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.

21c Museum Hotel has been selected as the #1 hotel in the United States and #6 in the world in the pres­ti­gious 2009 Conde Nast Traveler’s Readers’ Choice Awards. Hundreds of hotels were eval­u­ated by Conde Nast Traveler read­ers and more than 25,000 indi­vid­u­als voted. This year marks one of the few times an inde­pen­dent hotel has won the top award. 21c is the only U.S. hotel to make the list of the world’s top twenty hotels for 2009.

This October, Virginia is launch­ing a slew of eerie events and pack­ages to cel­e­brate the magic and mys­tery of Halloween. With over 400 years of his­tory, span­ning from Colonial America to the Civil War, the state is home to a num­ber of mys­ti­cal sites where the super­nat­ural reside. From ghostly tours in haunted plan­ta­tions and moon­lit grave­yards trails, to spir­ited war-time love sto­ries and spine-chilling tales, vis­i­tors are guar­an­teed to be spooked in Virginia. With more list­ings on the National Register of Haunted Places than any other state, Virginia is the ideal des­ti­na­tion for an authen­tic Halloween experience.

Edward Shanahan, a Paranormal Spirit Observer, Medium and Psychic Reader, in coop­er­a­tion with the Historic Scutt Mansion’s Board of Directors and the Orland Park Historical Society, invites you to share his para­nor­mal spirit expe­ri­ence and knowl­edge at two unique haunted Chicagoland loca­tions! Visit the Scutt Mansion in Joliet and the Senator Humphrey House in Orland Park with Shanahan when he brings a small group of ‘liv­ing’ indi­vid­u­als along to expe­ri­ence and explore these loca­tions at night. Be part of an enter­tain­ing para­nor­mal expe­ri­ence as Shanahan attempts to ‘Cross the Veil’ between the liv­ing and the dead dur­ing the recre­ation of a Victorian Seance!