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Moving, lock, stock and burro

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Chandler, Ariz.

Opening Dec. 15: After 35 years in Scottsdale, the Old West theme town of Rawhide is moving to Wild Horse Pass, a Gila River Indian Community development just south of Phoenix. (The area already is home to Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort.) A replica of an 1880s frontier town, Rawhide claims to be “more excitin’ than a bronco in a beehive,” with cowboys, rides (burro, camel, mechanical bull, stagecoach), rock-climbing, gold panning, shopping and dining. Specialties at the Rawhide Steakhouse include appetizers of rattlesnake and Rocky Mountain oysters, which are emphatically not shellfish.

Rawhide at Wild Horse Pass, 5700 W. N. Loop Road, Chandler AZ 85226; (480) 502-5600, www.rawhide.com. Admission: free; attractions $3-$5. Open 510 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays; 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Fridays-Sundays; 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Dec. 26-Jan. 1.

Pescadero, Calif.

Dec. 15-March 31: More than 3,000 northern elephant seals, the world’s largest such mainland colony, are the marquee attraction at Ano Nuevo State Reserve. In December, adult males arrive on the beach after spending the summer at sea. Later in the month the females arrive, and they give birth soon thereafter. The females nurse their pups for about a month, mate, then abruptly return to the water. Most adult seals depart by early March, and by the end of April the pups have learned to swim and take to the ocean as well. The wildlife area of the reserve is closed Dec. 1-14. From Dec. 15 to March 31, visitors must join a naturalist-guided walk. Reservations are strongly recommended.

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Ano Nuevo State Reserve, west of California Highway 1 between Santa Cruz and Half Moon Bay; www.parks.ca.gov. For park information, call (650) 879-2025 or (650) 879-0227 ; for guided-walk reservations, visit the website or call (800) 444-4445. Admission: $5 per person; 3 and younger free; parking $6. The San Mateo County Transit District offers weekend and holiday trips Jan. 15-March 5; ticket ($15) includes bus fare from Millbrae, San Mateo or Half Moon Bay. (650) 508-6441, www.samtrans.org/anuevo.html.

San Diego

Dec. 18: On Family Day at the Maritime Museum of San Diego, those 12 and younger are admitted free (two per adult), and families can sign up for a free half-hour cruise aboard the Pilot, the museum’s 1914 harbor boat. Onboard activities are likely to include singalongs, holiday-themed crafts and educational projects for parents and kids. The museum comprises five galleries and seven historic ships, including the Pilot, the 1863 Star of India and a Soviet attack submarine decommissioned in 1994. “Taking a ride on an authentic 1914 pilot boat is a pretty special thing,” museum spokesman Michael Shanahan says. He adds that he has rarely seen a child emerge from the submarine without an ear-to-ear smile.

1492 N. Harbor Drive; (619) 234-9153, www.sdmaritime.org. Open 9 a.m.-8 p.m. daily. Admission: $10; ages 13-17, 62 and older, and active military, $8; 6-12, $7; 5 and younger, free. Cruises on the Pilot are first come, first served; sign up upon arrival.

-- Patricia Connell

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