Midwest travel: Escape to Lake Geneva's Festival of Wine
Grape escape
Attention oenophiles - the Lake Geneva Festival of Wine debuts at the Grand Geneva Resort & Spa with tastings, entertainment, education and wellness activities. The Grand Tasting on Saturday afternoon features a variety of wineries and their reps enriching palates and neurons with wisdom about wine. There is a variety of other dinners, activities and events happening throughout the weekend such as nature walks, Yoga and Mimosas and Paint 'n Sip. Friday through Sunday, April 8-10, at Grand Geneva Resort & Spa, Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. A weekend package includes a two-night stay in a deluxe room and two tickets to the Grand Tasting event from 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, April 9. Rates start at $469. Individual event tickets are also available. (800) 558-3417 or grandgeneva.com.
Chicago
Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto
R2D2 fans will want to get in on National Robotics Week celebrated at the Museum of Science and Industry. See robots designed by Chicago-area student and amateur teams, hear from top university robotics scholars about the current state of the industry, watch a live robotics competition and get to know some state-of-the-art robots. All activities are included in the museum admission. 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 2-10 at the Museum of Science and Industry, 5700 S. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago. Admission is $18 for adults and $11 for kids ages 3-11. For a schedule of events, see www.msichicago.org.
She blinded me with science (fiction)
The fourth annual Juggernaut Film Festival is a one-day event showcasing Science Fiction and Fantasy short films from around the world. Film fans, sci-fi geeks, artists and filmmakers will appreciate the one-stop shop for innovative stories in science fiction and fantasy film. Held at Chicago's historic 800-plus seat Music Box Theatre, it's presented by Otherworld Theatre. Noon to 5:30 p.m. Saturday, April 9, at Music Box Theatre, 3733 N. Southport Ave., Chicago. Tickets cost $20 and are available at otherworldtheatre.com.
Picture this
The new Sunset Series just launched at 360 CHICAGO Observation Deck at the top of the Hancock building. Mondays it's Photography Night, so bring your tripod to capture stunning images of the skyline, city lights and vast views. A professional photographer will be developing photography workshops and competitions as the year progresses. On Tuesdays, Chicago Architecture Foundation docents serve as guides pointing out architectural gems in the skyline. Come by on Thursdays for DJs spinning tunes while you toast breathtaking sunsets. 6 to 9 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays at 875 N. Michigan Ave., 94th Floor, Chicago. General admission is $20 for adults (12 and older); $13 for kids (3-11); free for children younger than 3. Chicago 606 Resident Appreciation Rate is $10 adults (12 and older); $6.50 for kids (3-11). TILT costs $7 per person and tickets do not include admission to the observation deck. For details, call (312) 751-3681 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays or see www.360chicago.com.
Midwest
Sticky situation
It may be your last chance to see the tapping of the trees in 2016, so get to the Maple Syrup Festival at the MacKenzie Environmental Center (between the Wisconsin Dells and Madison, Wisconsin). Gobble up a pancake breakfast and take guided tours of the sugarbush to see demonstrations of tapping and syrup making. Enjoy old-fashioned music and horse-drawn wagon rides, too. 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 2, at the MacKenzie Environmental Education Center in Poynette, Wisconsin. Guided tours and demonstrations are free. Get details at (608) 635-8105 or dnr.wi.gov/education/mackenzie/.
Living history
Experience the largest World War I public event in North America at The Great War: World War I at Midway Village in Rockford. The fourth annual military experience features re-enactors portraying soldiers and civilians from the U.S., France, Great Britain, Belgium, Russia, Germany and others in a 13-acre village on the museum grounds. Walk near encampments and tour a reproduction three-bunker trench; see displays of WWI weapons and artifacts; talk to hundreds of re-enactors about life as a soldier; learn about military equipment and combat techniques of this war; and watch large-scale narrated battle re-enactments with pyrotechnics. The Trench Train, a full-scale replica that delivers munitions, supplies and soldiers to the trenches during WWI, debuts this year. 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, April 9, and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, April 10, at the Midway Village Museum, 6799 Guilford Road, Rockford. Tickets cost $5-$10. Get more intel at (815) 397-9112 or explore midwayvillage.com.