Offbeat holiday events: Dine in a gingerbread house, and behold a lighted beer keg tree
Tired of the usual holiday haunts? From Kentucky to Morro Bay, Calif., here are four things to see and do (like dining inside a life-sized gingerbread house) that add a dash of quirky to the yuletide mix.
Lexington, Ky.
Horses dominate the holiday lights at the Kentucky Horse Park, a working horse farm in the land that hosts the annual Kentucky Derby.
Through Dec. 31, you can tour the Southern Lights Holiday Festival where “horses of light” race or jump over steeplechase fences in park pastures. By day, the park offers equine displays and the International Museum of the Horse.
By night, visitors drive a four-mile route in the park that costs $15 to $30 per vehicle. At the end, there’s a petting zoo, Santa and model railway exhibit.
Tucson
This holiday treat involves a bit of spending money. You can eat dinner inside a real, life-sized dine-in gingerbread house set up in the lobby of the Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain resort.
It’s made with 50 pounds of ground ginger as well as hundreds of pounds of sugar, honey, flour and spices. Anyone can visit the Tucson-area resort to take a peek (and maybe a selfie) for free.
It costs $200 to $250 for six people to dine in, plus the cost of meals, starting at $20 per person from now through Dec. 27. No nibbling on the gingerbread house, though.
Info: Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain or call (520) 572-3401.
Morro Bay, Calif.
If you think Charlie Brown’s Christmas tree was humble, check out the crab pot trees around Morro Bay. A local couple started the tradition last year with one tree, inspired by New Englanders crafting trees from lobster pots.
Now there will be 15 crab pot trees around town made from buoys, netting and other nautical items to honor the spirit of the working fishing village. They’ll be on display through Christmas Day.
Also, check out Winterfest events in the town, which includes tall ships, a gingerbread house competition Dec. 9, and snow play (with real snow) in Tidelands Park on Dec. 10.
Info: Winterfest
Rochester, N.Y.
Beer lovers and teetotalers alike may enjoy this Christmas tree made of empty beer kegs in Rochester, N.Y. For the last four years, Genesee Brewery has been stacking kegs in the shape of a tree.
The 27-foot-tall tree is made of 430 stainless steel kegs stacked in 11 layers. It will remain in place until the beginning of January. At the recent tree-lighting, beer was served.
Info: Genesee Brewery
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