Midwest travel: Don your Sunday best for Derby Day parties in Chicago
Chicago
Derby party
Even if you don't know much about horses, you can still use the occasion of the 143rd Kentucky Derby as an outing for fun. Tavern on Rush hosts its sixth annual daylong Kentucky Derby Party when guests are encouraged to dress in Southern apparel and don extravagant Derby Day hats. The restaurant hosts a best hat contest with a $500 Tavern on Rush gift card for the first place winner and a bottle of Dom Pérignon for the second place winner. Prizes awarded immediately after the race, which will be shown in the bar with sound. Take advantage of food specials as well as $5 Mint Juleps all day long. At nearby LUXBAR, the HD flat-screen TVs will be tuned into the race while you sip festive cocktails like Jim Beam Bonded Mint Juleps. A best dressed contest offers a bottle of Old Rip Van Winkle Bourbon for first place and a $100 LUXBAR gift card for second place. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, May 6, at Tavern on Rush, 1031 N. Rush St., Chicago, (312) 664-9600, tavernonrush.com/, and at LUXBAR, 18 E. Bellevue, Chicago, (312) 642-3400, luxbar.com/. The Derby takes place at 5:46 p.m., but other races are broadcast throughout the day starting at 10 a.m. Prizes are awarded immediately after the Derby around 6 p.m.
City Summer Camp
Nostalgic for summer camp? The Gold Coast's Thompson Chicago just launched this year's City Summer Camp offering an array of hotel-exclusive experiences for guests who are fitness enthusiasts, foodies, history buffs or adventurers. Take personalized, guided running tours to see Chicago's best sights; join a Chicago expert on a private 90-minute tour introducing the architecture, history and culture of the hotel's neighborhood; go to a trendy home decor and garden boutique for a hands-on private terrarium-building class; or join an intimate cocktail class and tasting or a gelato-making class. Also, Thompson has partnered with Oak Street Beach to reserve volleyball courts for guests upon request and equip them with a beach volleyball, a net, and if desired, a custom picnic. Now through Sept. 30 at Thompson Chicago, 21 E. Bellevue, Chicago. Pricing for City Summer Camp offerings vary by activity. Receive a 15 percent discounted rate with the booking code "CAMP." Make reservations at (312) 266-2100 or thompsonhotels.com/hotels/chicago/thompson-chicago/special-offers/exclusive-offers.
Midwest
Flowers and fungi
There's a double-bill of outdoor fun in Brown County, Indiana, next weekend with the 54th annual Spring Blossom Parade and the Morel Mushroom Festival. The 2017 parade theme is "Reaching for the Stars," celebrating the 40th anniversary of the release of the first "Star Wars" film. Brown County State Park is the site of the 10th annual Morel Mushroom Festival, which includes a morel sale, cooking demonstrations, crafts, live music, guided hikes and kids' activities. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 6, at the Brown County State Park Nature Center. The parade steps off at 11 a.m. Saturday, May 6, in downtown Nashville, Indiana. Free. See browncounty.com/.
2 X 4 = fun
It's double the fun in the Quad Cities next weekend with two fests happening simultaneously: the new Rock Town Lit Fest in Rock Island, Illinois, and the Tour de Brew QC. The two-day celebration of literature showcases authors and publishers from the Quad Cities area and Midwest with a lit crawl from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday and a book fair from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday featuring readings and presentations. The Tour de Brew QC takes bike riders on a scenic 35-mile ride along the Mississippi River with stops at eight Quad Cities pubs. The Brat Pack will headline the after-party at the Rock Island Brewing Company. Lit Fest runs Friday and Saturday, May 5-6. The Tour de Brew QC runs from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, May 6. The charity bike ride begins and ends at the Rock Island Brewing Company, 1815 2nd Ave., Rock Island. mwcqc.org/rock-town-lit-fest/ or qctourdebrew.com/.
Road trip
Take a family field trip to nearby Racine County, Wisconsin, for Open House Racine County, a free daylong celebration of the area's interesting places, architecture, history, art and more. Stop at a farm market; sample gourmet chocolate and English toffee; enjoy a narrated, 45-minute bus tour to learn about Racine's history, culture and attractions; tour Racine County's first craft brewery or a local winery; visit the Racine Zoo and the Spinning Top and Yo Yo Museum; or visit a number of historical societies and museums. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, May 6, in Racine County, Wisconsin. To make your personal itinerary, go to openhouseracinecounty.com/.
Worth the trip
WOW air, Iceland's affordable transatlantic airline, will begin landing in Chicago in July, so Chicagoans will have access to low-fare travel to Iceland and 23 other European destinations including London, Paris, Amsterdam, Dublin, Copenhagen, Berlin and Frankfurt. The new O'Hare route will be serviced by the Airbus A321-300 aircrafts, notable for the planes' wider cabin, low operating costs and excellent fuel efficiency. Starting July 13, WOW air offers service to and from Chicago's O'Hare airport four times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Prices from ORD to KEF range from $99 to $219 and from KEF to ORD are $199 right now. Prices from ORD to KEF to other cities in Europe start at $149 to $339 and back to ORD starts at $249 depending on the destination. Visit wowair.us/.