2theadvocate.com | Travel — Baton Rouge, LA
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Louisiana will kick into full gear for the Christmas season this coming week. Dazzling lights, glittering decorations and festive music will be found in every corner of the state. Allow plenty of time to get to a festival or event safely. And don’t worry if you miss something, there’s more to come throughout December.


Always magical, Christmas at the Biltmore in Asheville, N.C., is one of America’s premier holiday events. In keeping with traditions that started when George W. Vanderbilt first welcomed friends and family to his estate on Christmas Eve 1895, the Biltmore continues its lavish presentations now through Jan. 4, 2009.


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.


A November sky casts a soft light across the Port Hudson landscape. Tucked amid the green of the pines, hardwood trees are turning burnished gold and rust. Time stands still on the Civil War battle ground. Sunday, Nov. 23, 1862, was a quiet day at Port Hudson. Soldiers spent time writing in diaries and letters home.


Thanksgiving starts the holiday season in Louisiana, and there will be plenty to do and see in the weeks to come. Fortunately, the state enjoys pleasant weather during most of December, making this a perfect time for getting out and visiting all areas of the state.


Holiday travel is expected to decline about 1.4 percent compared to last year, but the Travel Industry Association reports tradition will keep holiday travel strong.


OBAMA, Japan — The Obama Girls were halfway through their routine when the results came in on overhead TVs. Barack Obama had been elected U.S. president, and the citizens of Obama, Japan, were ecstatic.


The second annual North RampArt Festival in New Orleans will showcase more than 20 artists and musicians tomorrow, Nov. 22, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Visitors taking in the lively urban block party will find that North Rampart access to Toulouse and St. Peter streets will be closed during the event.


A press notice arrived last week from Spencer County, Indiana, with two faces on its letterhead — Abraham Lincoln and Santa Claus. The somewhat unusual pairing is perfectly reasonable to Spender residents. A flatboat trip in celebration of Lincoln’s bicentennial recently landed in Baton Rouge.


Hodges Gardens State Park in the Sabine Parish wilderness area can be described as a gardener’s dream, with 900 acres of wild and cultivated beauty. Joining with the Louisiana Crafts Guild and Gallery One Eleven in Leesville, the park will present its first show, “Art in the Park” from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 22


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