Travel calendar
Near
Cruise downstate to party on Route 66
One thousand vintage cars, entertainment and celebrity guests from the U.S. and Canada fill the streets of downtown Springfield during the International Route 66 Mother Road Festival Sept. 28-30. This celebration of cars, food and music captures the heyday of U.S. Route 66 with Frankie Avalon's Beach Party, a sock hop, rock 'n' roll on outdoor stages and a car cruise. (202 miles from O'Hare, (866) 783-6645, www.route66fest.com)
Des Moines festival is all about food
The 2007 Wells Fargo World Food Festival, Oct. 5-7 in downtown Des Moines, Iowa, will celebrate the rich cultural heritages in the state through a wide variety of ethnic foods. Visitors will find cultural cafes highlighting culinary delights from across the globe, live strolling musicians and entertainers, a global marketplace, cooking demonstrations and an international beer tent. (332 miles from O'Hare, (515) 286-4927, www.wfwff.org)
Warrens, Wis., is awash in cranberries
Flooded cranberry marshes filled with a sea of crimson cranberries herald in the harvest as the "Cranberry Capital of Wisconsin" celebrates the tart fruit. During the Warrens Cranberry Festival in Warrens, Wis., cranberry delights of every type imaginable are available to tickle the taste buds Sept. 28-30. Travelers can tour the marshes or enjoy the sights and sounds of the arts and crafts fair, cranberry parade and live entertainment. (231 miles from O'Hare, (608) 378-4200, www.cranfest.com)
Cornish heritage on display
The 15th Annual Cornish Festival in Mineral Point, Wis., celebrates the proud heritage of the immigrants who originally settled there. Festivities Sept. 28-30 include authentic Cornish and Celtic music, traditional Cornish food, narrated bus tours featuring the town's historic stone cottages, live music and storytelling for all ages. (180 miles from O'Hare, (608) 987-3201, www.mineralpoint.com, www.cornishfest.org)
Paying tribute to James Dean
Attend a custom car show, James Dean look-alike contest and museum tour that includes James Dean motorcycles and personal artifacts Sept. 27-30 in Fairmount, Ind. The Fairmount Museum Days/Remembering James Dean Festival celebrates the life and work of the actor who lived in the town and is buried in the local cemetery. Live music will be performed on the Main Street Stage and there will be a fashion show, flame-throwing contest and free showings of Dean's films "East of Eden," "Rebel Without a Cause" and "Giant." (205 miles from O'Hare, (765) 948-4555, http://jamesdeanartifacts.com)
Cars and boats draw Lake Geneva visitors
On Sept. 29 and 30 visitors to Lake Geneva, Wis., have their choice of two major events. The 30th Annual Classic Car Rally includes a car parade, 1950s dance, a classic car show and poker rally. The Geneva Lakes Antique & Classic Boat Show in nearby Fontana, Wis., features nearly 100 in-water and on-land wood boats dating back to the early 1900s. There also will be an antique boat parade and market. (61 miles from O'Hare, (800) 345-1020, www.lakegenevawi.com, www.classiccarrally.net, www.genevalakesboatshow.com)
Trek to Ohio River for fine art fair
Enjoy southern Indiana's premier outdoor juried fine arts and crafts show in the historic district of Madison, Ind., Sept. 29 and 30. The Madison Chautauqua Festival of Art showcases the work of more than 280 fine artists and craftsmen. The weekend also includes entertainment, children's activities and the Riverfront Food Fest along the Ohio River. (297 miles from O'Hare, (800) 559-2956, www.madisonchautauqua)
See Civil War battles in Wisconsin
Nearly 1,000 Confederate, Union and civilian re-enactors take to the 250-acre grounds of the Wade House Stagecoach Inn in Greenbush, Wis., for the second-largest Civil War re-enactment in the Midwest Sept. 29 and 30. During the 17th Annual Wade House Civil War Weekend, visitors are given a firsthand look at what life was like not just on the front lines, but on the home front. Artillery, cavalry and infantry drill demonstrations put visitors in the heart of the action, while a trip through the field hospital offers a glimpse into the world of 19th-century medicine. Discuss military life with soldiers during a stroll through the Union and Confederate camps, enjoy the kids' history camp or explore the life of sutlers who followed troops selling them personal items. Enjoy music of the 1860s while you converse with an Abe Lincoln look-alike. (137 miles from O'Hare, (920) 526-3271, www.wisconsinhistory.org/wadehouse/civilwar)
The dead speak in Carbondale
During Evergreen Cemetery Discovery Walk, guides lead visitors through Evergreen Cemetery in Carbondale, Ill., to meet 10 historic figures. Tours on Sept. 29 and 30 and Oct. 6 and 7 will allow visitors to hear the stories of central Illinois residents who made a significant impact on local and/or national history. (339 miles from O'Hare, (309) 827-0428, www.mchistory.org/mcmh_prog_cemwalk06.html)
Lift your stein in La Crosse
One of Wisconsin's largest autumn festivals, attracting 150,000 people annually, Oktoberfest in La Crosse, Wis., is an authentic Old World folk celebration steeped in German tradition. Scheduled this year from Sept. 28 through Oct. 6 along the shores of the Mississippi River, it will transport visitors' spirits to Bavaria with music, entertainment, arts and crafts, ethnic food, carnival rides, Maple Leaf and Torchlight parades, the Festmaster Ball and the Miss La Crosse/Oktoberfest pageant. (263 miles from O'Hare, (608) 784-3378, www.oktoberfestusa.com)
Far
Peek inside homes in Charleston, S.C.
The Preservation Society of Charleston hosts its 31st annual Fall Tours of Homes and Gardens Thursdays through Sundays Sept. 27 through Oct. 28. All tours are self-paced walking tours in the historic neighborhoods of Charleston, S.C., and feature beautifully appointed gardens and architecturally significant homes, churches and public buildings. Highlighting the best of American architecture from the early Georgian Period up to and including the 21st century, each tour focuses on the city's culture from the colonial era to the present. Most of the properties on the tour are privately owned and open to the public exclusively for this event. ((843) 722-4630, www.preservationsociety.org)
Join the pilgrimage for hot air balloons
The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta is the largest and most photographed gathering of hot air balloons in the world. Coming up Oct. 6-14 in Albuquerque, N.M., the fiesta is a pilgrimage for ballooning fans worldwide with whimsical special shape balloons, gas balloons, balloon glows and mass ascensions. About 900,000 guests and 700 balloons from around the world are expected. Events are held at 200-acre Balloon Fiesta Park where guests can walk among the balloons, finding out firsthand what it's like to experience the magic of ballooning. In addition to ballooning, activities include chainsaw carving, fireworks, local cuisine, a variety of arts and crafts from across the country, tasting New Mexico's award-winning wines during Fiesta del Vino and musical performances on the main stage. ((888) 422-7277, www.balloonfiesta.com)
• Event details are subject to change; contact organizers for updated information.