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Luminarias shine on Galena
Stroll down Main Street in Galena for a romantic evening as 5,000 luminarias light up the town. During Night of the Luminaria on Dec. 15, the streets, steps, levee and sidewalks are lined with lights. (148 miles from O'Hare, (815) 777-9050, www.galenachamber.com)
Festival lights up Lake Michigan shore
More than 50 individual displays make the Festival of Lights in Michigan City, Ind., among the largest free drive-through shows in the Midwest. Held in Washington Park on Lake Michigan, it includes several animated displays with more than 5 million bulbs. This year's display will be lit through Dec. 31. (77 miles from O'Hare, (219) 873-1506, www.michigancityparks.com)
See historic home in Victorian finery
Visit one of the top historical attractions in Green Bay, Wis., during Victorian Christmas at Hazelwood Dec. 15, 16, 22, 23 and 26-30. The restored 1837 Greek revival house is decked out for the holidays during this event. There will be complimentary refreshments and docent-led tours. (191 miles from O'Hare, (920) 437-1840, www.browncohistoricalsoc.org)
Illinois town has Swedish traditions
Make your way to the 19th-century Swedish settlement of Bishop Hill, Ill., for traditional holiday events. On Dec. 7 and 8, Lucia Nights is a festival of lights during which costumed "Lucias" serve coffee and sweets in museums and shops. You'll hear music at various village locations. On Dec. 25 a candlelight nondenominational service, Julotta, will be held in the historic Colony Church. Services will be conducted in English and Swedish and will be followed by coffee and rusks. (163 miles from O'Hare, (309) 927-3345, www.bishophill.com/calendar.php)
Visit Henry Ford's historic town
During Holiday Nights in Greenfield Village lantern-lit paths wind through neighborhoods at this historic attraction in Dearborn, Mich. On Dec. 7-9, 14-16 and 18-22, visitors will enjoy live musical entertainment on several stages, strolling costumed presenters, artisan demonstrations, refreshments, holiday shops, ice skating, bonfires, carriage and Model T rides and a visit with Santa. A holiday sing-along and nightly fireworks cap off the event. (298 miles from O'Hare, (800) 835-5237, www.thehenryford.org/village/events/holidaynights)
Witness Nordic holiday traditions
Experience the warmth of A Nordic Christmas at the American Swedish Institute in Minneapolis, Minn., through Jan. 13. This annual holiday exhibit features the 100-year-old Turnblad Mansion decorated in Christmas splendor. The theme is "A Christmas of Light." Local Nordic-American community members set the holiday scene featuring tableware, decorations and food from Iceland, Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. (391 miles from O'Hare, (612) 871-4907, www.americanswedishinst.org/exhibits.htm)
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Observe Christmas in the Colonies
Experience 17th- and 18th-century holiday traditions in Williamsburg, Va., Dec. 22-31 during Christmas in the Colonies. A Jamestown Settlement film and interpretive presentations compare and contrast 17th-century English Christmas customs with how the season might have been observed in the colony's early years. Hear accounts of Christmas and winter during the American Revolution at the Yorktown Victory Center and glimpse 1780s Virginia farm holiday preparations. ((888) 593-4682, www.historyisfun.org)
Color your way to Kansas City
Visit Crayola Christmas Land at Crown Center in Kansas City, Mo., and your kids can play on super-sized Crayola products while waiting to tell their wishes to Santa, who will be in residence through Dec. 24. After Santa returns to the North Pole, Playland will remain open through Dec. 31. Holiday music will be performed by more than 130 regional choirs in the Crown Center atrium through Dec. 21 and on Dec. 8 and 15 you can see "Magic, Music & Marionettes" in the atrium as well. ((800) 721-7829, www.crowncenter.com)
Tour New Orleans at Christmastime
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day activities help visitors celebrate the holiday in New Orleans, La.
Activities on Dec. 24 include a Bonfire Adventure, a time-honored Louisiana tradition -- the lighting of bonfires on the river. The evening includes a narrated motor-coach tour, guided tour of a River Road Plantation, a Cajun Country dinner and viewing of the bonfires along the Mississippi River, which light the way for Papa Noel. ((800) 535-7786, www.graylineneworleans.com)
Christmas Eve on the Steamboat Natchez is a nighttime cruise on the Mississippi with a jazz trio, holiday decor and a holiday buffet. ((800) 233-2628, www.steamboatnatchez.com)
On Dec. 25 join in Jingling Through the Crescent, a narrated motor-coach tour that covers the French Quarter, Esplanade Avenue, City Park, Lake Pontchartrain, St. Charles Avenue and the Garden District decorated for the holidays. ((800) 535-7786, www.graylineneworleans.com)
• Event details are subject to change; contact organizers for updated information.