LANCASTER PA HOTELS | HERSHEY PA HOTELS

Christmas at the Cloister: December 13 at the Ephrata Cloister. Spend a few moments in quiet reflection with seasonal readings and holiday music in our historic meetinghouse. Seating is limited and advance tickets are required. 717-733-6600 or www.ephratacloister.org

Christmas at the Choo Choo Barn: December 13 at The Choo Choo Barn. Don’t miss seeing the barn layout decorated for Christmas in celebration of the Choo Choo Barn’s 50th birthday! Through December 31. 717-687-7911 or www.choochoobarn.com

Ho, Ho, Ho!: December 14 at the Hands-on House. Join Santa and his elves at the North Pole for a day of holiday fun. 717-569-5437 or www.handsonhouse.org

Live Nativity: December 14 The Garden Spot Village. Garden Spot Village is bringing the Christmas story to life with a live nativity scene in its chapel. In addition to costumed residents, staff members and their families portraying the biblical scene, the program will also feature the Village Voices Choir performing favorite Christmas hymns and carols. 717-355-6000 or www.gardenspotvillage.org

Cinnamon & Sugar Plum Festival: December 16 at Intercourse Canning Company. Christmas in Lancaster County is a beautiful time of year! And we are offering a variety of products to help you celebrate – all of which feature cinnamon and sugar! Through December 17. 717-768-0156 or www.intercoursecanning.com

A Dickens of a Christmas: December 16 Mount Hope Mansion. Victorian Mount Hope Mansion and the Dickensian characters will lift your Holiday spirits with joyous caroling, parlor games and intimate theater shows. Celebrate the Yuletide season with timeless classics that still pull on our heartstrings. Weekends through December 23. 717-665-7021 or www.parenfaire.com

Holidays at Landis Valley: December 16 at Landis Valley. Tour several of our decorated historic buildings, huddle around a large bonfire and sing carols accompanied by the Lititz Moravian Trombone Choir. Afterwards, join friends and family in our Yellow Barn for cookies and hot cider. 717-569-0401 or www.landisvalleymuseum.org

Santa’s Paradise Express: December 16 at Strasburg Rail Road. Transformed into a winter wonderland, Strasburg Rail Road invites families to enjoy a train ride with Santa, carolers and musicians on the mall, storytellers and much more. Through December 18. 717-687-7522 or www.strasburgrailroad.com

Downtown Lancaster for the Holidays: December 16 in Downtown Lancaster. Don’t miss out on Caroling Bells, the arrival of Santa Claus, the lighting of the Christmas Tree, horse drawn carriage rides, strolling musical entertainment, a model train display, and SO much more in Downtown Lancaster! 717-291-4758 or www.lancastercityevents.com

Relaxed Holiday Cooking: December 16 at the Good Cooking Store. Instructor Phyllis Pellman Good is a New York Times bestselling cookbook author and our Store co-owner. In this class you will learn fun baking techniques, and slow-cooker recipes for entertaining. You will prepare and enjoy a savory lunch. 717-768-3032 www.fixitandforgetit.com

Jazz Holiday Show: December 16 at the Ware Center at Millersville University Lancaster. Nate Birkey is an evocative trumpeter/vocalist/composer who bursts into true holiday mode with his new album Christmas. Accompanied by Steve Rudolph on piano and Keith Mohler on brass, Birkey will bring timeless emotion and spirituality to ageless classics.
717-871-7026 www.millersville.edu

Candlelight Tours: December 26 at the Rockford Plantation. During the candlelight tours, General Edward Hand’s Georgian-style mansion will be bedecked in holiday greenery and glowing by candlelight. Visitors will also hear music of the period performed live and watch early American dancing in the great hall. Through December 29. 717-392-7223 or www.rockfordplantation.org

 Canadian Brass: November 29 at Leiffler Chapel at Elizabethtown College. The fabulous fivesome in the famous white shoes is back in Central PA for the first time in seasons, and just in time for the holidays! Don’t miss the chance to deck the hall – the concert hall, that is – with Canada’s – with North America’s – heck, with planet Earth’s best-loved brass quintet. 717-361-1000 or www.etown.edu

Hairspray: November 30 at the Fulton Theatre. Just in time for the holidays comes Broadway’s big fat musical hit. Jump back to early 1960s Baltimore, where pleasantly plump Tracy Turnblad has big hair, an even bigger heart, and a huge dream to be a dancer on the Corny Collins Show. This musical-comedy blockbuster inspired a film and swept the Tony Awards-and audiences off their feet. Through December 31. 717-397-7425 or www.thefulton.org

A Dickens of a Christmas: December 1 at Mount Hope Estate & Winery. Victorian Mount Hope Mansion and the Dickensian characters will lift your Holiday spirits with joyous caroling, parlor games and intimate theater shows. Celebrate the Yuletide season with timeless classics that still pull on our heartstrings.  Through December 23.  717-665-7021 or www.parenfaire.com

Christmas Candlelight Tours: December 1 at Hans Herr House. Add a dash of old-world charm to your holiday season. Experience holiday customs from some of the earliest ethnic groups who settled in Lancaster County. Learn the origins of beloved Christmas traditions. House tours end with hot cider and caroling around a bonfire. Through December 3.  717-464-4438 or www.hansherr.org

Old Fashioned Christmas: December 2 at Kitchen Kettle Village. Enjoy down-home caroling. Pass brass bands as you dash from one shop to another. We have cookies to treat you. And shopkeepers to greet you. Start off the holidays in Lancaster County – a great place to come home each year. Saturdays through December 17.  800-732-3538 or www.kitchenkettle.com

Countdown to Christmas: December 1 at the Hands-on House. Deck the yard, deck the halls and deck yourself out in a reindeer t-shirt that’s sure to have you prancing with pride in this make-it, take-it holiday workshop. Each child needs to bring a new white t-shirt or sweatshirt. Through December 2.  717-569-5437 or www.handsonhouse.org

Holiday Open House Weekend: December 3 Twin Brook Winery. Tis the season to Spice things up. Mulled Spice Wine, holiday treats and all your other favorite Twin Brook wines will be yours to sample. Complimentary wine tasting this weekend, our treat. We’ll have stocking stuffers too.  717-442-4915 or www.twinbrookwinery.com

16th Annual Christmas at Cornwall House Tour: December 3 at the Cornwall Iron Furnace. Our Christmas at Cornwall House Tour, now in its 16th year, will once again offer you the opportunity to see some historic homes and a lovely newer home. Ticket holders will receive a map and a tour booklet to plan their route for the tour.  717-272-9711 www.cornwallironfurnace.org

Breakfast with Santa: December 3 at Lancaster Marriott at Penn Square. Enjoy breakfast with Santa in Downtown Lancaster featuring the P.T. Waggs Vaudeville Show starring Jerry Brown and his monkey pal, Django. Event includes breakfast, entertainment, gift and visit with Santa.  717-291-4758 or www.lancastercityevents.com

Christkindlmarkt Holiday Market and Festival: December 3 at The Hershey Story. In celebration of its Pennsylvania German collection, The Hershey Story, The Museum on Chocolate Avenue will host the annual Christkindlmarkt Holiday Market and Festival. Twenty-one exhibitors will be featured at the festival.  717-534-3439 or www.hersheystory.org

Home for the Holidays: December 3 at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania. Take a nostalgic glimpse at holiday rail travel and meet costumed engineers, conductors, ticket agents and passengers representing the past century. Enjoy seasonal music and festive decorations among our world-class collection of trains. Send a telegram to the North Pole and, who knows, Santa may come to town! Through December 4.  717-687-8628 or www.rrmuseumpa.org

The Christmas Cabaret Show: December 4 at The Ware Center at Millersville University Lancaster. The Christmas Cabaret Show” features some of Lancaster’s best cabaret professionals singing your favorite holiday tunes. Like the rest of the “Glorious” cabarets, this one is sure to wow audiences and leave you in a wonderful holiday mood.  717-871-7308 or www.millersville.edu

Eldreth Pottery’s 2011 Annual Christmas Open House: November 11 at Eldreth Pottery. This event features a great selection of unique and one of a kind items. Additionally, Dave Eldreth will be available to sign your piece. This is a great time to stock up on gift for the holidays or for yourself. 717-687-8445 or www.eldrethpottery.com

Veterans Day at the Turkey Hill Experience: November 7 the Turkey Hill Experience. As a token of appreciation to our Service Members, The Experience will be offering free admission to past and present Military personnel (ID Required). Familes of Military guests will be admitted at a special rate. 888-986-8784 or www.turkeyhillexperience.com

ACMO’s Night of Theatrical Music: November 11 at the Ware Center at Millersville University Lancaster. The All Campus Musical Organization of Millersville University will perform its annual fall showcase featuring group numbers, duets and solos from various musicals. This popular show nearly always sells out. Get your tickets early! 717-872-3357or www.millersville.edu

Home for the Holidays: November 8 at the Rainbow Dinner Theatre in Paradise. The only all-comedy dinner theatre in the U.S. presents “Home for the Holidays” along with our wonderful all-you-can-eat buffet! 800-292-4301 or www.rainbowdinnertheatre.com

 Bret Michaels: Get Your Rock on: November 10 at The Forum in Harrisburg. Bret Michaels – multi-platinum rock artist, leader of the ’80s glam-metal band Poison, and Mechanicsburg, PA native – returns to Harrisburg for an incredible rock performance, featuring hits, fan favorites and new music. 717-214-2787 or www.whitakercenter.org

LSO: Carmina Burana plus a World Premiere: November 11 at the Fulton Theatre in Lancaster. Experience the full power and passion of Carl Orff’s masterwork! Join us as we fill the Fulton with beautiful music from three vocal soloists, two pianists, five percussionists, and more than 200 other musicians and singers. Through November 13. 717-397-7425 or www.thefulton.org

 Fall Leaves Fall: November 8 at Hands-on House in Lancaster. What’s the best part of fall? We’ll ―leaf‖ it up to you to find out. 717-569-5437 or www.handsonhouse.org

 Miracle of Christmas: As the Wise Men and shepherds did so long ago, follow the star to witness the miraculous truth of the Savior’s birth! Journey back in time and experience the bustling village of Bethlehem as camels, horses, donkeys and villagers surround you. 800-377-1277 or www.sight-sound.com

 Eastland Alpacas 9th Annual Fall Open House: November 12 at Eastland Alpacas in Mount Joy. Your invite to join us for two weekends of fun at our 9th Annual Open House! Tour our farm and ―Get up Close and Personal‖ with the alpacas. ―Get a Warm Hug from Nature‖ when you visit the Farm Store ―Boutique‖ where you will find 100’s of items made from Alpaca – one of nature’s luxury fibers. 717-653-2757 or www.eastlandalpacas.com

 Days of Wine and Chocolates: November 12 at Nissley Vineyards. This wine appreciation experience at the Nissley winery features  chocolates from local chocolatiers paired with suggested Nissley wines. Saturdays through December 3.  717-426-3514 or www.nissleywine.com

The Phantom of the Opera: November 12 at the Garden Spot Village. Enjoy the 1925 silent film classic The Phantom of the Opera the way it was meant to be seen—accompanied by live organ music. Renowned theater organist Wayne Zimmerman will provide the score for this story of the mysterious figure who lives beneath the Paris Opera House.  717-355-6000 or www.gardenspotvillage.org

 Organ Concert featuring Neil Harmon: November 13 at Longwood Gardens. Enjoy Sunday organ concerts and be dazzled by the magnificent sounds of the recently restored 10,010-pipe Longwood Organ. Dr. Neil Harmon is Director of Music and Organist at Grace United Methodist Church in Wilmington, Delaware where he directs a distinguished music program including a semi-professional choir and two bell choirs.  610-388-1000 or www.longwoodgardens.org

Come back for more fun events!

Holiday Train Room Open House Garden Spot Village The Garden Spot Village Model Railroad Club is hosting open house tours of its O-gauge and HO-gauge interactive model train displays. Children can visit with a talking Thomas the Tank Engine.  November 26- January 2 www.gardenspotvillage.org

Glorious Sounds of the Season  Millersville University Lancaster  Join Millersville University for a holiday music extravaganza! Glorious Sounds of the Season features more than 250 students from the University’s music department.  December 2-4 www.millersville.edu

Sing for Hope Gala  Fulton Theatre This evening of exceptional vocal performances will include a range of musical styles, from spirituals and operatic pieces to excerpts from well-loved musicals. The concert proceeds enrich the lives of children and families around the globe by generating valuable funds for hundreds of educational and community projects.  January 21 www.thefulton.org

Lancaster Spring Quilt Show  Lancaster County Convention Center  We offer a quilt show, with special exhibits, classes and a vendor mall. We are in full cooperation with the long running quilt show in the Continental Hotel across the street with a bus running between the two shows. Both show offer free parking.  March 14-17 www.lancasterquiltshow.com

Jonah  Sight & Sound Theatres  A faithful, righteous prophet of God suddenly disobeys and runs away! As a result, he encounters a terrible storm, an enormous fish, a tiny worm, a mighty wind, a blazing sun, a wicked empire, and the greatest revival in history. Get ready for Sight and Sound’s most extreme fun filled adventure yet.  March 10 – October 27 www.sight-sound.com

Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring  Elizabethtown College  We present this masterpiece, complete, in the composer’s own two-piano arrangement, with virtuosi Charles Abramovic and Matthew Bengston at the keyboards, and featuring world premiere choreography by the Shenandoah Conservatory’s Ting-Yu Chen.  March 31 www.etown.edu

Riverdance American Music Theatre The Irish dancing phenomenon known as Riverdance makes its way to Lancaster, PA! This amazing theatrical show is, in essence, the story of the Irish culture and of the Irish immigration to America, portrayed through traditional Irish step dancing, music and song. April 10 www.amtshows.com

Madama Butterfly  OperaLancaster  Join OperaLancaster as we present Giacomo Puccini’s timeless classic, Madama Butterfly, at the High Performing Arts Center. This opera tells that true love doesn’t always work both ways.  May 11 www.operalancaster.org