Midwest travel: Get cured at Baconfest
CHICAGO
This little piggy went to ACME
ACME Hotel Company is bringing home the bacon in April as the hotel partner for Baconfest Chicago 2015. It begins with the second annual Bacon Month Kickoff Cocktail Party at the hotel's Berkshire Room for bacon-inspired cocktails from some of Chicago's top bartenders. The calendar of events ranges from bacon tastings and Kevin Bacon movie nights to bacon art and a BYOB bacon art class. There's also a Peace, Love and Bacon Package at ACME Hotel that includes a one-night stay; two general admission tickets to Baconfest Chicago; bacon pastries from West Town Bakery via Knock & Drop room service; and a bacon cookbook.
The event runs from March 31 to April 16, with days, times and costs varying at the ACME Hotel, 15 E. Ohio St., Chicago. Rates start at $329 including Baconfest Chicago tickets and $249 without tickets. acmehotelcompany.com or (312) 894-0800.
Art full of soul
Take the opportunity to see rarely exhibited Japanese Buddhist prints at The Art Institute of Chicago's exhibition, #8220;Spreading Devotion: Japanese and European Religious Prints.#8221; It's a first-of-its-kind collaboration between the departments of Prints and Drawings and Asian Art that features work that surveys the rich printed traditions of the East and West fostered by devotional practices. See examples of both Old Master and Japanese prints.
10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday through Wednesday and 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday, from April 4 through June 21 at the Art Institute of Chicago, 111 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago. artic.edu or (312) 499-4111.
We are the world
Attend the fifth annual Chicago International Music Festival showcasing instrumental ensembles from California, Kansas, Tennessee and Australia. The bands play on the acoustically wonderful Armour Stage at Chicago Symphony Center.
7 p.m. Sunday, April 5, at Symphony Center, 220 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago. Tickets cost $20. cso.org or (312) 294-3000.
MIDWEST
Nose for news
The Indiana State Museum is home to a national exhibition featuring the works of Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Bill Foley. Foley, a Hoosier, worked as a staff photographer for The Associated Press and Time magazine. His work reflects the time spent in more than 47 countries covering everything from the Indianapolis 500 and the Kentucky Derby to the armed conflict in the Middle East, upheaval in Haiti, politics, business stories, and four U.S. Presidents. See his news photography repurposed as art: more than 100 vintage photographs, three-dimensional artifacts and personal accounts.
10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, through July 19 at Indiana State Museum, 650 W. Washington St., Indianapolis, Indiana. Admission is $13 for adults, $12 for seniors and $8.59 for children. indianamuseum.org or (317) 232-1637.
Slick flicks
The Wisconsin Film Festival, presented by the University of Wisconsin-Madison Arts Institute, is the largest university-managed festival in the nation with more than 150 films shown during eight days. Films include some world premieres of feature films including #8220;Clarence, Old Fashioned: The Story of the Wisconsin Supper Club,#8221; and #8220;Tale of the Spotted Cow#8221; as well as many world premieres of short films. See documentaries, comedies, dramas and visionary avant-garde cinema.
Various times and venues from April 9-16 in Madison, Wisconsin. Tickets cost $10, $8 for students, military and seniors (65 and older), and $5 for all children's cinema. A festival pass is $300. Buy tickets online at 2015.wifilmfest.org or call (608) 265-2787.
Egg on your face
Head over to Egg Day at the Milwaukee County Zoo and whisk up some fun for the family. A bubble artist creates liquidy insects, volcanoes and dancing bubbles; kids 8 and younger can search for special Easter-themed tokens they can redeem for treats; hop on the Safari Train; have fun with face painting; and march in the Easter Parade. Throughout the zoo, be on the lookout for animals celebrating Easter, as they receive special Easter-related enrichment items in their habitats.
9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, April 4, at the Milwaukee County Zoo, 10001 W. Blue Mound Road, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Zoo admission is $11.75 for adults, $8.75 for kids 3-12, free for kids 2 and younger, and $10.25 for ages 60 and older. Parking is $12. milwaukeezoo.org/events/eggday.php or (414) 256-5466.