Midwest travel: Sasheer Zamata joins Improv fest
Chicago
Funny girl
The 18th Annual Chicago Improv Festival features acts such as Sasheer Zamata of "Saturday Night Live," Nicole Byer, Trainwreck, the Katydids, Wild Horses and many more performers. The Fest takes place in 14 venues around the Chicago area. Fans of improvisational comedy can see some of the best in the world in categories like long form, short form, emerging artists, musical, dramatic, experimental and genre.
Monday through Sunday, April 20-26, at various venues. Tickets cost $5-$25 and may be purchased at host venue box offices. Visit chicagoimprovfestival.org for the schedule.
Keep on truckin'
Whatever it is about kids and trucks, you can feed their compulsion with Kohl Children's Museum's 10th annual "Touch a Truck" event. The family-favorite event allows car-crazed kids to leave their toy trucks at home and jump safely into the front seat of the real thing. There will be more than 30 full-sized vehicles such as fire engines, dump trucks, semis and tractors for kids to explore.
11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, May 3, at Fields Land Rover BMW, 670 W. Frontage Road, Northfield. Tickets are $35 per family for up to six people. Day-of tickets will be available for purchase at the event for $40 per family up to six people. Free parking on-site. kohlchildrensmuseum.org/truck or (847) 832-6600
Midwest
Into the great wide open
You needn't wait to mid summer to experience a high-quality air show. The 29th Quad Cities Air Show, themed "Red, White & BLUES," will host the Blue Angels in their own 69th season. Other performances include the SHOCKWAVE Triple Jet Semi; Red Star & Dragon Air Shows; Radial Rumble Air Shows; Misty Blues All Women Parachute Team; Hawkeye Jet Demo Team; classic war-birds like the Douglas EA-1A Skyraider; Grumman Tracker; North American P-51 Mustang; and North American B-25 Mitchell. Quad Cities is one of only 12 sites to host 2015 Navy Week and it's capped off with the town's air show and the performance by the U.S. Navy Blue Angels.
Noon to 5 p.m. Saturday to Sunday, May 9-10, at Davenport Municipal Airport, 9010 Harrison St., Davenport, Iowa. Tickets for ages 4-10 are $5 in advance and $10 at the gate; adults 11 and older are $16 in advance and $25 at the gate. (563) 322-7469 or quadcityairshow.com
Beer, wine, cheese and trees
Combine a visit to the Great Mississippi River Region with appealing samplings of Wisconsin's finest cheese and beer at the annual Between the Bluffs Beer, Wine & Cheese Festival in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Enjoy an afternoon of sampling with over 200 beers from 20 to 25 breweries, plus over 45 types of wine from local and world-famous vintners and artisan cheese vendors. There's live music, and all attendees receive a souvenir glass.
2 to 6 p.m. Saturday, April 25, on the Oktoberfest grounds, 2nd Street in downtown La Crosse, Wisconsin. General admission tickets are $40 in advance, $45 the day of event, and may be purchased online at betweenthebluffsbeerfest.com and explorelacrosse.com.
Art-shaped world
The Behind the Arts Studio Tour is an uncommon, behind-the-scenes peek at the inventive and dynamic world of the working artist. Make the short drive to southeastern Wisconsin and take a self-guided tour of over 45 visual and performing artists' studios featuring over 75 artists throughout Racine and Kenosha. See painting, ceramics, jewelry, glass, photography, mixed media and more. Racine studios are open on Saturday and Sunday is the day to head to Kenosha to its artists' works.
11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday to Sunday, April 25-26. Maps are available at all studio locations, and the tour can begin from any location. Suggested donation $5. getbehindthearts.com
Worth the Trip
Music fans can channel Elvis Presley, the Rolling Stones, Foo Fighters or any favorite musical talent with the newly introduced Ultimate RockStar Package at the Madison Hotel in Memphis, Tennessee. The RockStar Package includes overnight accommodations in Madison's Presidential Suite, the largest suite in the hotel, featuring two bedrooms, a living room, a Jacuzzi tub, a specialty wine reserve and views of the Mississippi River; two traveler guitars waiting in the suite and primed for jam sessions (one of which you can take home); state-of-the-art Bowers & Wilkins P7 headphones; a private one-hour recording session - including a three-piece band - at Memphis' legendary Sun Studio, where Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash and other legends recorded; CD of the Sun Studio recording and $50 in Sun merchandise; private, luxury VIP car service to and from the recording session; and a swag bag filled with real-life rock star rider requests.
Madison's Ultimate RockStar Package is priced at $5,000. A second option is available for $4,000 with accommodations in a Luxury VIP Suite. Reservations are required at least 30 days in advance of your stay. (901) 333-1200 or madisonhotelmemphis.com