Head for the scenic Northwest to ride Seattle's ferries and take in Winterfest — www.seattlecenter.com/winterfest/default.asp — more than a month of entertainment and performances. Click on "Winterfest Premier Events" for concerts and the Worldfest cultural festival. Go to the menus in the upper left of the page and click on "Attractions" to get to information on the Space Needle and Monorail, Then hit the Seattle Convention & Visitors Bureau — www.visitseattle.org — click on "Visit Seattle" and try out "Sightseeing and Tours" for attractions including the Pike Place Market and links to the ferries.

Want something different for the holidays in the Northwest? Take a look at Whale Watching Week — tinyurl.com/23cvmv — at the coastal town of Depoe Bay, Dec. 26-Jan. 1.

In the middle of the country, drop in on the Ozark Mountain Christmas — tinyurl.com/28vmrb — at Branson, Mo., home of live entertainment for just about any taste. The town lights up with holiday lights and many of the stage shows have Christmas themes.

Keep the mountain theme at the Smoky Mountain Christmas Festival — tinyurl.com/yoltga — through the end of December at Dolly Parton's Dollywood in the mountains of eastern Tennessee. This one's definitely focused on the kids, with Babes in Toyland, Santa's Workshop and Tinker the Talking Christmas Tree.