Family Fun

• Families may want to head to the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo (3900 Wildlife Way) for December Days, a special festival featuring cold climate creatures such as polar bears and reindeer, along with live music, ice carvings, kid crafts and visits from Santa. If you plan to stick around through New Year's, the kids can celebrate early with the zoo's Noon Year's Eve celebration on Dec. 31. In addition to special crafts and entertainment, everyone gets to ring in the New Year at high noon with nonalcoholic toasts.
  
  Families might also enjoy WinterShow at the Cleveland Botanical Gardens (11030 East Blvd.), featuring special holiday plants and decorations, gingerbread house-building contests and train displays.
  
  For life-size train lovers, Cuyahoga Valley National Park offers several popular holiday train tours. The daytime Mr. Jingeling's Holiday Express features popular fictional holiday characters. Pack the kids in their pajamas for a trip on the Polar Express, which includes hot chocolate and cookies. The Rockside Station in Independence, Ohio, manages both tours, with departures from numerous locations.
  
  For an old-fashioned sleigh ride, head over to Burton, Ohio, for a dash through the snow courtesy of Ma and Pa's Horse Drawn Sleigh Rides (15161 Main Market Road, Rt. 422). Visitors can also enjoy homemade cookies and maple coffee in Ma and Pa's early 19th century log cabin.
  
  The Great Lakes Science Center (601 Erieside Ave.) hosts Holidays on the Harbor, featuring ice-skating, outdoor movies and breakfast with Santa.
  
  

Sightseeing

• Venture to the Historical Warehouse District for the annual Holiday Tour, offering food, drinks and entertainment along with a stroll through local architecture.
  
  The Deck the Halls event at historic Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens (714 N. Portage Path) in Akron offers an opportunity to visit a grand estate adorned in holiday splendor, complete with an impressive light display and Christmas treats.
  
  

Music and the Arts

• Art lovers may want to experience the Winter Lights Lantern Festival and Holiday CircleFest at the Cleveland Museum of Art (11150 East Blvd.), celebrating the centuries-old tradition of decorating with creative lantern displays.
  
  For music fans, the renowned Cleveland Orchestra (Severance Hall, 11001 Euclid Ave.) offers numerous holiday tune treats, including performances of Handel's "Messiah" and Christmas concerts featuring the Cleveland Choruses. Some performances even include the opportunity to lunch with Santa.
  
  

Off the Beaten Path

• Fans of the 1983 movie "A Christmas Story" can tour the house featured in the film (3159 W. 11th St.) and an adjoining museum devoted to the now-classic holiday film. The Cleveland Playhouse (8500 Euclid Ave.) keeps the spirit of the movie alive with its annual theatrical version of "A Christmas Story."
  
  Those with an interest in lesser-known history may want to head over to Chardon, Ohio, for the Winter Solstice Candlelight Walk, featuring lessons on the solstice-holiday origins of many modern Christmas traditions. Tours begin at the Rookery (9160 Robinson Road).