Dred Scott. George Washington Carver. Scott Joplin. Buck O’Neil. You might be famil­iar with the names, but have you been to the cour­t­house where Scott, a slave, sat after he suc­cess­fully sued to earn his free­dom? Have you walked the grounds where Carver devel­oped his love for agri­cul­ture? Can you hear the music play as you imag­ine Joplin sit­ting at his piano and com­pos­ing “The Entertainer” or pic­ture what O’Neil’s accom­mo­da­tions might have been like for road games? If you answered “no” to these ques­tions, it’s time for a visit to Missouri, a state rich in African-American cul­ture and a great loca­tion to learn about the peo­ple who strug­gled to gain free­dom, fought to make con­tri­bu­tions to soci­ety, put their own stamp on a gen­er­a­tion and sim­ply wanted to get in the game. The Old Courthouse in St. Louis, www.nps.gov/jeff/planyourvisit/och.htm plays an impor­tant role in the his­tory of African-Americans in Missouri and in American history.

Dred Scott. George Washington Carver. Scott Joplin. Buck O’Neil. You might be famil­iar with the names, but have you been to the cour­t­house where Scott, a slave, sat after he suc­cess­fully sued to earn his free­dom? Have you walked the grounds where Carver devel­oped his love for agri­cul­ture? Can you hear the music play as you imag­ine Joplin sit­ting at his piano and com­pos­ing “The Entertainer” or pic­ture what O’Neil’s accom­mo­da­tions might have been like for road games? If you answered “no” to these ques­tions, it’s time for a visit to Missouri, a state rich in African-American cul­ture and a great loca­tion to learn about the peo­ple who strug­gled to gain free­dom, fought to make con­tri­bu­tions to soci­ety, put their own stamp on a gen­er­a­tion and sim­ply wanted to get in the game. The Old Courthouse in St. Louis, www.nps.gov/jeff/planyourvisit/och.htm plays an impor­tant role in the his­tory of African-Americans in Missouri and in American history.

Couples look­ing for tem­per­ate win­ter weather can enjoy Colonial Williamsburg’s Winter Stories Package at the Williamsburg Lodge. Guests can immerse them­selves and engage in the true sto­ries of America’s first cit­i­zens and the trades they prac­ticed; walk the streets of the Historic Area; visit the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum and the DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum, shop at Merchants Square, and be pam­pered at the Spa.

John Hancock Observatory, con­sis­tently ranked as one of Chicago’s top attrac­tions, brings back the much antic­i­pated Winter Wonderland this year with a full sched­ule of jam-packed week­ends and new ways to help fam­i­lies save money with­out sac­ri­fic­ing fun. Families look­ing for budget-friendly ways to enjoy the hol­i­day sea­son with­out break­ing the bank will not want to miss this year’s cel­e­bra­tions at the Observatory, where Kids Go FREE and get a FREE pass to LEGOLAND Discovery Center every day with adult admis­sion, and fam­i­lies get a FREE photo with Santa every week­end. The best activ­i­ties of years past can only be out done by this year’s lineup through­out November and December.

Before div­ing into your hol­i­day dec­o­rat­ing this year, con­sider immers­ing your­self in the enchant­ing world of Christmas at Biltmore to glean ideas for a Vanderbilt-inspired hol­i­day dis­play of your own. Biltmore House and the sur­round­ing 8,000 acres of the estate is cel­e­brat­ing its annual Christmas at Biltmore, now through Jan. 3, 2010.

If you find your­self in Chicago this hol­i­day sea­son, you might want to immerse your­self in the rich archi­tec­tural his­tory of this great city. There is no bet­ter way to do that than to take one of the Chicago Architectural Foundation’s (CAF) 80+ river, walk­ing and bus tours.