Crittercams let you see sharks, penguins in action

Chicago

Happy feet?

The zoo is nice, but imagine watching a great white shark chomp down on its prey or see penguins gliding on and below the ice. You can thanks to National Geographic Crittercam: The World Through Animal Eyes opening at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum. Tiny audio and video recording devices worn by animals give us an inside view on how animals interact, live, feed, travel and play without humans in the picture. Land and sea creatures are included from lions and bears to sea turtles and whales.

10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday to Sunday; 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, Sept. 26, to April 11 at 2430 North Cannon Drive, Chicago. (773) 755-5100 or naturemuseum.org

Tales of terror

These are not your mother's scary movies so don't expect to watch Vincent Price in "House of Wax." The Chicago Horror Film Festival features terror-filled feature and short films with names like "Pig Hunt," "IMurders" and "From a Place of Darkness." Get in on question-and-answer sessions with filmmakers, special guests like Svengoolie and a "I Want to Hear You Scream" Screaming Contest.

Film times vary Friday to Sunday, Sept. 25-27; scream test will be 3:30 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 26, at Portage Theater, 4050 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. A one-day pass is $10 and a three-day pass is $28. Details and tickets at chicagohorrorfest.com.

When the moon is in the seventh house

Just like Christmas and Thanksgiving in the West, the Moon Festival is one of the important traditional holidays for the Chinese. Families reunite and when the full moon rises, they eat moon cakes, sing moon poems and watch the celestial orb in the sky. Get in on the celebration at Chicago's Chinatown Moon Festival and treat the kids to dragon and lion dances, kung fu demos, traditional dances and instruments, games, raffles, a lantern show, kids' activities and a dumpling eating contest.

Noon to 10 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 26, at 2100 S. Wentworth Ave. Chicago. (312) 225-0088 or moonfestchicago.com.

Midwest

Fight club

Civil War buffs should hop on their horses and head to Greenbush, Wis., (near Sheboygan) for the biggest battle re-enactments in the Midwest during the 19th Annual Civil War Weekend at Wade House. Two authentic battles are re-enacted each day with hundreds of cavalry, infantry and artillery soldiers struggling across the field in a clash between North and South. Union and Confederate troops set up camp and a medical field hospital, conduct drills and offer a variety of demonstrations with other activities such as a traveling medicine show, court martials, period concerts and appearances by Abraham Lincoln. There are plenty of vittles for purchase and an extensive array of Civil War items for sale on site.

9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday to Sunday, Sept. 26-27, at Wade House, W7824 Center St., Greenbush, Wis. (an hour north of Milwaukee). Adults $12; children (5-17) $6; students and senior citizens (65 and older) $10; families $30. Horse-drawn transportation on the site included in ticket cost. (920) 526-3271 or wadehouse.wisconsinhistory.org.

Cornish hens, roosters come to Mineral Point

The Wisconsin Cornish Society celebrates its heritage in the Mineral Point area with an unusual event that offers customs, food and fun of those who emigrated from Cornwall, the most southwestern part of England. The Cornish Festival includes Alan and Lynda Jewell of Cornwall performing; the Taste of Mineral Point and the Miner's Buffet supper. Visitors can stop by one of Mineral Point's museums and watch the Tribes of the Blue Rose demonstrate Celtic, Roman and Germanic military traditions. See lace makers, spinners and storytellers or attend a workshop to make a craft of your own. Browse works on display at the Driftless Area Fibre Arts Faire and visit homes reminiscent of a rural English village.

10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday, Sept. 25; 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 26; and 9 a.m. to 4 p, m, Sunday, Sept. 27, in Mineral Point, Wis. (about 170 miles from Chicago). (888) 764-6894 or cornishfest.org

Carving a place in history

If you think you're all that on Thanksgiving afternoon carving a turkey, wait until you get a load of 10 professional chain saw carvers competing in the National Chainsaw Sculpting Invitational in Hackensack, Minn. Featuring the Loghoggers and world-renowned hand carver Jeff Phares, the event is a spectacle of carving artists transforming logs into detailed sculptures. Browse the arts and crafts village, see what's cooking at the food court and join in the Sunday auction of sculptures.

9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Sept. 25-26; 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 27, in downtown Hackensack, Minn. (800) 279-6932 or hackensackchamber.com

Worth the trip

Could you convince teachers that the dog really did eat your homework? You will especially enjoy a trip to the 2009 National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tenn. Circus-sized tents are filled with gripping performances by nationally known and award-winning tellers of ghost stories, fairy tales, simple and silly tales, mountain lore, outrageous tall tales and ancient Welsh and Scottish folk tales. The festival food court offers a variety of foods from barbecue to pizza to stir fry. In Jonesborough, you'll find yourself between the Blue Ridge and Great Smoky mountains so plan for a few days of sightseeing, too.

10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Oct. 2-3, and 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 4, in downtown Jonesborough. Tickets range from $10 to more than $100. (800) 952-8392 or visit storytellingcenter.com/festival/about-fest.htm