Bethlehem

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, also known as "Christmas City USA", is one of the best Christmas destinations in the country. It's about 1.5 hours from Philadelphia and is especially magical during the holiday season, when stores are decked out in festive décor and horse-drawn carriages line the cobblestone streets as visitors ride downtown. Thousands of twinkling lights and decorations adorn the Main Street boutiques and lampposts, and outdoor shopping huts sell gifts from local vendors. Guided tours of the town's historic sites will transport you back in time to the 1700s.

From mid-November to Christmas, the town also hosts Christkindlmarkt, a legendary holiday market featuring collectible nutcrackers from Germany's Käthe Wohlfahrt as well as delectable seasonal fare. During the rest of the year, Bethlehem is worth a stop on your small-town tour to learn about its history and culture. The National Museum of Industrial History is housed inside a 100-year-old steel factory and provides insight into Bethlehem's and Pennsylvania's roles in America's steel industry. The Hoover Mason Trestle has also been converted into a 1,650-foot elevated park where you can walk next to the towering blast furnaces used to produce iron and learn about the laborers who ran the plant. A stroll through the campus of Lehigh University is another recommended stop while in Bethlehem. Step inside the Linderman Library and take a seat in one of the cozy chairs beneath the spectacular stained-glass window in the Victorian Rotunda. It has the ideal setting for getting lost in a good book.