Downtown event? Stay over with special value package
Skip the 'A' train
Take advantage of the Holiday Inn Chicago Mart Plaza's summer value dates with special rates and save the long schlep back home after one of the city's popular festivals or a baseball game. On various dates between June and August, you can enjoy accommodations equipped with a 32-inch LCD flat-screen television, full bath amenities and complimentary high-speed wireless Internet.
Chicago Mart Plaza, 350 West Mart Center. Summer value dates: Wednesday to Friday, June 16-18; Thursday to Wednesday, June 24-30; July 4-22, July 25-30, Aug. 1-5, Aug. 10-13, Aug. 22-26 and Aug. 29-31. Rates start at $109 per night. Reserve at (312) 836-5000 or martplaza.com.
Taster's choice
If your palate leans more toward tenderloin sandwiches and French pastries rather than typical fest fare like corn dogs and cotton candy, the 13th annual Taste of Randolph Street is the festival to pencil in on your summer calendar. Participating restaurants include some of the hottest spots along Chicago's Randolph Street corridor in the heart of the West Loop. Check out a Taste of Randolph Street Culinary Pavilion with cooking demos, indie artisans and nonstop entertainment from a circus-punk marching band to folk and electrified blues. Browse trendy art galleries and clubs while nibbling French bistro fare, Indian samosas and much more.
5 to 11 p.m. Friday, June 18; 2 to 11 p.m. Saturday, June 19; and 2 to 10 p.m. Sunday, June 20 at 900 W. Randolph St. $10 suggested donation entry fee. Call (773) 665-4682 or visit starevents.com.
Hot time, summer in the city
Thanks to the return of the Family Fun Festival, every trip downtown is a no-brainer with kids in tow. Enjoy the architecture of Millennium Park, then take part in all of the free hands-on activities and performances that the Family Fun Festival has to offer every day. The Family Fun Tent features singing and musical games courtesy of the Old Town School of Folk Music, reading circles, hands-on craft, science and environmental activities led by many of the city's museums and cultural institutions, and performance by local and regional dance and musical artists.
10 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily through Sept. 3 at the Family Fun Tent, Chase Promenade North, Millennium Park, Michigan Avenue and Randolph Street. (312) 742-1168.
Midwest
Glow-in-the-dark vacation
Grab the camera and head due west for the ninth annual Great Galena Balloon Race, a three-day event featuring over 20 hot air balloons, two races, two night glows, tethered balloon rides, an antique collector car show, live music, family activities and a special Friday night Ale Fest. Eagle Ridge Resort & Spa serves as host and offers a special Family Time Package. There's also a Crack of Dawn Balloon Race, a main race in the late afternoon and entertainment all weekend long.
Friday to Sunday, June 18-20. Ale Fest tickets are $20. Eagle Ridge Resort & Spa, 444 Eagle Ridge Drive, offers Galena Family Time Package rates starting at $639. Call (800) 892-2269 or visit eagleridge.com and greatgalenaballoonrace.com.
Killer kapusta and kielbasa
You'll be reciting Polish like a pro after an hour or two at Polish Fest in Milwaukee. Well, at least enough to order bigos (hunter's stew), golabki (stuffed cabbage), poppy seed cake, Tyskie beer and pierogies stuffed with everything from mashed spuds to plums. This year's festival celebrates Fryderyk Chopin's 200th birthday and the 150th anniversary of the birth of Ignacy Paderewski in the Cultural Village with multimedia presentations and exhibits. Folk artists demonstrate traditional Polish crafts, including wood carving, Polish paper cuts, decorated eggs, floral head wreaths and metal working. There also will be wall-to-wall Polish entertainment, cooking demos, vodka tasting and a marketplace.
Noon to midnight, Friday and Saturday, June 18-19, and noon to 10 p.m. Sunday, June 20. Tickets are $10 in advance, $12 at the gate and free for children 15 and under. Enjoy 50-cent admission on Friday from noon to 5 p.m. and $5 admission on Friday from 5:01 p.m. to midnight. Dads get in free on Father's Day from 4 to 6 p.m. when accompanied by their child of any age. Summerfest Grounds, 200 North Harbor Drive, Milwaukee. Visit polishfest.org.
Worth the trip
How do you spell fun? If a Hubcap Hurl, Bobbin' for Pig's Feet Fest and Redneck Horseshoes sound like a heehaw good time, get yourself down to East Dublin, Ga., for the annual Redneck Games. Don't miss the Mudpit Belly Flop, Watermelon Seed Spitting Contest or the Armpit Serenade. Nearly 95,000 people attend the one-day ode to all things hillbilly, and all profits go to local charities.
10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Saturday, July 10. Admission is $5 per person. Visit summerredneckgames.com.