Free guided tour of Chicago's Rosehill Cemetery
Chicago
Cemetery junction
It's your last chance of the year to take a free guided tour of Rosehill Cemetery, a 330-acre historic sanctuary with a Gothic entrance that is a Chicago architectural landmark. Celebrating its 150th anniversary this year, the cemetery is the resting place to 14 Chicago mayors, 16 Civil War generals, a Nobel Prize winner, and local business greats such as Montgomery Ward, Oscar Meyer, Milton Florsheim and Richard Sears.
10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 14, at Rosehill Cemetery, 5800 N. Ravenswood Ave., Chicago, (773) 989-2170.
'Banana Shpeel'
After watching the dreck on television, do you ever pine for the good old days when entertainment was, well, entertaining? Consider "Banana Shpeel," a new theatrical production created by Cirque du Soleil. Geared for teens and adults, the first-ever performances take place at the Chicago Theatre and will later go to New York. Shows are filled with a mix of comedy, tap, hip-hop and slapstick. It's not circus, a musical or a variety show, but a twist on vaudeville through a succession of wacky adventures and extreme choreography.
Showtimes vary Nov. 19 to Jan. 3 at the Chicago Theatre, 175 N. State St. Tickets range from $23 to $98 with limited Premium and VIP Experience tickets available. (800) 745-3000 or CirqueDuSoleil.com/BananaShpeel
Build it and they will come
Tourists are awed by Chicago architecture and so should our kids, but short attention spans may not go for an all-out tour. Try the November CAFamily Studio Sunday at the Chicago Architecture Foundation. It's called, "Welcome to Chicagou," and takes the origin of the name, Chicago, a type of wild garlic called chicagou, as its starting point. You'll explore the city's early natural history through a guided tour of the Tiffany Glass Company's mosaics in the Marquette Building followed by a craft activity where participants can make their own nature-inspired mosaics. The CAFamily Studio Sundays, held every third Sunday of the month, are free and include activities, walking tours and stories geared for the 3- to 12-year-old set and their adult companions.
11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 15, at the Chicago Architecture Foundation, 224 S. Michigan Ave. (312) 922-3432 or architecture.org.
Midwest
Fingers don't fail me now
Artists don their fingerless gloves and continue to create in cold climes - the art fair is not just a summer event. Madison's Winter Art Festival kicked off 20 years ago as a companion show to the summer Art Fair Off the Square and generates heat among art lovers. The show is held in the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Monona Terrace Convention and Community Center, three blocks from Capitol Square in Madison, Wis. More than 140 exhibitors display pottery, watercolors, fiber, wood, glass, photography, jewelry, graphics, sculpture and more making it an easy day trip from Chicago or a weekend getaway with all that the state capital offers.
9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 14-15, at Monona Terrace Convention Center, 1 John Nolen Drive, Madison, Wis. See artcraftwis.org/winter.html.
Going ape
Orangutans, which are suffering decreasing numbers in the wild, are celebrated during Brookfield Zoo's International Orangutan Awareness Weekend. Kekasih, the zoo's orangutan infant who recently celebrated her first birthday, will be on hand for the festivities with her mom Sophia, 28; father Ben, 31; and brother Denda, 7. Craft activities for kids, zoo chats and learning stations about these large, gentle apes take place and are free with zoo admission.
10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 14-15, in the Asia section of the Tropic World exhibit at Brookfield Zoo, First Avenue and 31st Street, Brookfield. (708) 688-8000 or for more information about International Orangutan Awareness Weekend, visit czs.org.
Horse of a different color
Tell her she can bring My Little Pony and the rest of her equine toys in the car for the short drive to the "Dancing Horses Holiday Show" near Lake Geneva, Wis. The show features an array of horse breeds performing with trainers in a caravan of equestrian artistry. Taking place in a state-of-the-art 300-seat theater, the holiday show adds seasonal decorations and music as well as appearances by Prancer the reindeer and Santa. There is also the "Bird Show," an added surprise that features parrots and macaws, which have appeared on "The Jay Leno Show" and "Animal Planet."
1 to 3:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 14-15; Wednesday, Nov. 18; and Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 21-22, at 5065 Highway 50, Delevan, Wis., five miles west of Lake Geneva. Tickets cost $25 for adults and $12.50 for children 12 and younger. Call (262) 728-8200 or visit thedancinghorses.com.
Worth the trip
Each winter, tens of thousands of California gray whales travel from the nippy Alaskan seas to the temperate lagoons of Baja California where they birth and rear their young. San Diego is a perfect place to see all the action. From December through April, visitors can glimpse the migration within a few miles of San Diego's 70 miles of coastline. There are dozens of whale-watching tours, exhibits and activities through the Birch Aquarium at Scripps, overlooking La Jolla's shoreline and the Pacific Ocean. There is also the San Diego Maritime Museum, San Diego harbor excursions and more. Get to the Cabrillo National Monument, San Diego's national park, and spot whales through a newly renovated glass enclosed observatory.
Visit sandiego.org.