Midwest travel: Free time at Lincoln Park Zoo's Fall Fest
Chicago
Autumn & animals
Celebrate our Midwestern harvest in the heart of the city at Lincoln Park Zoo's second annual Fall Fest, a free family event offering animal chats, music, a pumpkin carver and fall-themed enrichment for the animals. Ticketed attractions throughout the zoo include a Ferris wheel, a corn maze, a hay mountain, a fun slide, inflatable obstacle courses and more. Plus, you can buy a pumpkin to tote home. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fridays through Sundays, Oct. 21-23 and 28-30, at Lincoln Park Zoo, 2200 N. Cannon Drive, Chicago. Free, but tickets for rides cost $3; $27 for 10; $51 for 20. (312) 742-2000 or lpzoo.org/fall-fest.0
Day at the museum
Make your way to some of the city's treasures during Chicago Museum Week, when the city's top museums offer discounted admissions, special exhibits, giveaways and other treats. Activities include free art-making activities at The Art Institute of Chicago; the Annual Folk Art Festival, Folk Art Workshop and a Drop-In Drawing and Guided Tour at The National Museum of Mexican Art; and animal chats and encounters at the Shedd Aquarium. Illinois residents will receive up to 25 percent off admission at the Adler Planetarium, the Chicago History Museum, the Field Museum, the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, the Museum of Science and Industry, the Museum of Contemporary Art and more. Now through Sunday, Oct. 23. See chicagomuseumweek.com for a list of venues.
Sweets in the suite
When snatching the kids' Halloween candy isn't enough, book the special Dylan's Candy Sweet Suite package at Chicago's Hotel Palomar. The boutique property partnered with popular confectioner Dylan's Candy Bar to offer a couple of tasty packages: Dylan's Candy Sweet Suite package features a room decked out in Dylan's items including pillows, blankets, robes, slippers/socks and a welcome basket full of candy. The Standard Dylan's Candy Bar package includes overnight accommodations in a king or double queen room; a tour of the Dylan's Candy Bar store on Michigan Avenue near the hotel; 15 percent off your purchase in-store; and a free Dylan's Candy Bar Signature Chicago Chocolate Bar. Take advantage of weekly candy cocktails and mocktails for guests during the hotel's wine hour, too. Dylan's Candy beverages will be available complimentary to hotel guests every Friday during wine hour (5-6 p.m.) through the end of the year. Nov. 18, 2016, through April 3, 2017, at Hotel Palomar, 505 N. State St., Chicago. Dylan's Candy Sweet Suite package begins at $399 a night; rates for the Standard Dylan's Candy Bar package start at $199 a night. There is a five-day advance booking requirement. (312) 755-9703 or hotelpalomar-chicago.com/.
Midwest
It's like night and day
Presented by Milwaukee's Historic Third Ward Association, Gallery Night & Day is the two-day premier art event for artists and art admirers. Explore museums and galleries and browse shops during the event that features 50 venues to discover throughout the downtown Milwaukee area. For example, take advantage of Free Friday night at Harley-Davidson Museum when you can check out one of the newest bikes added to the H-D Museum's collection - Matt Walksler's "JDH-XR" among thousands of other bikes and riding artifacts. Friday and Saturday, Oct. 21-22. Free admission from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 21, to the Harley-Davidson Museum, 400 W. Canal St., Milwaukee, Wisconsin. For details on the Museum's galleries, exhibits, special events, tickets and more, visit h-dmuseum.com. For a list of venues participating in Gallery Night & Day, go to historicthirdward.org/events/gallerynight.php.
Designs on you
Discover the secrets behind how video game developers, music producers, roller coaster designers and other creative problem solvers do what they do in the Indiana State Museum's new exhibition, "Design Zone." You'll learn what it takes to create an addictively fun video game; how many beats per second a DJ needs to get bodies moving on the dance floor; and the nuts and bolts of creating a roller coaster or a skate park that produces the biggest thrills, among others. The highly interactive, hands-on exhibit is organized into three thematic zones that highlight the importance of science and mathematical thinking in innovation, art, music and physics. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday from Saturday, Oct. 22-Jan. 8, at the Indiana State Museum, 650 W. Washington St., Indianapolis, Indiana. Admission is $8.50-$13. For details on the exhibit and related programs, call (317) 232-1637 or visit indianamuseum.org/.
Smashing pumpkins
A Pumpkin Chuckin Fest sounds like a barrel-full of fun offering pumpkins soaring through the air, barbecue, live music, people dressed up for a costume contest, a chili cook-off, pumpkin baking contest, kids' games, and free admission and parking. The Kansas City BBQ Society sanctions the "Best of the Midwest BBQ Cook-Off"during the festival, so save room for tasty nibbles. 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 22, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 23, at the Racine County Fairgrounds, 19805 Durand Ave., Union Grove, Wisconsin.