Midwest travel: Get your young captains on a boat
Chicago
Who is the captain now?
They love to throw their little weight around anyway, so how about you let the kids captain their own boat at an original exhibit at the Chicago Children's Museum? "Boats" allows kids to immerse themselves in a nautical experience of their own invention, complete with docks and an assortment of boats. Toddlers to tweens will like steering a ship, checking out the kitchen prep area of a vessel, kayaking and hoisting a sail, among other activities. And it's all with a view of Lake Michigan and the boats along Navy Pier. Now through Nov. 1. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Wednesday; 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday (summer hours) at the Chicago Children's Museum, 700 E. Grand Ave., Chicago. Admission is $14 for adults and kids, $13 for seniors, and free for kids younger than 1. Target Free Family Night is 5 to 8 p.m. Thursdays, and there's free admission for everyone the first Sunday of the month. chicagochildrensmuseum.org or (312) 527-1000.
Thom Thom club
Whether your memories of summer camp are dreadful or nostalgic, you can't deny the freedom from school and structure was sweet. The Gold Coast's Thompson Chicago just launched City Summer Camp offering an array of the hotel-exclusive experiences for guests who are fitness enthusiast, foodies or adventurers of any ilk. Take private tennis or golf lessons followed by craft cocktails; ice cream crawl in a Lexus; chef-led trip to the farmers market; kayak on a river tour; try sunrise beachfront yoga or stand up paddle boarding on Lake Michigan, among many other choices. The City Summer Camp program is available to all hotel guests. Now through Aug. 31 at Thompson Chicago, 21 E. Bellevue, Chicago. Room rates start at $269; activity prices are not included in room rates. thompsonhotels.com or (312) 266-2100.
Your roots are showing
Old Town School of Folk Music's Square Roots Festival is a casual, comfortable craft beer and music experience in Chicago's Lincoln Square neighborhood. There will be more than 50 acts including music, dance parties, jam sessions and plenty of family activities. Expect an eclectic mix of music, from local indie rockers to world music stars, while you sip products from local and regional craft breweries. Lincoln Square restaurants also will provide nosh as you canoodle with the locals. 5 to 10 p.m. Friday, July 10; noon to 11 p.m. Saturday, July 11; and noon to 9 p.m. Sunday, July 12, on Lincoln Avenue between Montrose and Wilson avenues, Chicago. Suggested admission is $10 for adults, and $5 for seniors and kids younger than 12. squaretoots.org or (773) 728-6000.
Midwest
Follow your bliss
The 35th annual Blissfest Music Festival offers lots of live entertainment, culture, art and community in picturesque rural northern Michigan. Open to families, friends and music-lovers of all ages, the annual event is a showcase of American roots and world music including bluegrass, blues, reggae, zydeco, Celtic, folk, jazz, Latin, world music and dance on three stages plus workshop areas for you to follow your own bliss. Rustic camping is available for the weekend with a Weekend Pass, and organized children's activities, a variety of food, and a juried arts and crafts show round out the experience. Friday through Sunday, July 10-12, at Festival Farm, 3695 Division Road, Harbor Springs, Michigan. Daily ticket prices are $38-$50 for adults, $12-$20 for ages 13-17 and free for ages 12 and younger. Weekend passes are available. blissfest.org or (231) 348-7047.
All tarted up
Get all tarted up at the National Cherry Festival in Traverse City, Michigan, a tasty event held annually since 1926. Travel to the heart of the nation's tart cherry capital (Michigan grows most of the nation's crop) and pick among 150 events - most of them free - including the National Cherry Festival Air Show featuring the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds and other military acts performing maneuvers over West Grand Traverse Bay. Music, rides, arts and crafts, a cherry pit spit contest, parade and more than 50 musical acts, including Weird Al Yankovic and Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, are just some of the activities along the shores of Lake Michigan's Grand Traverse Bay. Times and venues vary now through July 11 in Traverse City, Michigan. For a list of events and more, go to cherryfestival.org.
Vive le Milwaukee
One of the nation's largest French-themed celebrations takes place in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The 34th Bastille Days, a free four-day bash, returns to downtown Milwaukee's Cathedral Square Park, attracting more than 250,000 visitors who can take in a live international marketplace, chef and wine demos, French and Cajun cuisine, roaming entertainment and a 43-foot Eiffel Tower replica proffering hourly light shows. Expect Mardi Gras parades, dancing and bead tossing a la New Orleans, plus five stages of French ballads, jazz, folk, world, Cajun, blues, zydeco and rock music. 11 a.m. to midnight Thursday and Friday, July 9-10; 10 a.m. to midnight Saturday, July 11; and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday, July 12, at Cathedral Square Park in downtown Milwaukee. bastille daysfestival.com.