On the Road

Chicago

Dead heads party on

Although Dia de los Muertos is celebrated on November 1 in Mexico, we get months of the largest annual Day of the Dead exhibition in the country at Chicago's National Museum of Mexican Art. Works of art from throughout Mexico and the U.S. celebrate the dearly departed in weird, wonderful ways that are rarely grim. From gleaming ofrendas (altars) to cheerful sugar skull sculptures, the exhibit dazzles young and old. Check nationalmuseumofmexicanart.org for special programs including Family Sundays, one-day workshops, art demos, a food series and an entire week of folk art. Then treat la familia to a neighborhood Mexican restaurant to complete your outing. Through Dec. 14. (312) 738-1503.

American Girls put on the Ritz

American Girl Place just opened its new digs adjacent to Water Tower Place, so why not treat young Samantha or Molly to the Ritz-Carlton Chicago's new American Girl Package? Just an elevator ride away from the store, the hotel's package includes a bevy of surprises including an American Girl gift, a Ritz-Carlton Chicago nylon kid's backpack, and a welcome picture taken of you and your doll in hotel lobby. Her doll can use an American Girl bed after munching matching goodnight cookies and milk for both. Just in case her brother tags along, he gets a take-home gift of a Cubs or White Sox baseball hat, too. Youngsters ages 5 and up can meet and make cookies with The Ritz Carlton Pastry Chefs in the kitchen during your stay. The Ritz-Carlton Chicago's American Girl Package begins from $395 per room, per night. Call (800) 621-6906 to make reservations.

To be or not to be (at home with the kids

It seems like another lifetime when you and your spouse enjoyed an evening of live theater. So how would you like to do just that without fretting about the high cost and bother of finding someone to watch the kids? Victory Gardens Theater's Family Saturday series allows parents to experience award-winning live theater while educational professionals watch young Shakespeare and his siblings. Six Family Saturday performances ­- one per production ­- are slated for the season, which kicks off at 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 18, with "Eurydice" by Sarah Ruhl. VGT pros keep the kids (4 and up) entertained with theater games, crafts and storytelling in the Prince Charitable Trusts Rehearsal Room, while their parents are downstairs enjoying a Pulitzer Prize nominee's fresh take on the classic Orpheus myth in the beautiful new Biograph Theater main stage. Go ahead, check on the little darlings during intermission and join them for free gourmet cupcakes, too. Victory Gardens Biograph Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave. Call (773) 871-3000 to reserve seats for the Oct. 18 Family Saturday. Single tickets are $48, plus a nominal $5 sitting fee per child.

Midwest

Foodies find foie gras and more

If you know the difference between "chiffonade" and "julienne," take the short drive to Kohler, Wis., for a foodie encounter extraordinaire. At this year's Kohler Food and Wine Experience, Oct. 23-26, you can learn how to cook seafood from Hung Huynh, winner of Bravo's "Top Chef Season 3"; snag recipes for wine bar food from Tony Mantuano, chef at Spiaggia in Chicago; salute the wines of Tuscany and Wisconsin beer; and attend demos, tastings and seminars presented by some of the country's most inventive chefs and wine experts. Dig through the closet for your elastic pants and belly up to KOHLERfoodandwine.net or call (800) 344-2838.

Take me home, country roads

A fall festival for the rest of us, the Annual Autumn Drive takes harried city folk and suburbanites away from the malls for a day and instead winds by a dozen farms in rural McHenry County. You might find antiques and arts and crafts at one stop and pumpkins, hay rides and fiddlers at the next. Oct. 17-19, rain or shine, on Garden Valley Road between Woodstock and Marengo. Get a list of participating farms and maps at autumndrive.net or call (815) 923-2415.

You're covered for weekend fun

The annual Parke County Covered Bridge Festival runs today through Oct. 19 throughout nine western Indiana communities that show off 31 historic covered bridges. In between, crafters and vendors offer a wide variety of unique goods, entertainment ensues on the courthouse lawn and the aromas of food cooked over open flames wafts through the county. Visit the Covered Bridge Art Gallery, Historical Society Museum, enjoy Parke at the Ritz Theater, or browse through antique and specialty shops around the historic Parke County Courthouse. Kids may want to visit Billie Creek Village, a turn-of-the-century village with 30 historical buildings and three covered bridges. Download a map outlining covered bridge routes at parkecounty.com or call (765) 569-5226.

Worth the trip

To Crested Butte or bust

This winter, Chicago-area skiers and snowboarders can opt to fly direct to Gunnison-Crested Butte on American Airlines to experience "Colorado's Last Great Ski Town." Crested Butte Mountain Resort (CBMR) ski area and the Gunnison Valley Rural Transportation Authority have teamed up to increase the number of direct flights and seats available. For a detailed winter flight schedule, go to GunnisonCrestedButte.com. Take advantage of a "Friends & Family Fly Free" package, several early season "Stay & Ski Free" packages and $30 baggage credits being offered. Call (800) 810-7669 or visit skicb.com for details. Crested Butte has been named one of the National Trust for Historic Preservation's "Dozen Distinctive Destinations" in 2008.

- Jacky Runice