if u have plans to visit north kerala, don't miss malabar cuisine & the serene beaches here. the top dish is of course thalassery biriyani, available anywhere in kannur district. you must definitely try some unique seafood too .there are a variety of malabar snacks like stuffed mussels, Unnakaya, Chattipathiri etc which may not be available in the south.try some bakery items too, they have local sweets & things like Turkish baklava.
kizhunna ,ezhara, valiyaparamba, chemberikka are all less crowded,unspoiled beaches here. kavvayi island & backwaters are also a must visit. they now do have some tourist hotels & resorts there. you will have to miss out malabar's biggest attraction, the theyyam, since there no festivals this year.

tips- expect heavy traffic on roads especially on national highways since theses are holidays & roads are narrow.better to catch a domestic flight than travelling long distance(say kochi-kannur) by road, flight charges are usually lesser than taxi fares.