About three hours’ drive from Minneapolis and two hours from Fargo, there’s a Thanksgiving special that’s ideal for a family with younger kids looking for something do spice up the holiday week without breaking the bank. The Thanksgiving Special at the Arrowwood Resort & Conference Center in Alexandria, MN includes four passes to the resort’s Big Splash Water Park (pictured), a 38,000-square-foot indoor playground complete with three four-story waterslides, a Lazy River and spouting geysers. In addition to park admission, the resort is offering family activities like crafts, face painting and a special campfire and marshmallow roast throughout the week. And of course, a traditional Thanksgiving meal can be had during your visit. A midday meal will be served in the resort’s Lake Cafe (so named for its views of Lake Darling). On the menu? Everything from the requisite turkey and dressing to Swedish meatballs and a make your own waffle station.

When we checked, available rates included a standard room with two queen beds for $99 on Thanksgiving and $129 on Friday and Saturday nights.

Tuck into the Avalon Hotel in Beverly Hills this week, and you can save 20 percent off your room rate just for spending Thanksgiving ensconced in hotel’s oh-so-cool mid-century modern aesthetic - designed by none other than Kelly Wearstler of Bravo’s show Top Design. From the hourglass-shaped pool set in a motel-chic patio to rooms with custom-designed furnishings with vintage appeal, the 84-room hotel is a great choice for Southern California travelers who not only want a roof over their head, but a stylish one at that. Dine at the hotel’s award-winning blue on blue restaurant on Thanksgiving, and you’ll have but one difficult decision to make: whether to stay traditional with the roasted turkey with brioche stuffing or nosh on unconventional Thanksgiving offerings like New Zealand king salmon with garnet yams and huckleberries.

When we last checked rates on Sunday afternoon, a premium king room was available over Thanksgiving for $231/night (rates usually start at $289/night for premium rooms). The special rates are good for stays through Nov. 26th.

Today, we’re rounding out our look at Thanksgiving hotel packages and specials with a few fab specials we’ve found at U.S. hotels. There’s still time to throw together a last minute Turkey Day getaway - a great option for couples or small families who aren’t doing the big family gathering thing this year. We’re going to feature four options throughout the day. Be sure to check out the deals we covered last week:

So Thankful at the Alden Houston

Thanksgiving at the Inverness Hotel & Conference Center

Celebrity Travel News 11.16.07

Foot Fetish

The Four Seasons Hotel Beverly Hills figured heavily in the news this week, thanks to Britney Spears. The nutty singer reportedly ran over a photographer’s foot as she was attempting to drive out of the hotel parking lot. You can see it all with your own peepers below.

While some cry foul and accuse the pop star of poor driving (this was apparently the third foot she’s run over this month), anyone who knows anything about the paparazzi knows that those guys are practically plastered to the side of her car wherever she goes. They have a right to snap away in public places, but it’s their own darn fault if they get their feet banged up in the process.

Also at the Four Seasons this week? Another blonde pop star known as Shakira. But the paps didn’t snap any pictures of her, as far as we could tell. Instead, her visit got reported, thanks to a Fox News writer who chanced upon her in the elevator. We hear Shakira spent the ride obsessing about her looks and asking anyone who would listen whether she looked okay.

Queer Eye for the Traveling Guy

Elsewhere in Los Angeles, Los Angeles Times writer Valli Herman visited the W Los Angeles – Westwood and gave the swish new interiors designed by Queer Eye for the Straight Guy alum Thom Filicia the thumbs up. Our take? The new environs look, um, exactly like every living space from the television series. And of course, plenty of throw pillows and candles. Because throw pillows and candles make everything better.

French Connection

Jennie Garth – if she still counts as a celebrity – was spotted lifting her glass in honor of Beaujolais recently at the Paris Las Vegas Resort. We got way too much Garth way back when she was a real celeb during the halcyon days of Beverly Hills 90210 (will there ever be a character as unintentionally funny as Steve Sanders?), so we’re going to show you a photograph of the Paris Las Vegas Resort pool instead:

Dude Looks Like a Lady

Tomorrow night, travelers to the Bay Area can get a load of celebrity judges Sandra Bernhard, author and personality James St. James (a.k.a. club kid who piggy-backed off convicted murdered Michael Alig’s notoriety), Peaches Christ and Anna Conda at the annual Miss Trannyshack Pageant, which, if you don’t know, is a very San Francisco affair featuring some of the best-dressed dames who aren’t really dames this side of Texas. Actually, better make that anywhere.

Dumb Tattoo News

Celebs from Julianne Moore (love her) to Heath Ledger (so-so) descended on the Bowery Hotel in Manhattan this week for a screening of the film I’m Not There, which features a bevy of big name actors playing different aspects of Bob Dylan’s complex personality. The big news from the event? Heath Ledger sported a new tattoo during a screening. It’s of a dragonfly. Fascinating. He might as well have gotten a dolphin inked around his ankle while he was at it. We would have preferred something a little more hardcore. Like skulls or something. Or maybe Jake Gyllenhaal, though that’s really more Reese’s territory these days. Also in attendance? Richard Gere, Bruce Greenwood and a wasted looking Todd Haynes, the film’s director.

Insider It Gear 11.15.07

In Da ‘Hood

Recently tapped with a 2008 Gear of Year Award from Outside magazine, the Arc’Teryx Hercules Hoody is one high-performing soft shell that comes with a heavy dose of style. The form-fitting shape, articulated elbows and strategically placed pockets cut a body-hugging silhouette that any outdoor gal can appreciate (don’t get jealous guys, they make ‘em for you, too). After all, just ‘cause you’re giving it your all on the hill or trail doesn’t mean you have to look like a squishy rumple bum. Thanks to its Polartec Power Shield construction, this machine washable fleece alternative repels rain and snow while keeping you warm. What’s more, the nylon surface means no-pilling, which is the downfall of any fleece jacket. An adjustable hood with laminated brim keeps you prepared for sudden shifts in weather. Oh, and did we mention that this jacket just looks good? Cost: $325

Better than a Bread Box

Sexy, not at all. But smart travel doesn’t always involve the hottest, coolest gadgets. Sometimes, practicality trumps the cool factor. Case in point: the Sandwich Stay Fresh Container from the Container Store. Perhaps not a great gift idea, it is one travel accessory I’d like to have. While airplane food continues to die a slow, painful death and airports struggle to stock enough healthy, fairly-priced grab and go options, I find myself carrying food on flights more and more often. Unfortunately, that often means eating a pancake of a sandwich with soggy bread half-way through the flight. With this snazzy little container, your sammy retains its shape – and you can even stash lettuce and tomatoes in a Ziploc bag and stow it inside for assembly just before you nosh. Now as you read this, you may be asking the following completely legitimate question: why not just take a sandwich in any ‘ole plastic container? Well, you certainly could do that. But then you wouldn’t have a container that’s shaped like a sandwich. Cost: $2.99

Getting Carded

Cut make-up bag mayhem the next time you travel with Cargo ColorCards from Sephora. Each set includes 28 eye shadow cards that you can stash in your purse, overnight bag or even your pocket. Take just one or travel with the entire tin – options, options, options. Shades in jewel tones range from neutral Yukon to flashy Green Bay. Each card is supposed to be good for a single use, but we think you can stretch that a bit – unless, of course, your plans call for slathering it on. When you’re done, just chuck the card in the trash (sorry Earth!). If this kind of thing spins your wheels, Sephora also carries Cargo DailyGloss, a similar product for lip gloss. Cost: $24

The Games People Play

Leave it to Diddy to pack shot glasses, a deck of cards, five die and a flask into a leather travel case that looks more like a jewel box hiding serious bling than a way to continue pursuing life’s little vices while you’re away from home. But yes, the Sean John Bar and Game Travel Set has everything you need to get drunk and start losing at cards before you even get to Vegas. The only thing I want to know is why there isn’t room in here for my homies. Cost: $60 (currently on sale at Macy’s for $45.99)

For a last minute Thanksgiving getaway near Houston, we hear gobbling galore coming from the Alden Houston Hotel, a 97-room boutique property in the city’s downtown legal district. The property’s So Thankful package is still available for Thanksgiving 2007 and includes overnight accommodations in a deluxe room or suite, dinner for two at the hotel’s slick restaurant 17 (pictured) anytime from 11am to 9pm and hot toddies and fresh baked cookies with evening turndown service. Rates start at $269 for a room with two double beds or one king and increase to $344 for a suite with two bathrooms, sleeper sofa and 42″ plasma TV. All rooms feature free high-speed Internet access, DVD players, minibars, pillow top mattresses and 400-thread-count Egyptian cotton linens. Through Nov. 25, additional nights are $135 for standard rooms and $210 for suites.

If you’re in New York over Thanksgiving, there’s no better way to get over your all-American food hangover than Big Onion’s Annual Multi-Ethnic Eating Tour of New York, held on Nov. 23, 2007. Sponsored by the Museum of the City of New York, the walking tour ushers attendees through the Jewish East Side, Little Italy and Chinatown for edible specialties from each neighborhoods. You’ll eat well along the way, but you’ll walk away with more than a full belly. The tour is packed with anecdotes and factual information about the diverse cultures in each ‘hood and their very different histories. Reservations are required for attending the tour, which costs $20 for adults, $12 for seniors and $10 for students.

Sounds like a plan, but you’re not in town the day after Turkey Day? No worries, mates. Private tours with “enhanced noshing” opportunities are available year-round.

All I have to say is that I’m glad I wasn’t staying at the Wynn Las Vegas this morning… (p.s. there’s an ad that plays before the one-minute video of the implosion).

Not everyone does Thanksgiving with oodles of relatives and friends - it can be hard to accomplish when you live far away from your home town and circumstances prevent you from traveling during the hectic Thanksgiving travel week. But for those that want to getaway for a night or two in celebration of Turkey Day - and leave the cooking to someone else to boot - there are great deals to be had at hotels and resorts around the country. In the coming days, I’ll be highlighting several packages that are still available for Thanksgiving escapes.

First up: The Inverness Hotel and Conference Center in Englewood, Colorado. A popular destination for corporate conferences and business travelers, the hotel may at first seem an unlikely choice for Thanksgiving supper. But consider the great rates for overnight accommodations for two and Thanksgiving dinner at the hotel restaurant Baca: $110 for a standard room and $260 per night for an executive suite. That’s not bad for an overnight stay at a 4-star property with an 18-hole golf course, spa, fitness center and multiple dining options, bars and lounges.

The hotel is about a half-hour drive from Denver - so this is a solid getaway option for folks in the area who want a quick trip to a relaxing destination at a good price.

Foodies know how much a Michelin star means. If you aren’t already aware of how persnickety Michelin tends to be with its coveted stars, consider the fact that not even one restaurant in the whole of Los Angeles was good enough to score three stars in the first and recently published guide devoted to that city. The first editions of the Michelin Guide Los Angeles and the Michelin Guide Las Vegas are being celebrated this week with parties in their respective cities.

Here are the lucky dining destinations that won two or more stars in Los Angeles:

Melisse

Spago

Urasawa

And in Las Vegas:

Alex at Wynn Las Vegas (2)

Guy Savoy at Caesar’s Palace (2)

Picasso at the Bellagio (2)

Joel Robuchon at MGM Grand (3)

You can find the complete ratings at this link: Michelin Unveils First-Ever Restaurant and Hotel Selections for Los Angeles and Las Vegas