Oh, the Places You’ll Go

Not everyone is able to get home for Thanksgiving. For those who can’t travel, though, there’s lots to do in and around Boston to help put you in a holiday mood. Below is a list of suggestions—some free—to keep you busy over the next few days.

Looking to get out of the city for a little sightseeing this holiday? Consider a trip to the birthplace of Thanksgiving—Plimoth Plantation. The plantation has re-created Puritan and Native American homesteads, including a Wampanoag Homesite and a 1627 English Village. A replica of the Mayflower is in Plymouth Harbor as well. The seated Thanksgiving dinners are sold out, but there are openings for the 11:30 a.m. Thanksgiving Buffet.

Directions to Plimoth Plantation, 137 Warren Ave., Plymouth, Mass., are available here. Admission to the plantation and onto the ship, open through November 29 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., is $28.

History buffs willing to travel a little father afield may want to travel down the Mass Pike to Old Sturbridge Village, one of the country’s largest living history museums. The complex is open on Thanksgiving and all weekend from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tour some of the 57 buildings on the roughly 200-acre complex. Witness hearth cooking and an after-dinner shooting match. Although all scheduled Thanksgiving meals are already booked, you can stop by the Café for soup or a sandwich.

Directions to Old Sturbridge Village, One Old Sturbridge Village Rd., Sturbridge, are available here. Admission is $20.

Now that the mercury has dropped, head over to the Boston Common Frog Pond for some festive ice-skating. Lace up your own skates or rent a pair for $8, and take to the ice. Admission is $4 and locker rentals are $1. Refreshments can be purchased at the Lily Pad Café.

The Frog Pond is on the Boston Common, on Beacon St. between Park and Charles. Public skating hours are Mondays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; and Fridays and Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Charles Dickens fans and theater-goers alike will want to head to the Back Bay for the Lyric Stage Company’s acclaimed production of Dickens’ The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, Parts I & II. This sprawling adaption of the novel is presented in two parts, each running three hours, with an hour intermission. The play is performed in rotating repertory.

The Lyric Stage Company of Boston is in the YWCA, second floor, 140 Clarendon St., Boston. Part I of Nicholas Nickleby will be performed on Friday, November 26, at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, November 27, at 8 p.m., and Sunday, November 28, at 7:30 p.m. Part II will be performed on Saturday, November 27, at 3 p.m. and Sunday, November 28, at 2 p.m. Student rush tickets, at $10, are available with a student ID, and you must arrive 30 minutes before the performance. Tickets are cash only and subject to availability.

Still craving culture? Head over to the Museum of Fine Arts new Art of the Americas wing, which opened just last week. The new wing, designed by iconic architect Norman Foster, features 53 new galleries showcasing 5,000 items from North, Central, and South America spanning 13 centuries.

Admission to the Museum of Fine Arts, 465 Huntington Ave., Boston, is free for students with a with BU ID.

If you didn’t get your share of pumpkin or pecan pie, you may want to trek over to Arlington’s Regent Theatre for a spoonful of sugar when the theater hosts six showings of Sing-a-Long Mary Poppins over the weekend. The theater has customized the 1964 film with lyrics on screen to ensure audience participation. The audience is encouraged to dress in Mary Poppins–themed costumes for a costume contest, so get out your umbrellas!

Directions to the Regent Theatre, 7 Medford St., Arlington, are available here. Sing-a-long times are listed here. Tickets are $12 with a student ID.

Already anxious to get into the Christmas spirit? What better way to usher in the season than by attending the Macy’s Great Tree Lighting at Downtown Crossing on Friday, November 26, at 5 p.m. There will be performances by the Boston Children’s Chorus and singer and Broadway star Ann Hampton Callaway and the unveiling of Macy’s “Yes, Virginia” holiday windows, which follow the journey of a child’s letter to Santa Claus as it travels to the North Pole.

The event is free and takes place at Macy’s at Boston’s Downtown Crossing.

Consider taking part in another Beantown Christmas tradition this weekend. The Boston Ballet kicks off its 2010 run of Tchaikovsky’s beloved holiday ballet The Nutcracker. Student rush tickets, at $20 with a student ID, are available for performances on November 26, 27, and 28; you must show up two hours before the performance to get the discounted tickets, which are cash only and subject to availability.

The Boston Ballet performs The Nutcracker this weekend at the Boston Opera House, 539 Washington St., Boston. Performances are 7:30 p.m. on Friday, November 26; 1 and 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, November 27; and 1 and 5 p.m. on Sunday, November 28.

After Thanksgiving, it’s time to start that holiday shopping. “Black Friday” marks the official start of the holiday shopping season. For electronics and computer equipment, get up before sunrise and head to Best Buy for its 5 a.m. opening. With locations in the Landmark Center and on Newbury Street, the store will have myriad deals. Also in the Landmark Center, Staples opens at 5 a.m. as well, with sales on cameras, GPS systems, and computer accessories.

Best Buy is at 401 Park Drive and 360 Newbury St., Boston. Staples is at 401 Park Drive, Boston.

Amy Laskowski can be reached at amlaskow@bu.edu. Brendan Gauthier can be reached at btgauth@bu.edu.