org (through March 14). Teddy Bear Tea: $49/adults, $34/ages 10 and under, therooseveltneworleans.com (Decemer 5-6, 12-13, 19-23). Cathedral Concerts: Free, neworleansonline.com/Christmas (select days December 1-21).
St. Louis
Grab your wild things and swing by the St. Louis Zoo during the weekend Wild Lights displays, or take advantage of the Zoo’s delicious Breakfast with Santa, where costumed characters greet you table-side. The Missouri Botanical Garden offers a feast of sights and sounds with its Gardenland Express Holiday Flower and Train Show (pictured above), featuring eight miniature trains weaving and winding around 800 feet of track and beautiful foliage.
Your family can also explore cultural holiday traditions at the garden through Chanukah: Festival of Lights, celebrating Jewish culture through menorah lighting and dance, and Kwanza: First Fruits, celebrating African traditions through storytelling and percussion instruments.
Best Bets — Wild Lights: $5/ages 2 and up, stlzoo.org (select days December 4-30). Santa Breakfast: $22/adults, $20/ages 2-12, stlzoo.org (December 5-6, 12-13, 19-20). Gardenland Express: $13/adults, $5/ages 3-12, mobot.org (through Jan. 3). Chanukah/Kwanza: $8/ages 13 and up, mobot.org (December 6-30)