Travel journal

Southern Living, Dec 1999 by Ford, Gary D

What better way to fuse future and past than by spending the last and first of two millennia at Colonial Williamsburg?

I've had the pleasure of visiting there in a December past, when a late-afternoon snow covered the grounds with a clean, white sheet. Greenery garnished houses and buildings. Candlelight flickered everywhere. All I could hear was the crunch of footsteps in the snow and the hush of history.

Once again, the village wraps a winter cloak of events around December with its monthlong celebration, "Christmas at Colonial Williamsburg." This year, stay a little longer. From December 30 to January 1, ring in 2000 with music, a wine auction, a gala ball, and more. Millennium packages begin at $1,099 per person. For information call 1-800-447-- 8679. What a perfect place in the South to tie time together.

Gary D. Ford

Holiday Ideas at Cuscowilla

You'll find many at Cuscowilla, our Southern Living Holiday Idea House, east of Atlanta on Lake Oconee, near Eatonton, Georgia. It remains open through December 19, daily except Tuesday. To get there, follow 1-20 east from Atlanta to Exit 53 (Greensboro/ Eatonton, State 44). Travel south on State 44 for 10 miles toward Eatonton. Turn left at the caution light onto Old Phoenix Road. The entrance is about 300 yards on the left. Admission is $5, with proceeds benefitting the Gatewood School. For more information call 1-888-253-3223.

Reader Tip of the Month

Jennifer Davis of Virginia Beach, Virginia, collects free samples she receives through the mail to supply some of her vacation needs. "I keep a box of all those samples of things-- shampoo, conditioner, pain relievers, toothpasteand pack those for trips instead of items from my personal/ at-home supply."

Usually, she says, there are

See It Now

That's our best advice on when to visit the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery and the American Art Museum, quartered in the Old Patent Office Building in Washington, D.C. That structure, completed in 1867, will soon be undergoing a three-year renovation. The last day for visitors to the American Art Museum will be January 3. The National Portrait Gallery will close after January 9. For additional information call (202) 357-2700.

Where To Find 2000

Towns and cities, cruise lines, resorts, and other destinations are offering end-of-the-year packages-places you can go and celebrate the century change.

Many of the packages haven't been filling up, so there are still places you can go in late December. We've written about some of them; just

look through our magazine for places to visit on the eve of the new Millennium. Then go to our Web site, southernliving.com. You'll find even more details on places to welcome 2000.

Hats Off to Bandera, Cape Fear-Coast/Wilmington

Along with the Cape Fear Coast/Wilmington, North Carolina, area and Bandera, Texas, we're tossing our sailor caps and ten-gallons into the air. Smart Money magazine has selected them, out of 200 family destination spots, as two of the top 8 destinations in the country. Bandera bills itself as "Cowboy Capital of the World" and "Dude Ranch Capital of the World," Here in the Texas Hill Country you can ride horses and rub shoulders with cowboys at several dude ranches. For more information call 1-800-364-3833. The Cape Fear Coast/ Wilmington area was cited for its 31 -mile It coastal stretch, along with several attractions in Wilmington and on nearby beaches, ranging from the Battleship North Carolina to shooting locations for Hollywood studios. Call 1-800-222-4757.

Have a Postscript?

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