Everybody's gone surfin' - surfin' Chicago
Chicago
If you can't hang 10 on Australia's Gold Coast or the north shore of Hawaii this year, at least you can practice on Lake Michigan. Chicago's four Kimpton Hotels - Allegro, Burnham, Monaco and Palomar - are the first hotels to launch a "Surf's Up in Chicago" package since the city legalized the sport last summer. The package includes: overnight accommodations for two; a $50 gift certificate to the surf shop Windward Sports; complimentary "parking" for a surfboard at the hotel; round-trip transportation to the nearest surfing beach at Montrose Beach or 57th Street; and two Surf's Up specialty drinks in the hotel's adjacent bar.
Rates start at $219 a night and are valid through Sept. 5. For reservations, visit each hotel's website, use the booking tool and fill in the Rate Code "SURF1." Call (800) KIMPTON or visit allegrochicago.com, burnhamhotel.com, monaco-chicago.com or hotelpalomar-chicago.com.
Think local
The fifth annual Great Performers of Illinois celebration will include some 50 diverse musical performances as well as interactive events, hands-on activities for kids, square dancing, regional foods and wines, artwork from Illinois artists and artisans and an 8,000-square-foot corn maze. This year's performers include Scotland Yard Gospel Choir; Rachel Barton Pine on the violin; Yuri Lane, a self-described human beatbox; the Cornettes; and the Nicholas Tremulis Orchestra. Admission is free.
6:30 to 10 p.m. Friday, July 9; 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday, July 10; and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday, July 11, at Millennium Park, Michigan Avenue and Randolph Street. Visit greatperformersofillinois.com.
St. Patrick's Day in July
There's no need to wait until next March to celebrate everything Irish. The 25th annual Irish American Heritage Festival celebrates the best in Irish music, dancing, food and culture. Kids stuff includes a moonwalk, face painters, picnic games and a Sham-ROCK Stars!, a singing contest for kids younger than 18. Musical performances from The Elders to The Shannon Rovers are always a highlight. The Heritage Center's library, art gallery and museum also will be open.
6 p.m. to midnight Friday, July 9; noon to midnight Saturday, July 10; and noon to 11 p.m. Sunday, July 11, at the Irish American Heritage Center, 4626 N. Knox Ave. Entrance fee is $14, $7 for seniors, free for kids younger than 12. Call (773) 282-7035 or visit irishfestchicago.com.
Midwest
On the hunt for stunts
Remember when summer symbolized adventure and freedom? You can relive those days at Milwaukee's Harley-Davidson Museum when it opens the exclusive exhibit, "True Evel: The Amazing Story of Evel Knievel." It's the first retrospective on the daredevil's life and features artifacts and history. Programs include "Untold Stories: An Evening With Kelly Knievel." Every Sunday is Family Day at the museum, featuring storytime, a temporary tattoo artist on-site, art projects and special activities.
9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday and Wednesday; 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday; 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday through Sunday from July 10 to Sept. 6 at the Harley-Davidson Museum, 400 W. Canal St., Milwaukee, Wis. Admission is $16 for adults, $12 for military, students and seniors, $10 for kids 5 to 17 and free for kids younger than 5. Visit h-dmuseum.com.
Life is like a bowl of cherries
The National Cherry Festival in Traverse City, Mich., a tasty event held annually since 1926, will be held through Saturday, July 10. Travel to the heart of the nation's tart cherry capital and cherry pick among 150 events. Most events are free, including an air show, pie-eating contests, an arts and crafts fair, culinary events, a kids festival that include activities for teens, the Cherry Royale Parade and a rousing fireworks finale over Grand Traverse Bay.
9 a.m. to 11 p.m. through Saturday, July 10, in Traverse City, Mich. Call (800) 968-3380 or visit visit.cherryfestival.org.
Ale and jousters await
If the 16th-century games, rides, arts, crafts, food, music and eclectic entertainment don't dazzle you, perhaps the fact that many re-creators are wearing 40 pounds of costume in 90-degree heat will. The 23rd annual Bristol Renaissance Faire is a rollicking trip back to Elizabethan England by way of Kenosha, Wis., as more than 1,200 period performers, artisans and merchants inhabit the wooded village for nine weekends. The popular jousting knights, Royal Falconer, mud beggars and Robin Hood and his Merry Men return as does RenQuest, live action fantasy-play on the faire grounds. New to the faire are the Bristol Census Taker and the resident Kissing Wench. Kids Kingdom, an enclosed play area with climb-aboard pirate ship, and the Punch and Judy puppet show are favorites of young lords and ladies.
10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, rain or shine, July 10 through Sept. 6, located just west of I-94's Russell Road exit, near Kenosha, Wis. Tickets purchased at the gate cost $18.95 for adults and $9.50 for children 5 to 12. Get advance ticket discounts at (847) 395-7773 or visit renfair.com.
Worth the trip
There are festivals for chickens and Spam and toilet bowls, so it might be nice to attend a fest that's all about creativity and invention. Oregon's da Vinci Days is a summer celebration that focuses on art (your creation or others), music and street performers, hands-on activities that teach in a fun way, movies, inspirational speakers and friendly competitions. See kinetic sculptures; science and technology exhibits in astronomy, geocaching and robotics; entertainment from dance troupes to brass bands; canine Frisbee tournaments; and a race of human-powered all-terrain vehicles.
The fest takes place in the college town of Corvallis in the heart of the Willamette Valley.
Friday to Sunday, July 16-18. Most da Vinci Days venues are on the Oregon State University campus in Corvallis. Weekend passes cost $15 (13 and older); $10 for kids 6 to 12 and kids 5 and younger are admitted free. Call (541) 757-6363 or visit davincidays.org.