On the road: New sculptures grace Millennium Park
Chicago
In the art of Chicago
Millennium Park beckons with new large-scale sculptures by the acclaimed Mexican artist Yvonne Domenge. Gracing the park's Boeing Galleries, “Interconnected: The Sculptures of Yvonne Domenge” enhances one of Chicago's most popular public spaces with colorful artwork.
6 a.m. to 11 p.m. opening Wednesday, April 6, in Millennium Park's midlevel terraces, just east of Michigan Avenue. Call (312) 742-1168 or visit millenniumpark.org.
As you like it
Plan a spring retreat just the way you like it with “Create-A-Break” resort packages at the Hilton Chicago/Indian Lakes Resort. Guests can optimize the package with extras ranging from movie tickets and Lazer Tag to roller-skating passes and bowling. Every package includes overnight accommodations for up to four guests, 10 percent discount at any dining outlet, complimentary round of mini-golf for each guest and “dive-in” movies at the indoor pool.
Packages available through Saturday, April 30, at the hotel, 250 W. Schick Road, Bloomingdale. Prices start at $139 per night. Call (630) 529-0200 or visit IndianLakesResort.com.
Midwest
Babies galore
Spring brings critters of all sorts and it's a veritable baby bonanza at Rainbow Ranch Inc. in southwestern Illinois. April at the petting zoo and exotic farm features baby lambs, kids and calves to bottle feed. Stroll the 150-year-old family farm with a personal tour where you will meet all the friendly animals that call Rainbow Ranch home. See llamas, alpacas, donkeys, sheep, goats, fallow deer, potbelly pigs, peacocks, ducks, chickens, emus, swans, cows, horses, a camel and even zebras.
9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday to Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, April 2-30, at 9906 State Route 15, Nashville, Ill. Admission costs $5 per person and infants younger than 1 admitted free. Call (618) 424-7979 or visit rainbowranchzoo.com.
Sticky note
It may be your last chance to see the tapping of the trees this year. The Maple Syrup Festival at the MacKenzie Environmental Center (between Wisconsin Dells and Madison, Wis.) serves up a pancake breakfast, guided tours of the sugarbush, demonstrations of tapping and syrup making, interpretive talks about how Native Americans and pioneers made syrup, old-time music and horse-drawn wagon rides. Watch homemade ice cream being churned with an antique engine and visit the wildlife exhibit, which includes animals native to Wisconsin.
8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 2, at the MacKenzie Environmental Education Center, county roads CS and Q, in Poynette, Wis. Pancake breakfast is #36;7 in the lodge; guided tours and demonstrations are free. Call (608) 635-8105 or visit mackenziecenter.com.
Wine of the month club
April is Wine Month in Michigan, and to celebrate, the Vineyard Inn in Suttons Bay is offering a free half-day tour of local wineries with every two-night stay. Wine-savvy chauffeurs will transport tasters in limo coaches or trolleys in the heart of northern Michigan's wine country.
Throughout April at Vineyard Inn, 1338 N. Pebble Beach, Suttons Bay, Mich. Rates begin at #36;99 per night. Full-day tours available for an additional #36;45, which includes lunch. Call (231) 271-8463 or visit vininn.com.
Worth the trip
Combine a Florida getaway with America's favorite pastime when you book the Home Run Baseball Getaway for White Sox fans at the Renaissance Vinoy Resort Golf Club in St. Petersburg, Fla. Located less than 10 minutes from Tropicana Field, the resort celebrates its 85th anniversary and is noted for hosting baseball greats such as Babe Ruth and Joe DiMaggio. The package is available during Sox away games April 18-21 and includes accommodations in a renovated guest room; breakfast for two; transportation to and from Tropicana Field; and a spectator survival kit filled with traditional baseball park snacks and padded stadium seat cushions. Later, enjoy the resort's 18-hole golf course, 12-court tennis complex, fitness center, outdoor pool and more.
Rates start at #36;169 per night. Book the Home Run Baseball Getaway by calling (888) 303-4430 or use rate code SPE when making reservations online at vinoyrenaissanceresort.com.