Snowshoe and ski cross-country in the High Sierra with the Sierra Club. The five-day tour of Tahoe National Forest begins Jan. 22.
Participants stay at the club’s alpine-style lodge near Donner Pass, take guided outings in the forest and to historic sites in the area on skis or snowshoes and spend a day cross-country skiing at Royal Gorge.
“What makes skiing and snowshoeing here so special is that you have the trails virtually to yourselves,” said Tanya Tschesnok of the Sierra Club. “Most of the time, you are skiing or snowshoeing through fresh snow on deserted wilderness trails.”
Skiers can warm themselves by the fire in the large living room or soak sore muscles in a hot tub under the stars.
Members help with meal preparation in the communal dining hall and furnish their own sleeping bags and towels. Sleeping rooms are mostly small and rustic with bunks or a double bed.
Cost: $745 per person, including accommodations, meals, guides and basic ski and snowshoe instruction. Transportation and ski and snowshoe rentals are not included. Mandatory membership fees start at $15.
Contact: The Sierra Club, San Francisco; 415-977-5522, www.sierraclub.org/outings/national.
Cruise to Antarctica
See more than emperor penguins on a voyage to Antarctica that begins Feb. 7.
The 12-night cruise aboard the 98-passenger expedition ship Explorer will travel through the narrow channels of Antarctica during the peak wildlife season, sailing the Weddell Sea, Antarctic Sound and the Danco Coast.
Participants can expect to see orcas and minke and humpback whales.
Besides wildlife viewing, the cruise will feature photography seminars, day hikes and discussions of the area’s natural history with explorer Dave Hahn.
Participants go ashore on inflatable rafts to see penguins, climb extinct volcanoes and retrace parts of the routes of Ernest Shackleton’s historic expeditions in the early 20th century.
Cost: $4,595 to $7,995 ($2,300 to $4,000 single surcharge) depending on cabin, including accommodations on board; hotel in Ushuaia, Argentina; meals, group activities and excursions; port dues and taxes; and landing fees. International air fare and gratuities are not included.
Contact: Fathom Expeditions, Toronto, Canada; 800-621-0176, www.fathomexpeditions.com.
Pilgrim Thanksgiving
So what really happened at the first Thanksgiving when the Pilgrims and the Indians sat down together back in 1621?
You’re invited to learn about legend vs. reality while chowing down at Plimoth Plantation in Massachusetts this fall.
The living-history museum is holding Harvest Dinners on Oct. 29, Nov. 5, 12, 19, 20, 23, 25 and 26, and tickets are still available to a Thanksgiving Day buffet on Nov. 24, along with an Eat Like a Pilgrim lunch on Nov. 25.
While you’re there, check out the museum’s exhibit “Thanksgiving: Memory, Myth and Meaning,” which explains the history of the holiday, and visit reproductions of the 1627 Pilgrim Village, the Wampanoag Homesite and the Mayflower II.
To make reservations, call 508-746-1622, ext. 8366, or visit www.plimoth.org.
And if you plan on using 17th-century table manners, wash your hands before you eat and get a big napkin – forks were nonexistent back in the Pilgrims’ day.
Colonial Thanksgiving
Celebrate Thanksgiving Colonial-style at Jamestown Settlement in Williamsburg, Va., Nov. 24-26, with a Foods &Feasts event. You’ll learn how food was gathered, preserved and prepared by Virginia’s colonists and by the Powhatan Indians.
The museum is open daily year-round. Jamestown Settlement is located on Highway 31, just southwest of Williamsburg. Details at 888-593-4682 or www.historyisfun.org.
Elsewhere in Virginia, Thomas Jefferson’s home at Monticello remains open for tours on Thanksgiving Day; information at www.monticello.org or 434-984-9822.
Nearby, in downtown Charlottesville, a Jeffersonian Thanksgiving Festival takes place Nov. 18-20 and 25, including concerts and dancing to period music, Revolutionary War encampments and re-enactors debating events of the era. Details at www.jeffersonthanksgiving.org or 434-249-4032.
Disney books
Three new guides to Walt Disney World provide advice on three very different types of vacations.
For visitors with special needs – ranging from food allergies to autism to mobility problems – “Walt Disney World for Your Special Needs” (PassPorter Travel Press, $22.95) provides advice and information. Plenty of tips are offered for parents of special-needs children, such as taking part in a sit-down “character meal,” where kids can meet Cinderella or Mickey without waiting on a long line.
Disney fans with big budgets may want to consult a new edition of “The Luxury Guide to Walt Disney World Resort” (Insiders’ Guides, $18.95). Author Cara Goldsbury identifies the theme park’s most luxurious lodging, dining, shopping and entertainment options, along with ways in which spending a little extra money gives you access to certain amenities. The book also offers tips for Universal Orlando and Sea World.
For average travelers, “Plan Your Walt Disney Vacation … In No Time” (Que Publishing, $16.95) can help you decide which of the many choices at the parks should be included on your itinerary. Ride descriptions include height requirements and which attractions accept FastPass (a timed entry ticket that can minimize waits in long lines). Author Doug Ingersoll also includes hotel descriptions and tear-out wallet-sized cards with checklists for each park to help you execute your plans.
Travel classes, seminars
Rick Steves’ Europe Through the Back Door hosts free travel classes most Saturdays at 10 a.m. at the Edmonds Theater, 415 Main St., Edmonds.
* South England with Sarah Murdoch, Oct. 29.
* An evening with Rick Steves, 7 to 9 p.m. Nov. 1, $20 reserved, $10 general, Lincoln Theatre, 712 S. First St., Mount Vernon.
* Fall travel festival, Nov. 12.
* France, Nov. 3
Classes are free, reservations recommended. Call 425-771-8303 ext. 298 or visit www.ricksteves.com/seattle.
The Savvy Traveler offers travel seminars at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. most Saturdays at 112 Fifth Ave. S., Edmonds.
Classes are free, reservations recommended. Call 425-744-6076 or 877-225-1994.
LiveWell Ventures Travel Services hosts a free “Taste of Travel Seminar” at 7 p.m. the first Thursday of each month at Brindle’s Marketplace at Camano Commons at Terry’s Corner, 848 N. Sunrise Blvd., Camano Island. Each seminar features guest speakers.
Complimentary hors d’oeuvres and coffee will be served. A wine tasting is available for $5.
For information, call 877-357-0022, 360-629-0881, or visit www.livewellventures.com.
Smokey Point Travel hosts a free “Keeping Your Property Safe While Traveling” seminar from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Nov. 7 at the Marysville Senior Center, 514 Delta Ave., Marysville. Registration is required.
For information, call 360-363-8450.
Prices, dates or itineraries may change. These should be confirmed with cruise lines, travel agents or tour operators.
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