Three Travel Destinations You Should Consider for Christmas

The tree at Rockefeller Center may be an exciting place to visit for the holidays, but try doing something different this year and you may not miss the hustle and bustle as much as you think you would. Explore the charm and holiday food options in Healdsburg; enjoy the jolly days of Indianapolis; or find a quieter beach next to the decorated city of Delray Beach.

Healdsburg, California
Healdsburg is the center point of Sonoma Wine Country and you will find plenty to celebrate there. The town is decorated around the town square for Christmas. The Hotel Healdsburg is in town, but you should also consider staying at the Camellia Inn, as you will find plenty of comfort and joy at this bed and breakfast. It's also only a short walk to the town's restaurants, shops and wine tasting rooms.

Be sure to sign up for some holiday cooking classes at Relish. One of their most popular each year is the Family Gingerbread House Decorating. In addition to the offerings there, more than two dozen restaurants in town get involved each year in the Healdsburg Strolling Dine Around. You can enjoy a four course progressive meal is you stroll through the holiday decorations and have a different course in each restaurant.

Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis may not be as big as New York City, but that's part of the charm in the Indiana capital. It has all the restaurants, shopping and activities of a large city without the necessity to take trains or taxis. You can walk just about anywhere in Indianapolis and you can do most of it through the climate controlled Skywalk. Despite the fact that it's winter in the Midwest, you can go from your hotel to the four story Circle Centre Mall to one of the city's fine restaurants -- without ever putting a coat on.

All the holiday activity starts just after Thanksgiving, when Santa and Mrs. Clause arrive at the Indiana State Museum by helicopter. Christmas festivities continue throughout the city from that time on and include the Circle of Light, a spectacular downtown centerpiece that has nearly 5,000 lights; Jolly Days Winter Wonderland at the Children's Museum of Indianapolis; and various holiday musicals presented each year by the Arts Council of Indianapolis.

Delray Beach, Florida
Skip all the college students in Fort Lauderdale and the crowds at Disneyworld in Orlando during the holidays. You should head to Delray Beach instead. This city by the ocean is nestled between West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale airports so it's easy to get to. The downtown area offers an array of restaurants for every taste and it continues down to the beaches.

At Christmas time, Downtown Delray Beach goes all out, starting with the lighting of their 100 foot tree at the beginning of December. (Delray also has a Menorah Lighting each year to celebrate Hanukah.) Free concerts take place every Friday during the holiday season at the Old School Square Pavilion. Downtown restaurants welcome patrons, who sit along the sidewalks like they are in Paris cafes. There's even an ice skating rink set up downtown to get the celebration started.