Fun things to do Thanksgiving weekend
AFTER THE FEAST | Consider train rides, traveling Rockettes, more
NEW YORK -- Stuck at home Thanksgiving weekend? You don't have to travel to New York's Rockefeller Center to enjoy ice skating or see the Rockettes. Holiday train rides, Christmas shows, lighting displays and outdoor winter fun like ice skating and skiing all begin in late November in many localities. Here are some details.
TRAINS: Some 30 train rides themed on The Polar Express, the popular children's book by Chris Van Allsburg, are offered in more than 20 states. Venues include the Monticello Railway Museum in Monticello, Ill., the National Railroad Museum in Green Bay, Wis., and the Whitewater Valley Scenic Railroad in Connersville, Ind. Schedules at www.polarexpressride.com.
About 300,000 people took "Polar Express" rides last year. The movie soundtrack is played over the train's public address system, the story is read aloud, and hot chocolate is served en route to a lit-up "North Pole" where Santa awaits.
The trains start running mid-November. Most sell out well in advance. "Now is the time to book," said Jon Schlegel, vice president and general manager of Rail Events, which licenses the program.
Many other excursion trains and tourist-oriented rail lines offer "Santa trains," such as the Hocking Valley Scenic Railway in Ohio.
SHOWS: Can't make it to New York to see the annual Radio City Christmas Spectacular at Rockefeller Center? No worries. New this year, an arena touring version of the Radio City show has been created for large venues and is playing 18 cities, having started Nov. 7 in Minneapolis, and concluding Jan. 4 in Houston. The Rockettes will be in the Chicago suburbs at the Rosemont Theatre through Dec. 7. Details at www.radiocitychristmas.com.
LIGHTS: Some holiday displays don't start until December, but a few light up in late November. Arkansas offers a trail of holiday lights around the state in 64 communities, www.arkansas.com/things-to-do/trail-of-lights. In Des Moines, Iowa, the city hosts a nighttime drive-through lighting display called "Jolly Holiday Lights" at Water Works Park, beginning Tuesday.
OUTDOORS: Ice skating rinks often open in time for Thanksgiving weekend. Even in San Diego, where November temperatures might exceed 60 degrees, the outdoor Ice Arena opened Thursday.
A few ski resorts open earlier, like Loveland and Arapahoe Basin in Colorado, which opened Oct. 15 with an 18-inch base of manufactured snow. But Thanksgiving represents the first big wave of skier and snowboarder visitation for most resorts where weather conditions permit. Last season, nearly 8 percent of visits nationally occurred before the Christmas holidays, according to the National Ski Areas Association.
AP