'I Do? Chicago Ties the Knot' featured at Chicago History Museum

It's June - wedding season - and even if you're not acquiring a partner or invited to a ceremony this year, get in a romantically curious mood at "I Do! Chicago Ties the Knot" at the Chicago History Museum. Why do women wear veils and carry bouquets? Why do couples exchange rings? Discover some of the surprising origins of wedding traditions and view traditional and unexpected wedding dresses from the museum's costume collection of nearly 1,000 wedding gowns, suits and accessories dating back to the 1720s. Call about programs related to the exhibition including a behind-the-scenes bus tour and a history pub crawl where you can wear your old wedding gown, tux or bridesmaid dress while learning about the roots of wedding traditions.

Through Jan. 11 at the Chicago History Museum, 1601 N. Clark St., Chicago. Included with museum admission of $12-$14; free for ages 12 and younger. Call (312) 642-4600 or visit chicagohistory.org.

A little lunch music

Whether you're working or shopping in Chicago this summer, spend your lunch break in Millennium Park where you will find free concerts and special programs on the stage of the Jay Pritzker Pavilion. Enjoy free concerts in jazz, world music, indie-rock, hip-hop and electronica, along with family programs and open rehearsals of the Grant Park Music Festival. Bring your lunch, soak up some rays and catch Edible Audible Picnic, the lunchtime electronic music series featuring DJs and live bands.

Weekdays at noon through Sept. 21 at Millennium Park, Michigan Avenue and Randolph Street. Call (312) 742-1168 or visit millenniumpark.org.

Make 'em laugh

Five nights in 17 venues and more than 100 comedians including Ellen DeGeneres, Cedric The Entertainer, Denis Leary, Bob Odenkirk, Aziz Ansari and others are all a part of the second annual TBS Presents a Very Funny Festival: Just For Laughs Chicago. There will be a live reading of the never-produced screenplay for "Saturday Night Live's" Super Fans. Andy Richter, Reggie Watts and several of Conan O'Brien's writers will team up for a one-hour special. The Gene Siskel Film Center also will host screenings of two independent comedy films.

Performance times and venues vary from Tuesday to Saturday, June 15-19. Tickets are available at all Ticketmaster locations, ticketmaster.com or at (800) 745-3000. Tickets for all Mayne Stage performances are available through ticketweb.com or at (866) 468-3401.

Midwest

Just a sip

Learn to throw around terms like "the nose," "herbaceous" and "mouthfeel" with a weekend of wine tasting, food pairings and garden vistas at the fourth annual Chicago Botanic Garden Wine Festival. Novices and oenophiles can work on their palates with seminars and demonstrations conducted by exhibiting wineries, Chicago-area chefs, restaurateurs and specialty food shops. More than 40 wineries, distributors and importers will offer samples of more than 250 wines from around the world. Chicago-area chefs will conduct cooking demonstrations on the main stage and wine experts will present seminars about the art of pairing food with wine. What can add to this oral paradise? Aural bliss on the musical stage with jazz, blues and light rock performances.

Noon to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, June 12-13, at 1000 Lake-Cook Road in Glencoe. Tickets cost $25 in advance; $28 at the door for members and $35 at the door for nonmembers. Tickets include a souvenir wine glass, 10 tasting tickets, a wine tasters' program guide and access to all demonstrations, seminars and musical entertainment. Designated drivers are admitted for $10. Additional tasting tickets, 10 for $5, can be purchased on-site. Parking costs $20 per car and is free for botanic garden members. Purchase tickets at (847) 835-5440 or visit chicagobotanic.org/winefestival.

A ferry fine trip

The Lake Express ferry, which travels between Milwaukee, Wis., and Muskegon, Mich., is offering a variety of travel deals to help you cut expenses and enjoy a vacation this summer season. Lake Express' "motorcycles ride free" deal allows bikers to bring their motorcycle onboard for no extra charge until Wednesday, June 30, and parents can take advantage of lower-cost family vacations, with fares for kids younger than 17 only $9. Even the older generation gets in on the savings as the company lowered the age requirement for seniors from 66 to 62, allowing more travelers to enjoy a new 20 percent fare reduction. The ferry has partnered with tourism businesses in Michigan and Wisconsin, offering special Lake Express rates at hotels, too.

Through Oct. 31. Fares vary by class of cabin seating. For schedule, rates, tickets and more information, call (866) 914-1010 or visit lake-express.com.

Look ... up in the sky!

Whether you're of the George Reeves, Christopher Reeve or Dean Cain generation of Superman fan, the Superman Celebration in Metropolis, Ill., will fill you with nostalgia and camp. Fans of the TV show "Smallville" will be delighted to see celebrity guests Laura Vandervoort (Kara/Supergirl from the series) and Sam Witwer (who portrays Doomsday) making their first appearances in the real-life town of Metropolis. Don't miss the First Lady of Metropolis, Noel Neill, who played Lois Lane in the original Superman serials and on the television series "The Adventures of Superman." Take your photo by the statues of Lois Lane and Superman, watch the superhero costume contest, fan-made superhero films and BMX stunt shows, join a question-and-answer session with a movie producer, and enter the game show or strength competitions.

5 to 9 p.m. Thursday, June 10; 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, June 11; 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday, June 12; and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, June 13. (877) 424-5025 or supermancelebration.net.

Worth the trip

From cheeseburgers in paradise to the world's first Margaritaville Beach Hotel opening this summer in Pensacola Beach, Fla., Jimmy Buffett knows how to entertain his "parrot heads." The new hotel is set on the gulf with 162 guest rooms and suites. Dine in the gulf front restaurant serving fresh coastal cuisine with a Southern accent after engaging in beach activities, the health/fitness room or swimming in the pool. The Pensacola Bay Area is packed with 450 years of history, museums, white-sand beaches, and a variety of land and sea adventures.

Tentative opening of the Margaritaville Beach Hotel, 165 Fort Pickens Road, will be late June or early July. Visit MargaritavilleHotel.com.