Windy City Wine Festival set at Buckingham Fountain

A little working knowledge about your Zins, Pinots and Syrahs can only help you in the foodie department at the Windy City Wine Festival. Sample from more than 200 global vintages, learn about new varieties from experts, attend cooking demonstrations, and taste signature dishes from some of Chicago's best restaurants and caterers. Live music makes a perfect soundtrack to a day of wine and noses.

4 to 10 p.m. Friday, Sept. 10, and 3 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 11, at Buckingham Fountain, 500 S. Columbus Drive. Tickets cost $25 in advance, $35 at the door, $10 for designated drivers and free for those younger than 21 with an adult. Call (847) 382-1480 or visit windycitywinefestival.com.

Renegade who had it made

Get all the holiday gifts for the hipsters in your life in one place - the Renegade Craft Fair in Chicago's Wicker Park. Hundreds of indie crafters will display clothing, housewares, posters and prints, plush items, ceramics, jewelry, stationery and more. Attend free workshops in piñata making, paper-mâché sculptures, weaving, sewing, stamping and printing. There will be music and refreshments, and commemorate your day in the free photo booth.

11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 11-12, on Division Street between Damen and Paulina avenues. Visit renegadecraft.com/chicago.

Do you hear what I hear?

Sonar, an International Festival of Advanced Music and Multimedia Art from Barcelona, Spain, presents the first Sonar Chicago. See audiovisual performances, films and concerts that include electronic experimentation by artists such as The Slew, scratch-rock project led by sound wizard Kid Koala, Oval, Ben Frost and others.

Noon to 9 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 9; 3 p.m. to 2 a.m. Friday, Sept. 10; and 3 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 11, at the Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington St., and the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park, 205 E. Randolph St.

Midwest

Polly put the kettle on

The 13th annual Kettle Moraine Jazz Festival at Riverside Park in West Bend, Wis., features internationally recognized jazz musicians and vocalists in an outdoor setting. More than 5,000 jazz lovers will be able to enjoy Dotsero, Craig Chaquico and Spyro Gyra, among others. The festival also offers international cuisine, an arts marketplace and interactive sponsor exhibits offering contests and free prizes.

4:30 to 11:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 10, and 1 to 11 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 11. Two-day tickets cost $135, one-day tickets cost $75. Tickets may be purchased at kmjazz.com or call (877) 271-6903.

Grand standing

No tickets are needed to attend the Celebration on the Grand, an end-of-summer festival that attracts more than 200,000 people to downtown Grand Rapids, Mich. The free festival, always held the weekend after Labor Day, features national and local bands (like Grand Funk Railroad), a fireworks show and appetizing bites from tapas to Thai. On Saturday, area museums and organizations offer free games and activities for families.

5 to 10 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 9; 5 to 11 p.m. Friday, Sept. 10; and 3 to 11 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 12, on Monroe Center and Rosa Parks Circle in Grand Rapids. Call (616) 752-8257 or visit celebrationonthegrand.org.

Little house in Wisconsin

Deepen the meaning of English class with a visit to the storybook river town of Pepin, Wis., during Laura Ingalls Wilder Days. The humble log cabin in which the writer was raised was the setting for "Little House in the Big Woods," the first in her series of stories about her family's adventures. The village of Pepin is home to a museum with historical pioneer artifacts, and the town is the starting point of the Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Highway. Festivities include an old-fashioned fiddle contest, guided bus tours, a contest that tests kids' knowledge of the "Little House" books, a spelling bee, a grand parade, and demonstrations in traditional crafts, such as spinning, quilting, basketmaking, woodcarving, food preparation and open-hearth cooking.

9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 11, and 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 12. Call (800) 442-3011 or visit lauradays.org.

Worth the trip

After a mere two-hour flight from Chicago, you can be taking a cultural journey from Gullah customs to low country cuisine in Charleston, S.C. Cobblestone streets lined with historic buildings and moss-laden oak trees provide a charming backdrop to unique fall festivals, such as the new Charleston Restaurant Week, the 34th Annual Fall Tours of Homes & Gardens and Museum Mile Weekend. The annual Fall Tour of Homes & Gardens allows peeks into some of the nation's most pristine colonial architecture in the city's homes, gardens, churches and public buildings. The 12-day Charleston Restaurant Week offers three-course meals for $30 at fine dining restaurants and $20 at casual dining restaurants. A single pass grants admission to 13 sites along the one-mile section of Meeting Street in historic downtown Charleston so you can explore museums, historic homes, houses of worship and more during Museum Mile Weekend.

Charleston Restaurant Week will be Wednesday, Sept. 8, to Sunday, Sept. 19. Visit restaurantweekcharleston.com. The 34th Annual Fall Tours of Homes & Gardens will be Thursday, Sept. 23, to Sunday, Oct. 24. Call (843) 722-4630 or visit preservationsociety.org. The Museum Mile Weekend will be Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 25-26. Visit charlestonsmuseummile.org or call (843) 722-2996.