Chocolate Columbus

It's a must-see for chocolate-lovers, as well as a must-taste.

The Amazing Chocolate Tree Exhibition at the Franklin Park Conservatory in Columbus, Ohio, runs from Nov. 12 to Feb. 20, with chocolate tastings, cooking classes and displays about the history of chocolate. A chocolate-dipped turkey will be created for Thanksgiving. The conservatory is at 1777 E. Broad St. For info: www.fpconservatory.org or 1-800-214-7275.

While you're in town, stop by the Pure Imagination Chocolatier in North Market -- 59 Spruce St.-- which offers tours and tastings and 50 varieties of hand-dipped chocolate truffles and squares, some hand-painted or dusted with gold.

At the Schakolad Chocolate Factory -- north of the Convention Center on High Street, -- you'll find a chocolate fountain and hand-dipped strawberries.

The Anthony-Thomas Candy Co. -- 1777 Arlingate Lane -- has free factory tours, 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Connecting dots for bargains

Travelers in far-flung cities have had to rely on agents to concoct itineraries from different airlines in order to take advantage of, say, a bargain fare from Denver to Hon-olulu. Now, online travel bookers are able to do that for themselves.

Late last month, AirfareWatchdog.com, a Web site that compiles bargain fares from various destinations, expanded its list of airline route maps, an oft-overlooked arrow in the quiver of air-fare bargain hunters. The site features nearly 70 maps from major carriers and their more obscure competitors, like Allegiant Air.

The route maps are a cure for insomnia unless you catch wind of a fare war like the one between United and Northwest last month. Both offered round-trip fares from Denver to Honolulu through mid-December for $287, a price that jumped much higher for would-be Hawaiian vacationers from other cities. But if you could find a cheap flight to Denver on another carrier you could set up a Hawaii trip for less.

The site's publisher, George Hobica, said that online booking engines often do not offer hodge-podge itineraries. Instead, he said, they feature itineraries from a single airline. Finding route maps on the major airline Web sites can also be a task, Hobica said. Just one airline on the AirFareWatchdog list, CanJet, provides such a map on its home page.