Feed your Christmas spirit with holiday travel. Stuff a duffle and zip your puffy coat. Set Sirius radio to carols and ask Siri to map the destination. Find serious seasonal spirit nearby in Frankenmuth, Michigan, or Oglebay, West Virginia, or Ellicottville, New York. In less than two tanks of gas, you’ll be making new memories. If you have the flexibility, consider a midweek stay. There’s more availability, fewer crowds and better pricing.
SEE THE LIGHTS AND MORE
Oglebay Resort – about 173 miles from Cleveland – is legendary for its Christmas lighting display. Northeast Ohioans sign up for popular bus tours
more than 300 acres along a six-mile drive. This year’s display will be lit Nov. 11 through Jan. 8.
Introduced in 1985, the Winter Festival of Lights is among the nation’s largest. Eighty displays include the Rainbow Tunnel and a 2,000-light Polyhedron Star. Close to 60 feet tall and spanning 50 feet in diameter, the Poinsettia Wreath and Candles is the festival’s tallest. A dramatic new light structure opens this month.
The resort is more than lights and Christmas: It’s a self-contained destination set on 1,700 acres full of recreational activities.
Wilson Lodge has 270 guestrooms, a spa, dining and more. Dining options range from cookouts to banquets to gourmet meals. Weather permitting, the
grounds offer golf, hiking and biking, and a 30-acre zoo, train ride, theater, glass museum, mansion museum and Environmental Education Center. And, of course, specialty shops that are a good place to find holiday gifts.
Guest rooms in the West Wing have been completely renovated, and an outdoor activity area with zipline and ropes course recently has been added.
A PHOTO-PERFECT SETTING
Ellicettville, New York – about 177 miles from Cleveland – is best known as the home of Holiday Valley ski resort. Off the slopes, a solid dusting of snow adds Christmas charm to this mini mecca of dining and retail. While any snowy reason is great to play and/or ski, the town’s Winter Wonderland weekend after Thanksgiving and the Christmas Stroll on the first weekend in December are best-kept secrets. Most lodging options require a two-night stay on weekends. So, if you get a room on Friday, settle in until Sunday.
Just one mile from downtown’s array of 40-plus stores and restaurants and at the foot of the ski slopes is the Inn at Holiday Valley. Choose a typical hotel room with two queen beds, or upgrade to a suite with fireplace and Jacuzzi tub. The heated outdoor pool and hot tub are exhilarating when lake-effect snow blows in.
After checking in, check out the Ellicottville Brewing Company for a menu dominated by superior steaks and barbecue.
While others are seeking Black Friday deals, Ellicottville visitors will enjoy Christmas carolers, live reindeer, breakfast with Santa, horse and wagon rides, interactive children’s activities and fire truck rides with Santa.
The following weekend, Christmas Stroll Saturday (Dec. 3) can be spent skiing or shopping until it’s time for town activities. The day usually includes a Christmas bazaar followed by a “reindog” parade and live nativity with donkey and camel.
SHOPPING ACTION
Frankenmuth – about 245 miles northeast of Cleveland – is a year-round Christmas city that amps up its vibe in December. Businesses on Main Street light up during the Christmas season. The warm glow and available horse-drawn carriages recall the motif of Thomas Kinkade paintings.
Dine vintage German-style at Oma’s Restaurant in The Bavarian Inn. A favorite among the German specialties is the fried chicken dinner with dressing, whipped potatoes, gravy, vegetable and garlic Parmesan breadstick. Or try Zehnder’s for a colonial American atmosphere and similar signature chicken dinner.
Finish the evening with the seasonal Christmas Town Ale at Frankenmuth Brewery. With notes of nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon and clove, the American spiced ale makes a distinctive holiday gift.
Rest your head at the iconic Bavarian Inn. Outside it transports you to a German village while inside it has 360 European-themed guest rooms, including whirlpool and family suites. Before you go, check out spa and couple’s packages. Additional fees are minimal.
After a full dose of caffeine, start shopping at Bronner’s CHRISTmas Wonderland, which claims to be the world’s largest Christmas store. Get ideas from more than 300 decorated trees in the salesroom. Choose from more than 150 styles of nutcrackers, 500 different styles of nativity scenes and 6,000 styles of unique ornaments. And that’s just a start. Frankenmuth has a variety of shopping around town. Eat, sleep, repeat.
