Oregon sampler platter

Oregon

November: Oregon Bounty is a monthlong celebration of the tastes of the state. Every weekend of November and the day after Thanksgiving, more than 60 wineries will feature free samples of state cheeses, hazelnuts and pears in their tasting rooms; some charge a nominal fee for wine tasting. Seventy-five hotels and inns across the state are offering Oregon Bounty packages and special rates, and nearly that many restaurants will be highlighting it on their menus.

For participating wineries, lodgings and restaurants,

call (800) 547-7842 or go to www.traveloregon.com/bounty.

Clarkdale, Ariz.

November (ongoing): In this month of peak fall color, the four-hour Verde Canyon Railroad tour of Arizona’s “other grand canyon” becomes an excursion through a landscape tinted in gold, bronze and copper. Wildlife including deer, javelina and antelope become more active and visible than they are in summer’s heat, and the yearly bird migration lures ornithologists. Through May, up to 40 pairs of bald and golden eagles winter in the canyon, and sightings of the birds are common.

300 N. Broadway, Clarkdale; (800) 293-7245, www.verdecanyonrr.com. Adults $39.95 and $59.95; children 2-12 $24.95; seniors $35.95; reservations required.

San Diego

Nov. 23-27: When the San Diego Thanksgiving Dixieland Jazz Festival tunes up for its 26th year, the Town and Country Resort & Convention Center on Hotel Circle will be rocking with more than 20 bands -- in a variety of traditional jazz, ragtime, Dixieland, New Orleans, Chicago, San Francisco and swing styles -- along with jam sessions, workshops and dancing. Some shows take place in ballrooms with large dance floors; others are in intimate listening rooms. Most bands will have recordings available for sale. Between sets, those who stay at the resort have the run of its four swimming pools, a full-service spa and a health club, and the Riverwalk Golf Club is next door.

America’s Finest Dixieland Jazz Society, P.O. Box 880387, San Diego, CA 92168-0387; (619) 297-5277, www.dixielandjazzfestival.org. Multiday admission $75-$85; daily admission (available at festival only) $15-$30. Reduced prices for ages 13-22; 12 and younger free with adult. Town and Country Resort & Convention Center, 500 Hotel Circle North, San Diego; (800) 772-8527, www.towncountry.com.

-- Patricia Connell