Learn about Chicago Chinatown's rich history
Chicago
A slow walk to China
How many times have you told yourself you wanted to rediscover Chicago's Chinatown? Learn about Chinatown's rich history, culture and architecture in a one-hour walking tour guided by the Chicago Chinese Cultural Institute. See the Nine Dragon Wall, Chinatown Mural, Buddhist Temple and more. The walk is six city blocks and just enough to work up an appetite to dine at one of the neighborhood's great restaurants. Strollers recommended for young children.
10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. every Saturday and Sunday starting May 1 through Oct. 31. Tours start at 2130 S. Wentworth Ave., in front of the New Three Happiness Restaurant. Advance registration required and prices are $8 for adults and $4 for children younger than 10. Call (312) 814-1988 or visit chicagocci.com.
Launch site
Make a cosmic play date with "Planet Explorers," a hands-on exhibition created for families at the Adler Planetarium. Children ages 3 to 8 enter a world where they can play and learn what it takes to be part of a mission to outer space through role-playing scientists, astronauts and space explorers. They'll discover mission control, space flight and explore a mysterious, distant body known as Planet X. Weekends offer special related programs and family workshops, too.
10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Friday and 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. "Planet Explorers" is included in the price of general admission: $10 adults ($8 Chicago residents); $6 children 3 to 14 ($5 Chicago residents); children ages 2 and younger admitted free. The museum, at 1300 S. Lake Shore Drive, offers free admission days on May 4, 11, 18 and 25. Learn more at (312) 922-STAR or adlerplanetarium.org.
Midwest
Dances with daffodils
You better celebrate the lovely harbinger of spring - the daffodil - before its evil twin, the dandelion takes over! Could there be a more scenic spot in Illinois than Galena for a Daffodil Festival? Explore the Home and Garden Show, listen to lots of live entertainment, sup on great food and beverages, see Civil War re-enactors and take a historic walking tour among thousands of daffodils. The Home and Garden Expo features master gardeners, landscape architecture information, outdoor cooking demos, information on patio design and more.
9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, May 1-2, at the Galena Riverfront. Call (815) 776-9200 or visit galena.org.
Let's go Dutch
Slip into some wooden shoes and head to Fulton, Ill., on the banks of the Mississippi for the annual Dutch Days Festival. The free festival may be the closest you'll get to the Netherlands with Dutch Klompen dancing and costumes; arts and crafts vendors; films of the Netherlands; windmill tours; antique tractor displays; exhibits of Dutch handicraft such as stippling, Hindeloopen painting and needlecraft; a Dutch parade; and lots of delicious concessions including Dutch pastries. Always held the first weekend in May, the festival celebrates the large number of immigrants from Holland who settled in this small Midwestern area. Don't miss the just opened Windmill Cultural Center with a collection of 21 European scale-model windmills representing 10 European countries.
9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, April 30, to Saturday, May 1, in downtown Fulton, 4th Street from 9th to 12th avenues. Call (815) 589-2616 or visit cityoffulton.us.
Illinois Amish paradise
Visit Rockome Gardens in Arcola, Ill., which has the largest old Amish community in the state. The season's grand opening is coming up with cheese factory tours, bee hiving demos, buggy rides, cow-milking demos, an antique barn to explore, browsing through a candy store and a bulk food store and the Amish Interpretive Center. Reserve to have a meal in an Amish home, too. Kids will like the Enchanted Cave and petting zoo. See the sunken gardens and breathtaking perennial gardens, kayak on the river and go horseback riding.
Open Saturday, May 1, through Oct. 31, at 125 N. County Road in Arcola. Call (217) 268-4106 or visit rockome.com.
Worth the trip
You're not going to try to get away with a sad little bouquet from the local supermarket on Mother's Day, are you? Give the woman more time with the family at any of the Gaylord properties in Nashville, Tenn., Washington, D.C., or Kissimmee, Fla. It's an overnight Mom Prom & Family Affair package. Enjoy a creative program of family activities that, coupled with extensive amenities and entertainment options at each property, will provide the perfect backdrop for a Mother's Day filled with family time. Families are invited to dress for the occasion and be entertained by a live DJ, refreshments and built-in special moments such as Mother-Son and Father-Daughter dances. Contests, prizes and lots of other surprises fill the evening with fun. The package includes accommodations in a deluxe guest room for one night; family admission (up to four guests) to the "Mom Prom & Family Affair" events on May 8; one souvenir photo per room; and Mother's Day breakfast or brunch options. Other amenities include indoor and outdoor pools, access to golf, shopping and more.
Available on Saturday, May 8, at Gaylord National, Gaylord Palms and Gaylord Opryland, the package starts at $149 per night. Rates are per family (two adults and two children), plus tax. Visit gaylordhotels.com for reservations and information.