Grandma’s Holiday Dinner Cooked for You

VA Exit 177: In the historic district of Alexandria, you can enjoy a scavenger hunt thru the cobblestoned streets to discover historic places and learn about George Washington (as well as other patriots) in his seaport hometown. The adventure takes about 45 minutes, and families literally walk in our first President’s footsteps. You can have fun dividing into teams and see who wins.

It was designed for kids aged 7 -11. Map and clues available at Christmas Attic: 125 S. Union St. on the corner of Prince St. Cost: $4 for each map. Store hours: Daily 10-9 (closed Christmas and they close Dec 24th at 3 pm) Tel: 703-548-2829. www.alexcolonialtours.com

MD Exit 53 - It was 1959 when Barbie debuted in a plain black-and-white swimsuit. Loved by girls for generations, Barbie has been a symbol of America’s changing and sometimes controversial perception of the role of women in our society. This exhibit at the Geppi’s Entertainment Museum in Baltimore showcases a half-century of dream houses, sports cars, shifting fashions and hairstyles, and how Barbara Millicent Roberts has changed the face of pop culture.

Calling this a museum may turn off some family members, so think of it as a place to revel in our pop culture with exhibits on comic books, comic strips, early TV, the 60's music revolution, etc. Dates: Dec 20, 2008 - May 31, 2009. 301 W Camden St, Baltimore (at Camden Yards; museum is on the 2nd floor of Camden Station above Sports Legends). Hours: Tues - Sun 10-6. Prices: Adult: $10, Senior (55+): $9, Student (5-18): $7, Child (under 4): FREE. Half price on Tuesdays. Visit the museum on any Home Baltimore Ravens 2008 & 2009 Season Game Day or Baltimore Orioles 2009 Season Game Day and your ticket is $1. Show your ticket stub for public transportation (light rail or bus) and receive $2 off. Tel: 410- 625-7060. www.geppisentertainmentmuseum.com

FL Exit 311 or 318 - Northerners who escape down South to avoid winter’s wrath may not be happy, but Southerners who never get to enjoy winter’s pleasures will love the cold fun for the whole family. You can find winter’s icy chill on Florida’s Anastasia Island, which is now set up with thousands of holiday lights, Reindeer Games (winter-themed carnival games), a 20-foot Christmas tree, an outdoor ice skating rink, a snow fall every night at 7:30 and 9 pm and a giant ice slide. The Ice Slide, the first ever built in the US to function in warm outdoor temperatures, allows users to speed down 100 ft. of ice, and features two slides so two of you can race to an icy finish.

There’s an interactive elf village, holiday shopping and a theatre featuring a special holiday production, sleigh rides, s’mores and visits from Santa every Wed to Sat 6-8 pm until Christmas. Hours: before Dec 21: Nightly 6-10 pm with special afternoon hours for the ice rink and ice slide only on Sat & Sun 11:30 - 3:30 pm. Dec 21 to Jan 4: every day 11:30-3:30 pm and 6-10 pm (except open on Christmas Eve until 3:30 pm and on Christmas Day 6-10 pm. New Year’s Eve, closes at 3:30 pm)

St. Augustine Amphitheatre, 1340 A1A South. Admission: FREE. Ice Slide: $3 for one slide or $5 for three; ice skating: $10 and rental skates $2; nightly sleigh rides: $10 adults and $5 children; show, The Quilt Maker’s Gift (Fri & Sat through January 3): $5. Tel: 904-471-1965. www.staugamphitheatre.com

SC Exit 8 or 33: A very interesting New Year’s Eve I-95 detour (about 35 miles away) might be to head for St. Helena’s Island, where you can experience Watch Night Meetings. On every Dec. 31 starting at 10 pm and lasting till midnight, Penn Center churches hold Freedom's Eve services to commemorate the enactment of the Emancipation Proclamation.

There is a reading of the Proclamation, and at midnight the New Year is welcomed with praise, thanksgiving and prayer. The first Watch Night, Dec 31, 1862, was a vigil held by African American churches in hopes that President Lincoln would not bend to pressure, but would fulfill his promise of freedom. The Lowcountry was the site of the first public reading of the Proclamation on Jan 1, 1863 at Old Fort Plantation in Port Royal. For Info: Penn Center, Martin Luther King Dr., St. Helena’s Island. Tel: 843-838-2432 www.penncenter.com

Churches where you can experience the Watch Night Meetings on St. Helena Island: Bethesda Christian Fellowship, 36 Martin L. King, Jr. Dr.; Brick Baptist Church, 33 Martin L. King, Jr. Dr.; Ebenezer Baptist Church, 34 Martin L. King, Jr. Rd; Adams Street Baptist Church, 52 Tombee Rd; Nazareth Baptist Church, 8 Anna Estate Lane; Faith Memorial Baptist Church, 28 Lands End Rd; Orange Grove Baptist Church, 189 Orange Grove Rd; First African Baptist Church, 109 Olde Church Rd. Churches in Beaufort and Lady's Island: Lady's Island Baptist Church, 105 Brickyard Point Rd, Beaufort; Friendship Baptist Church, 36 Friendship Lane, Lady's Island.