Nashville vs NYC and Chicago at Christmas

Nashville is built for a weekend. On Lower Broadway, neon-lit honky-tonks have live bands playing from late morning until well past midnight, usually with no cover, and the next great songwriter might be on stage at noon. A block away, the Ryman Auditorium, the 'Mother Church of Country Music,' offers daytime tours and some of the best acoustics in the country at night. Walk the John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge over the Cumberland River at sunset for the classic skyline view, and fuel up on Nashville hot chicken, fried crisp and dusted with cayenne at whatever heat level you dare. Weekend mornings belong to brunch: grab a table in walkable 12 South, laid-back East Nashville or the sleek Gulch, then wander their murals and boutiques. Stay longer to tour the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, catch a show at the Grand Ole Opry, sip wine at the Belle Meade Historic Site and spend a day in Franklin, a charming Civil War-era town 30 minutes south. Spring and fall bring mild weather and packed music calendars, but Music City delivers year-round as long as you book shows and hotels early.

This holiday lights trip pairs two of America's most festive winter cities: three days in New York, then a short flight to Chicago for two more. In Manhattan, stand beneath the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree as skaters circle the rink below, browse the glass kiosks and free-admission ice rink of Bryant Park's Winter Village and walk Fifth Avenue's elaborate department store windows and light shows. Ride the subway to Brooklyn for Dyker Heights, where homeowners cover entire houses in lights, inflatable Santas and animated nutcrackers. In Chicago, sip hot spiced wine from a boot-shaped mug at the German-style Christkindlmarket in Daley Plaza, stroll the Magnificent Mile beneath trees strung with more than a million lights, skate at the McCormick Tribune Ice Rink in Millennium Park and end at Lincoln Park ZooLights, a glowing, family-friendly tradition. The best window is mid-November to early January: markets generally run from mid-November to Christmas Eve, the Rockefeller tree is lit in early December and most displays stay up into the new year. Visit before December 23 to catch everything open. Pack a warm coat, hat and gloves, because Chicago nights often dip into the 20s, and book hotels early.