10 for the Road

You can plan now to attend these weekend events, occurring within a few weeks and within a day's drive of Philadelphia.

1. Hershey Sweet Lights Holiday Spectacular. Hershey, Pa. Nov. 13-Jan. 1. Drive a 2.3-mile route to see nearly 600 light displays while listening to a customized radio broadcast. 1-800-437-7439; www.HersheyPA.com.

2. Cape May Film Festival. Cape May.

Nov. 20-21. See feature movies, shorts, and documentaries in the newly renovated Beach Theatre and other venues. Also, attend a screenwriting workshop. 609-884-6700; www.njstatefilmfestival.com.

3. Earthly Treasures: Masterworks for Nature Art Show. Milford, Ohio. Nov. 21-29. Works depict nature's bounty in media including oil, acrylic, and watercolor, plus woodcarvings and bronze sculptures. 513-831-1711; www.masterworksfornature.org.

4. Santa House Lighting. Baltimore. Nov. 21. Carolers and a brass quintet perform songs of the season as Santa is ushered in on an adorned tugboat from the Inner Harbor to light his workshop. 410-332-4191; www.harborplace.com.

5. Winterfest Trolley Rides. East Windsor, Conn. Weekends Nov. 27-Dec. 27. Ride a restored trolley through a tunnel of colored lights. Then explore the Connecticut Trolley Museum's collection of model trains. 860-627-6540; www.ctvisit.com.

6. GardenFest of Lights. Richmond, Va.

Nov. 27-Jan. 11. Walk-through attraction with more than a half-million Christmas lights and displays ranging from trains to children's literature. 804-262-9887; www.lewisginter.org.

7. 19th-Century Thanksgiving Celebration. Woodstock, Vt. Nov. 27-29. Costumed interpreters lead traditional cooking demonstrations, horse-drawn wagon rides, farm tours, and Thanksgiving-themed programs. 802-457-2355; www.billingsfarm.org.

8. Cultural Survival Bazaar. Cambridge, Mass. Nov. 27-29 and Dec. 4-6. Buy holiday gifts and help a good cause. Arts and crafts, jewelry, tribal rugs and weavings from artists from Africa and Asia. www.culturalsurvival.org/bazaar/cultural-survival-bazaar; 617-441-5400.

9. Mechanical Menagerie. Providence, R.I. Through Jan. 31. Old computers and discarded cell phones are used to create mechanical sculptures of antelopes, frogs, bugs, and other critters. 401-273-5437; www.childrenmuseum.org.

10. Lights on the Lake. Liverpool, N.Y.

Nov. 25-Jan 10. Drive through a two-mile holiday light show in Onondaga Lake Park; scenes include the Wizard of Oz and a Victorian village. 315-453-6712; www.lightsonthelake.com.

- Erica Lamberg