Midwest travel: See architectural wonders for free during Open House Chicago
Chicago
Open House Chicago
Explore the architectural treasures of the city's diverse neighborhoods for free during Chicago Architecture Foundation's Open House Chicago. Tour skyscrapers, repurposed mansions, opulent theaters, private clubs and offices and sacred spaces. Some sites offer discussions and family-friendly activities. In Hyde Park, for example, visit Frank Lloyd Wright's Robie House (and save the usual $17 entry fee) or head to the Lyric Opera House where you can watch a set change and listen to singers. Choose among 200 places that will be open for 48 hours to tour for free. Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 15-16. Check openhousechicago.org/ for a list of sites and times.
Hotel harvest
Head downtown for the second annual Loews Chicago Harvest Festival & Pumpkin Patch. The outdoor terrace Streeterville Social will be completely transformed into an autumn festival with hundreds of pumpkins, bales of hay and corn stalks. Pick a pumpkin and have some fun at the pumpkin decorating station. Plus, there's face painting, fall games and an autumn-themed photo booth. Adults can watch the leaves flutter while sipping on a brew and chowing down on a brat in the biergarten. 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 15, and 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 16, at Loews Chicago Hotel, 455 N. Park Drive, Chicago. Free admission, but pumpkins cost $5, with all donations going to Ronald McDonald House Charities of Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana.
Global nosh
Taste the world at the first Lincoln Square Ravenswood Restaurant Week when more than 20 participating restaurants offer special promotions, limited-time prix fixe menus, drink specials and free appetizers. Sample Filipino street food, beer flights, sushi, Southern bites, and tastes of Vietnam, Ireland, Argentina, Italy, France and Greece. Contact participating restaurants to make a reservation. Sunday through Friday, Oct. 16-21. For details or to see the complete list of participating restaurants, see lincolnsquare.org/lsr-restaurant-week.
Park it
It's not too soon to get the relatives set up in a hotel for the holidays or to book a room to relax in after a long day of shopping in the city. Hampton Inn Chicago Downtown/N. Loop/Michigan Ave., located in the historic Chicago Motor Club Building, launched the Park & Stay package. Pull up right in front of the hotel for complimentary valet service, log into free Wi-Fi and enjoy complimentary hot breakfast throughout your stay. The package includes an overnight in one of the hotel's premiere guest rooms, a tour of the preserved historic elements of the fully renovated hotel and a photo op with the famous 1928 Ford Model A in the lobby. Throughout 2016 at the Hampton Inn Chicago Downtown/N. Loop/Michigan Ave., 68 E. Wacker Place, Chicago. Park & Stay package rates begin at $159. Book online at hamptonchicago.com or call (800) 774-1500 and mention "PRK."
Midwest
Take me home, country roads
A fall festival for the rest of us, the 29th Annual Autumn Drive takes harried city folk and suburbanites away from the weekend errands and instead winds by a dozen farms in rural McHenry County from Woodstock to Marengo. You might find antiques and arts and crafts at one stop and pumpkins, hay rides and fiddlers at the next. Garage sales and barn sales are scattered throughout the drive, as are produce and baked goods. Each stop offers a distinctive country experience, from corn mazes and apple picking to warm, tasty food and kids' activities. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. rain or shine Friday through Sunday, Oct. 14-16, on Garden Valley Road between Woodstock and Marengo. Get a list of participating farms and maps at autumndrive.net/ or call (815) 923-2429.
Dell's bells
Stuff more fun into your fall weekend by celebrating in the Wisconsin Dells. Autumn Harvest Fest offers activities for the whole family, a craft beer walk, live entertainment, Dells On Tap microbrew tasting, and a 5K run and walk. Count on live music, plenty of activities for kids, an Arts & Crafts Marketplace and good eats. 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday, Oct. 14, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 15, in the Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin. Get the schedule and lodging ideas at wisdells.com.
Art in the hills
If you're up for a longer drive, consider the Southwest Wisconsin Fall Art Tour that takes place the third full weekend each October. Get a behind-the-scenes look at the studio process and works of some of Wisconsin's best-known painters, sculptors, potters, weavers, jewelers, woodworkers, mixed-media artists and others. Visit studios tucked in the scenic hills in and around the communities of Baraboo, Spring Green, Dodgeville and Mineral Point. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday through Sunday, Oct. 14-16, in southwest Wisconsin. Get a map at fallarttour.com/.