Happy Thanksgiving to one and all!

At this time of year, people are constantly searching for fun ways to explore the metro area and all it has to offer — maybe you have family in from out of town and need to entertain them, or perhaps you’re just looking for an alternative to the typical holiday fare.

With the following four options as a starting place, I hope you’ll find a great way to kick off the season.

Return to the moon at the DMNS

With interest in space exploration on the rise all over the world, it is difficult to imagine a more fitting time to take a look back than right now. And that’s just what visitors can do at “Apollo: When We Went to the Moon,” which is running at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, 2001 Colorado Blvd. in Denver, through Monday, Jan. 23.

The exhibit takes visitors back to the space race leading up to the moon landing in 1969 and features more than 100 artifacts from the U.S. Space and Rocket Center’s archives, according to provided information.

With more than 400,000 individuals contributing to the success of the American space program, there was a huge range of materials to go through for the exhibit. Visitors can explore the development of the Saturn V rocket, get up close and personal with the Apollo A7L spacesuit and learn just some of the stories behind the people who made it all possible.

Find tickets and information on the exhibit at www.dmns.org.

Immerse yourself in the holiday season at the Cherry Creek Holiday Market

One of the great joys of the holiday season is spending time outside with a warm drink, festive atmosphere and surrounded by great people. For all that and more, you won’t want to miss the Cherry Creek Holiday Market.

Now in its third year at Fillmore Plaza, 105 Fillmore St. in Denver, the market has built up a reputation as one of the best shopping experiences in the metro area. And it is easy to see why: it features more than 50 vendors, including artisan creators who make puzzles, table-top campfires and high quality tea products; live music Wednesday through Sunday; and a top-notch bar program that showcases local companies like atōst, The Family Jones and Uncle Tim’s Cocktails. Once you add in some beautiful light features, it is difficult to go wrong.

The market runs through Saturday, Dec. 24. All you need to know can be found at www.cherrycreekholidaymarket.com.

Explore a brewing winter wonderland

LUKI Brewery, 14715 W. 64th Ave., Unit A and B, in Arvada, has all manner of activities scheduled for the holiday season, but one of the most appealing must be its Cirque Du Snow Winter Wonderland Wednesdays events.

Held from 3 to 9 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 30, Dec. 7, Dec. 14 and Dec. 21, the festivities begin with a cookie decorating kit from Elevated Pastries (which includes six plain sugar cookies in classic holiday shapes, icing and sprinkles) and from their brewers serve beer using the Bierstacheln tradition. According to provided information, “this German process involves heating beer with a hot poker and caramelizing the complex sugars from the malt-forward varieties on tap.” Finally, Classic Holiday Movie Bingo begins at 6 p.m.

There will also be holiday markets, live holiday music and even a “a paint your pet” event. Check out www.lukibrew.com to get all the details and to make your plans.

Clarke’s Concert of the Week — Wild Pink at Globe Hall

Over their four albums, New York’s Wild Pink have somehow managed to get better with each new record. Their most recent album, “ILYSM,” might be their best yet, and that could very well be because it is their most personal. At 34, lead singer John Ross received a cancer diagnosis that would rock back any person, and he used that experience as the ultimate muse. The resulting album is searching, funny, sad and expansive - all descriptions that equally apply to the story of a human life.

In support of the album, Wild Pink will be performing at the Globe Hall, 4483 Logan St. in Denver. They’ll be joined by indie rock/folk favorites Trace Mountains and Knuckle Pups.

As we head into the final stretch of the year, this is the perfect show to look back at what we’ve all endured and case a hopeful glance to the coming horizon. Get information and tickets at https://globehall.com/.

Clarke Reader’s column on culture appears on a weekly basis. He can be reached at Clarke.Reader@hotmail.com.