The following information is from the Travel Berkeley Springs office:

Late fall is magical in Berkeley Springs with skeletal trees, visible rock formations and scatterings of brightly lit holiday decorations. It's also the end of deer season on Saturday so we caution you to wait until Sunday for any walks in the woods.

Instead, enjoy a full schedule of special entertainment along with shopping for the season as well as indulging yourself with fine food and luxurious spa treatments.

Saturday night has so many choices, you'll need to start weighing your decision now. Cacapon State Park features a Mystery Theater production in which you can play a part. You can get a bargain package at the park that includes room, dinner and the mystery theater and breakfast -- or you can just attend the dinner and theater fun. It all starts at 6:30pm and is staged by the local New World Theater Company noted for developing original mystery stories with a local twist for the past twenty years. You will love the experience.

The Country Inn is also the scene of dinner/entertainment on Saturday when The Stevens Family sings bluegrass backed up by a tasty Country Inn buffet from 6 to 10pm. Just across the park at 8pm, the Fairfax Coffee House serves up wine and beer along with hot drinks as well as presenting Teporah, a classically-trained pianist and composer who performs an original sound comprised of influences from blues, indie rock, soul, folk and world music. At 9pm Moontree will be performing at La Luna Gallery and Wine Bar, an eclectic mix of acoustic, tribal, classical, grungy, chilled out and modern sounds.  It is all original. A holiday musical treat is the Christmas concert and carol sing "In Dulci Jubilo" by the Living Springs Choral at 7pm on Saturday at the Seventh Day Adventist Church south of town or Sunday at 3:00 pm at Emmanuel Baptist Church in Great Cacapon.

Finally, for those who like their music hot and want to dance, head on out the ridge to the Troubadour for an end-of-deer-season dance with the Flashbacks on Saturday from 9pm to midnight. A local band, the Flashbacks are just that -- a flashback to the sounds of 60s and 70s rock and roll.

All weekendlong, there's the Star Theatre, a vintage movie house showing the hugely popular, apocalyptic action film 2012 starring John Cusack. Showtimes are Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 8pm. A bonus attraction at the Star is the world class popcorn, just the treat to sustain you through the end of the world as we know it.

Fortunately, we have it on good authority that the end is not this weekend so you have a chance for a day at the spa treat. There are several choices among our local spas and within each spa, there are almost countless choices of available treatments including various types of massage, scrubs, rubs, wraps, steams, facials, pedicures, manicures -- and more. Check the spa page for all the options including on-call practitioners -- and don't forget the very good idea of a spa certificate for someone's Christmas stocking.

Shopping for the holidays tops everyone's list of things to do in December and Berkeley Springs offers more unique opportunities than places two and three times its size. Plus, you can stroll the town while shopping soaking up the Historic District ambiance as you go. As for the content of the shopping -- check the long list of intown locations. You'll find someplace to go for everyone on your list from antiques and art galleries to books, crystals, quilts and belly dancing supplies. There are health related products including herbs, oils and homeopathic medical remedies produced here in Berkeley Springs. Vintage Kitchen is having a sale which includes old china and Homer Laughlin sugar and creamer sets and is open on Friday night until 7pm. While you shop, you'll encounter one of the best kept secrets in the region -- the number of fine dining choices. You can find spicy curries and sushi, local and regional food ingredients turned into exquisite dinner offerings, barbecue and breakfasts, wine bars and cafes. Check the list or stop in when you are ready for a break from shopping or spa-ing.

Hiking is still possible -- and extremely interesting -- as long as you wait until Sunday when hunters are safely out of the woods. Another fun adventure, but only on Saturday from 11am to 4pm, is a visit to the Museum of the Berkeley Springs above the Roman Bath House in Berkeley Springs State Park. The Museum closes for the season after Saturday.

Review the lodging page for all your choices as to pillows, tubs, heating sources and locale. What that means is that you can have an elegant Victorian room filled with antiques and a whirlpool tub of your own or a well-appointed log house on a mountaintop with a wood stove and soft beds laden with handcrafted quilts. There is truly a room especially for you whether you are a romantic couple, a family of 10 or traveling with pets. The folks of Berkeley Springs have been decorating the town and are ready to welcome you for a pre-holiday excursion.