We're officially in the middle of the holiday season now, which means it's time to cook some great cookies. It's hard to beat these wonderful cookie recipes submitted by professional bed and breakfast innkeepers. Try the sugar cookies, the raspberry thumbprints, the peppermint cookies, the Melting Moments, or the Christmas gingerbread. Your guests will be glad you did, even if their waistlines aren't!

• More Cookie Recipes
• More Recipes from Innkeepers

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, transports its visitors to a turning point in the American Civil War. History lovers flock to Gettysburg to experience what life was like during the American Civil War. If you're planning a visit, be sure to make reservations at a great Gettysburg bed and breakfast. This feature also includes information about great B&Bs in the beautiful countryside surrounding Gettysburg.

^{Photo courtesy of The Brickhouse Inn}

Bermuda is a temperate, subtropical jewel a short journey from the East Coast of the United States. The country is composed of seven principal islands where visitors don't need to look far for scenic trails, parks and beaches -- or for some great bed and breakfasts.

More Great Getaways:

• Caribbean Island Bed and Breakfasts
• Go Underground
• Go Underwater
• Climb a Tree

Bed and breakfasts in and around Pacific Grove, California, will open their doors for a holiday tour on Tuesday and Wednesday. The participating inns on Tuesday include Seven Gables Inn, The Martine Inn, Pacific Grove Inn, Gosby House, Centrella Bed and Breakfast, The Inn at 17 Mile Drive, Jabberwock Inn, and Asilomar's Phoebe Hearst Social Hall. On Wednesday, Green Gables Inn, Old St. Angela Inn, Old Monterey Inn, Centrella Bed and Breakfast, The Inn at 17 Mile Drive, Jabberwock and Asilomar's Phoebe Hearst Social Hall will be open. Tickets, good for both days, are $20 each, according to an article in the Monterey Herald, and are available at are available at the Pacific Grove Chamber of Commerce office.

At Howarth House Bed and Breakfast in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, guests are likely to see the local fire captain cooking their breakfast. Innkeeper Brian Belliveau, who operates the B&B with his wife Linda, is also head of the local fire department. According to an article in the Boston Globe, Howarth House -- which opened in October -- is the first B&B in this former mill city.

If you're interested in buying a bed and breakfast gift certificate this holiday season, here's some advice. First, take a look at our feature on things you should consider before you buy a B&B gift certificate. Second, take a look at the participating B&Bs at InnAficionado.com, a company which offers discounted bed and breakfast gift certificates. (InnAficionado.com was founded in November 2003.) And third, think about buying a gift certificate from a directory such as BedandBreakfast.com, BnBFinder.com or iLoveInns.com -- or from a state bed and breakfast association, since those gift certificates can be used at many different inns. Happy holidays!

Keeper's House Inn, a lighthouse bed and breakfast on Isle au Haut, Maine, is for sale -- and the asking price has been reduced to $1.9 million. According to an article from the Associated Press, the B&B was originally listed for sale in the spring for $2.5 million. In 1986, owners Jeff and Judi Burke bought what was previously known as the Robinson Point Light Station. They renovated it and opened it as a bed and breakfast.

More Lighthouse Bed and Breakfasts:

• Lighthouse B&Bs on the U.S. East Coast
• Lighthouse B&Bs on the U.S. West Coast
• Lighthouse B&Bs in Michigan

Many aspiring innkeepers say the financial benefits are one of the reasons they want to open a bed and breakfast. But it's probably not realistic to expect to earn your entire living from the operation of a small (four rooms or less) bed and breakfast. On the other hand, if you're looking for a way to supplement your income, a bed and breakfast in your home can provide some other financial benefits. This article is part of our series of worksheets for aspiring innkeepers.

• More Aspiring Innkeeper Resources

The original building at the Silver Thatch Inn in Charlottesville, Virginia, was constructed on 300 acres in 1780 by Hessian mercenaries captured during the Battle of Saratoga in New York at the end of the Revolutionary War. For more historic inns, sign up for our free email series about 200-year-old bed and breakfasts.

Sag Harbor, a village located on Long Island about 100 miles east of New York City, needs more bed and breakfasts. At least that's the view of The Sag Harbor Express newspaper, which recently editorialized in favor of a plan to convert a former Methodist church into a B&B. The editorial serves as a reminder that not every community has embraced the idea of bed and breakfasts. Aspiring innkeepers need to study local zoning issues and other ruled and regulations before opening for business.

More for Aspiring Innkeepers:

• Aspiring Innkeeper Worksheets
• Best Books for Aspiring Innkeepers
• Before You Buy a B&B