Trolley Express

Avoid the traffic, leave the driving to someone else, and take The Trolley Express for a round-trip ride on the rails of downtown Lowell. The city is all gussied up for the holidays with lights and ornaments, and your journey will start and end at the Boott Cotton Mills Museum. Park rangers will add to the festivities with a reading of "The Polar Express," and at the end of the line there will be hot chocolate and cookies. Reservations required. -- June Wulff, Globe Staff