Midwest travel: Potato Days whips up some fun in Minnesota
Chicago
Everybody (Vera) Wang Chung tonight
Chicago Fashion and Music Fest, now in its seventh year, attracts fashionistas, families and outdoor fest-lovers for two days of local fashion and accessories, food vendors, live music and entertainment. This year, Subterranean night club booked the Main Stage live music lineup, so expect cutting-edge sounds. This year's fest features more than 20 distinctive fashion runway shows (15-20 minutes each) as well as featured runway shows that begin at 8 p.m. each night, a shopper's row with more than 50 booths, and storefronts offering sales, a kid fest, and a pet fest with activities, vendors and treats. Noon to 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 29-30, on Division Street from Damen to Leavitt. $5 entry donation. chicago fashionfest.com
Corny but amazing
There are corn mazes, and then there's the country's largest at 30 acres (that would be around 25 football fields) at Richardson Adventure Farm in Spring Grove. This year the main maze honors Chicago's hockey team with the Blackhawks' logo in the center, the Chicago skyline behind it, two hockey players and the word “Champions.” There's easy access to and from 11 miles of trails, and you can traverse between mazes on wooden bridges or climb the five-story observation tower to eyeball the whole thing. Even if you're not keen on doing the lab-rat activity, you can still try some of 30 other activities, including wagon rides, pig races or a park train that runs on real tracks. Private picnic sites and campfires are available by reservation. And there's lots of free parking. Wednesday through Sunday, Aug. 29-Nov. 1 (plus Labor Day and Columbus Day), at Richardson Adventure Farm, 9407 Richardson Road, Spring Grove. For details and activity pricing, see richardsonadventurefarm.com/
Hot town, summer in the city
There's still a sliver of time to enjoy the world-class city in our backyard this summer with a “Summer Like a Local” package at Loews Chicago Hotel. Located in the tucked-away downtown neighborhood of Streeterville, the hotel offers stunning views of the lake and city as well as proximity to museums, restaurants and the Magnificent Mile. Loews Chicago also boasts a seasonal spot for delicious dining and drinking at the new open-air terrace called Streeterville Social — the largest “rooftop” in Chicago where you can play lawn games while sipping a mojito. “Summer Like a Local” includes two tickets to the Chicago Architectural Boat Tour and breakfast for two adults at Rural Society, the on-site Argentine eatery. Through Sept. 7 at Loews Chicago Hotel, 455 N. Park Drive. Rates from $279 per night. (800) 23-LOEWS or loewshotels.com
Midwest
Smashing fun
Whether you prefer them french-fried, mashed, baked, crowned in cheese or dripping in gravy, spuds are the stars of Potato Days in Barnesville, Minnesota. One of the best potato-producing areas in the country, Barnesville offers bushels of activities during the event, which dates back to the late 1930s. Watch or enter the potato picking or peeling contests, or the fine art of mashed potato sculpturing. Belly up to the smorgasbord, which includes Norwegian lefse, potato dumplings, potato sausage, baked potatoes, potato pancakes and potato soup. There will be a National Lefse Cookoff and Potato Cookoff competition, too. Keep your eyes peeled for the big parade, potato car races and folks milling about in potato sack outfits. 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday, Aug. 28, and 7 a.m. to 1 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 29, in downtown Barnesville, Minnesota. Free admission. (800) 525-4901 or potatodays.com
Retreat me nice
Early autumn is a perfect time to embark on a healthier road that includes a relaxing retreat on southeast Wisconsin's beautiful Elkhart Lake. Learn from one of the Midwest's top Stand-Up Paddleboard (SUP) yoga instructors, strengthening your core and sense of accomplishment at The Osthoff, an AAA four-diamond resort. The serene, scenic lake serves as a workout studio, and the lessons are appropriate for first-time paddlers or veterans. The SUP yoga retreat at The Osthoff includes: three days and two nights in one of the resort's luxurious villas with private balcony overlooking the lake or woods; SUP, yoga and meditation classes during the day and early evening, as well as additional, one-on-one during free time with the instructor; and a $120 resort meal plan. Sept. 11-13 at The Osthoff, Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. Retreat is $651 per person (based on double occupancy). To reserve a spot, a nonrefundable deposit of $300 per person is required. Extra nights at The Osthoff are available at the special rate of $170 per person per night for retreat-goers. To register for the retreat, go to myretreatsunlimited.com/about/sup-yoga-mary-lou or call (855) 876-3399.
Carve, grind and kick flip
Whether they're vert or street skaters, your boarders will get a better handle on the physics of skating at the Indiana Museum's new exhibit, “Rad Science: Skatepark Physics.” The interactive exhibition lets people in on what it takes to pull off a midair 900 on a skateboard; the best surface for a rad ride; and what gravity, force, velocity, acceleration, inertia and balance have to do with it. Set in a realistic skate park scene, “Rad Science” breaks down the science of tricks and turns in more than two dozen interactive experiences so your street athletes can enhance skating performance. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 5, 2015-Jan. 3, 2016, at the Indiana State Museum, 650 W. Washington St., Indianapolis, Indiana. Admission is $13 for adults, $12 for seniors, $9.75 for college students, and $8.50 for kids. (317) 232-1637 or indianamuseum.org.