Traditional German winter holiday market features holiday decorations, vendors in stalls and cottages selling German gift items and foods, entertainment and activities for all ages. The annual Children's Lantern Parade on St. Martin's Day is a highlight for children. Check the website for a detailed schedule of hours and events. New in 2012, Kinder Korner, a resource for children, teachers and parents, that includes at-market activities.

Various activities held throughout the holiday season including light parade and lighting ceremony, entertainment, demonstrations and giveaways.

Visit Santa Nov. 25 from 6-8 p.m. and every Friday, Saturday and Sunday only, Nov. 28-Dec. 20 from 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Special hours on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 22, and Christmas Eve, Dec. 24, from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Please note Santa takes a break each day from 3-4 p.m.

Featuring horse-drawn carriage rides, visits with Santa and entertainment. Check website for detailed schedule. Weekends from Nov. 10-Dec. 23, 2012.

Santa visits on Saturday-Sunday and there are special activities each weekend.

The festival kicks off at 6 p.m. on Nov. 15 in Pere Marquette park. Featuring live music, fireworks and the ceremonial lighting of the downtown lights. The light festival features thousands of lights and holiday displays.

Spontaneous, family-friendly experiences around the Loop that include street performances from Goodman Theatre and Joffrey Ballet; giveaways of hot beverages, pastries and prizes from Corner Bakery; free pop-up photo booths, complete with props, from SmileBooth; strolling carolers and bands from local colleges and high schools; and Berghoff Restaurant mascot "Herman the German" giving away custom steins, ornaments and treats. Plus seasonal displays, decorations, and the 10 Wonders of the Loop.

Enjoy indoor and outdoor lighted displays, designer wreaths and trees, a replica English country train platform, and the Model Railroad Garden in seasonal decor.

Enjoy brunch with Santa Claus. After brunch, kids will enjoy a variety of crafts and activities, and a photo with Santa. Reservations required. Call (847) 362-5050.

An all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet will be served at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m., followed by a photo opportunity with Santa. Afterwards, visit the zoo's animals. Call (708) 688-8355 for reservations.

Event includes a Swedish pancake breakfast, traditional crafts, dancing around the Christmas tree, and a special visit with Tomten. Prepaid reservations are required.

Features more than one million twinkling lights illuminating the zoo's walkways. Enjoy animated light displays, laser light shows, ice-carving demonstrations, live musical and dance performances, costumed characters, animal Zoo Chats with keepers and visits with Santa and Mrs. Claus (through Dec. 23).

Chef Alain Roby goes for a three-peat as he obtains his third Guinness World Record. The "World's Longest Sugar Cane" will stretch 40 ft., beginning at the Geneva Courthouse and stretching to the intersection in front of the All Chocolate Kitchen at 33 South Third Street.

Historic Holidays at Clarke House Museum  | Chicago

Experience a traditional mid-nineteenth century Christmas at Clarke House Museum this holiday season. Discover the simple joys of homemade decorations, including pine boughs and a tabletop Christmas tree, which adorned the 1850s Chicago home. Learn about gifts exchanged by families like the Clarkes and pick up a period recipe to try.

Santa's little house on the Naperville Riverwalk will be occupied by Santa and kids can visit and have their photo taken.

Features music/entertainment, carolers, holiday craft vendors, food, a craft beer area, seasonal libations, a Kids' Corner with art activities and more. Held under a heated tent.

Drive-through light show includes a mile of Santa, reindeer, candy canes, penguins, Old Man Winter, lighted trees and more.

170,000 square feet of holiday fun features indoor ice skating, entertainment, rides and inflatable slides. There are also thousands of glistening lights, plush holiday décor, and holiday trees. Plus, special family fireworks on New Year's Eve at 7 p.m.

Have breakfast with Santa on the 94th floor of the John Hancock Building. Call (312) 654-5019 for reservations.

See model trains loop around a holiday-themed track. Santa has his own car. Closed Christmas Eve and Christmas.

A guided glimpse into the world of outdoor play will depend on the day. Possibilities include snowman and snow fort building with natural materials or garden scavenger hunt for natural objects

Search for gnomes in the Children's Garden using your best "I Spy" skills. Checklist provided.

Event includes hot chocolate and cookies, a visit with Mrs. Claus and Wonderland Express exhibition. Tickets will be available online and onsite at the Information Desk in the Visitor Center. Visit  www.chicagobotanic.org/wonderland for more information, ticket pricing and to order tickets.

Drop in anytime between 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. at the conservatory's Elizabeth Morse Genius Children's Garden to plant an imaginary garden, build a tropical habitat, help water the plants, or read a book under the tropical canopy. Runs through entire 2012.

Model trains will wind their way through a miniature village set in a field of poinsettias. The village is made entirely of natural materials and features a variety of Chicago-style homes and famous buildings such as the neighborhood bungalow, Chicago Theatre and Chicago Water Tower Place. Nov. 26-Jan. 8.

Docents help children and others learn through interactive displays and games in the showrooms. New topics every month. September: "Traveling Seeds"; October: "Cone Bearing Plants"; November: "Fruits, The Seasonal Food Harvest"; December: "Eggs and the Conservatory Critters"; January: "Urban Wildlife"; February: "Chocolate"; March topic: "Survival in the Jungle"; April: "Carnivorous Plants"; May: "Water Works."

Visitors can walk inside the two-story silo and turn the crank of a silage machine, watching "corn plants" delivered to the top of the silo. Plus, learn about the history of silos and silage, build miniature silos with building blocks simulating wood, brick and metal and much more.

Make popcorn garlands, peanut butter pinecones and many other edible ornaments to hang on the trees and shrubs. to decorate the trees and shrubs outside the wildlife viewing area at Gibson Woods. Afterward stay and watch the wildlife discover the tasty treats.

Build a snowman out of biodegradable and natural items to win. Fill out an entry form at the main office.

With small solar lights to guide their way, hikers, skiers and snowshoers can traverse the 1.3-mile fitness trail at Old School Forest Preserve in Libertyville or the 1.65-mile hilly section of the Millennium Trail adjacent to the winter Sports Area at Lakewood Forest Preserve in Wauconda. Starting Sunday, Nov. 4, the trails and adjacent parking lots will remain open until 9 .m. daily until March 9.

Learn how to make your own wooden toys. The wood being used comes from a non-native, invasive plant called European Buckthorn. Learn about this invasive plant and why we work so hard to remove it from our natural areas.

Polar Adventure Days  | Chicago

FREE

Families can enjoy winter activities and meet live animals. Activities may include ice carving demonstrations, live animals such as birds of prey, Siberian huskies, live entertainment from the Old Town School of Folk Music, arts and crafts table, and free snowshoe rental if weather conditions allow. First 500 visitors receive a Polar Adventure Day mug filled with hot chocolate.  Dress for the outdoors. Call to confirm scheduled activities.

Enjoy a visit with Santa, make a craft or two and enjoy cookies, punch and coffee. Photos with Santa available for a small fee. Plus free zoo admission.

20,000 twinkling lights and hand-decorated trees transform Cosley Zoo into a fairy tale winter wonderland.Visit the animals and purchase a cup of hot chocolate, your tree, wreath, and holiday gifts.

Families can visit the Family Pavilion Stage for a professional photo with Santa and Mrs. Claus.

A lightly narrated 2-hour tour showcasing the best of Chicago's holiday lights and sights. Passengers see views of the Magnificent Mile, State Street & Macy's Holiday Windows, the John Hancock Plaza tree, Navy Pier's Winter Wonderfest, Buckingham Fountain and have time to hop off at the Zoo Lights at Lincoln Park Zoo and the Christkindlmarket.

Spirit of Chicago Santa Lunch Cruise  | Chicago

Mingle with Santa Claus, enjoy a lunch buffet, live performances by the staff and interactive DJ entertainment for dancing. Board at 12:30 p.m.; cruise 1:15-3:15 p.m. Reservations can be made by calling (866) 273-2649 or visiting www.spiritofchicago.com.

See a toy so amazing, so unbelievable, it has the power to transform into anything you want it to be. Enter a world where imagination rules, and ordinary becomes extraordinary.

Build a snow fort, throw snowballs, dress up a snowman and ice skate - all inside.
The brand new "ice" rink has more space to skate in your socks.

A new traveling exhibit created by Children's Museum of Pittsburgh that links familiar childhood objects to a process of manufacturing that combines people, ideas and technology. Inspired by the factory tour segments from Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, the exhibit offers hands-on activities using real factory tools and machines to create objects including crayons, a baseball bat and a matchbox car, just to name a few.

Kids enter artist Gino Severini's interpretation of trains by role-playing engineer, passenger or conductor in a child-size train and look for objects in an eight-foot wide "hidden pictures" mural of artist Don Stewart's "Steam Train."  Plus, enjoy specially designed wooden train tables and a huge new interactive crane.

The exhibit features the illustrations of W. W. Denslow, a Chicago resident whose famous illustrations helped to inspire the design of the classic 1939 MGM film starring Judy Garland. The bright and colorful exhibit provides a variety of learning opportunities and hands-on activities within a three-dimensional representation of Denslow's distinctive illustrations.

Discover how sounds make music, and how music makes you feel, with activities like making melodies on bolt- and wrench-a-phones, using soft sculpture pegs to make a music box, blowing air over a reed, moving musical notes on a staff, beating percussion instruments, and creating an artistic masterpiece that reflects how music makes you feel

Explore ways to play with transportation toys and experiment with the forces that make them move. Plus, there will be a train-making craft in the art room.

Includes tea with finger sandwiches and sweets (dolls are welcome to attend) and a tour of doll and dollhouse exhibits.

Follow Fancy Nancy's lead and wear your spiffiest, most frilly outfit for an afternoon filled with tea, punch, cookies and entertainment. Register at ahpd.org.

LEGO Train Show  | Wheaton

The Northern Illinois LEGO Train Club presents a model train show, displayed in a creative diorama that includes special items and whimsical pieces made by members.

Take a behind-the-scenes glimpse at the world of magic and its historic roots in Chicago. Features a multimedia object theater experience, artifact display and live performances. Discover the tricks of the trade and witness Chicago's magical past reappear before your very eyes.

A special exhibit on the history of Girl Scouting, with special focus on Oak Park, River Forest, and Forest Park. Celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Girl Scouts of the USA.

Hundreds of objects and documents from the exclusive private collection, together with a rare collection of first editions of his most famous works, tell the story of how Charles Dickens and his characters became enduring cultural icons. Interactive and multi-media displays and personal effects take visitors through a chronological tour of the life, literature and legacy of Dickens. View his personal traveling inkwell, take a ride in an early century carriage, and learn about the memorable characters, stories and themes of his famous tales through games, time period puzzles and Dickens' own personal Facebook page.