Opportunities for quick getaways abound in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Illinois, at destinations that are only a few hours' drive from the Chicago area. These spots are great in and of themselves, but a local fair or festival can add that extra zest of interest to a week or weekend stay. Late summer and early fall are prime times for local special events.
Michigan's Harbor Country
Less than a two-hour drive takes you to a different world of woods, dunes, and lakeshore in southeastern Michigan's Harbor Country, a strip along the Lake Michigan shoreline that extends from New Buffalo on the south to Sawyer on the north and to the village of Three Oaks on the east.
Harbor Country is working very hard to establish itself as a local arts center. There are galleries along the Red Arrow Highway and Three Oaks boasts its rehabbed Vickers Theratre. Arts and cultural events include:
Aug. 15, 16 & 17: The Sounds of Silents Film Festival, at the Vickers Theatre and in Dewey Cannon Park in Three Oaks. Call 800-362-7251 or visit www.vickerstheatre.com .
Aug. 29-31: Outsider's Outside Folk Art Fair at the Judith Racht Gallery, 13707 Prairie Road, Harbert, with a focus on outsider, self-taught, folk, naïve, primitive, visionary, and grassroots art. Call 269-469-1080.
Aug. 30: Old Tyme Music Festival in Dewey Cannon Park, Three Oaks, featuring local singers and songwriters, plus Fallen Angels, one of Chicago's best Bluegrass bands. Call 269-756-2032.
Harbor Country is also enjoying a growing reputation as a wine-producing region. Take a ride along the country roads and you will see vineyards everywhere. Tabor Hill, St. Julian, and other local wineries have tasting rooms that are fun to visit. In addition, special events are centered around the wines grown and sold in the area:
Aug. 24th Harvest Party at Heart of The Vineyard, 10983 Hills Road Baroda, MI. Call 800-716-WINE/www.heartofthevineyard.com .
Sept. 26th: 4th Annual Autumn Bacchus Festival hosted by The Wine Sellers of Union Pier, at Whittaker Woods Golf Course in New Buffalo. More than 75 wines will be poured at a significant discount. $48 per person. Call 888-824-WINE for reservations.
Other Harbor Country events include:
Sept. 27 and 28: Apple Cider Century in Three Oaks Michigan, a very popular recreational bicycle tour. Call 269-756-3361 or visit www.applecidercentruy.com
Oct. 3-4, 10-11, 17-18, 24-25 & Oct. 31-Nov. 1 Haunted House in Three Oaks. Meet at the Legion Pavilion for a hayride.
Oct. Dead Scare Haunted House 125 North Whittaker St. New Buffalo. find out more on www.deadscare.com
Oct. 25: Boo at The Zoo, Washington Park Zoo, Michigan City, IN, CST ) . offers children a safe trick-or-treating in a safe environment at 12 candy stations scattered throughout the zoo and a costume contest. Call 219-873-1406 ext. 379
Saugatuck, Michigan
Saugatuck, farther north along the Lake Michigan shore, has long been a favorite GLBT destination. Saugatuck has a wealth of B&B's, many of which date back to the 1800s and many of which are GLBT friendly. Saugatuck began as an artists' colony and the tradition continues with many galleries, studios, fairs, shows, and summer theater.
Summer theater productions at the Red Barn Playhouse include:
Aug. 1-3: Once Upon a Mattress, based on the fairy tale The Princess and the Pea.
Aug. 8-10, 13-17, 20-24: Forever Plaid, another summer stock favorite.
Aug. 29-31, Sept. 3-7, 10-14, 17-21, 24-28: Quilters an historical show.
For Red Barn info, call 269-857-7707.
Aug. 6-10, 13-17: OUR SINATRA, a tribute to Old Blue Eyes at the Mason Street Warehouse, a theater in downtown Saugatuck. Call 269-857-4898 or visit www.masonstreetwarehouse.org .
Other events celebrate food, wine, art, and Halloween in Saugatuck and its sister city of Douglas: Aug. 3 and each Sunday thereafter: Music in the Vineyards, classical guitar music, at Fenn Valley Vineyards, 2:30-4:30 PM. Call 269-561-2396.
Aug. 24: Taste of Saugatuck, street festival of fine foods sponsored by the Saugatuck/ Douglas visitors bureau and area restaurants. Call 269-857-1701.
Sept. 19-21: Heritage Festival with guided walking tours, trolley tours, and band-shell concerts in Wicks Park. Visit sdhistory.accn.org
Oct. 11-12: Gallery Stroll Open House Receptions at participating art galleries in Saugatuck/Douglas.
Oct. 11: Douglas Oct.fest in downtown Douglas. Call 269-857-1937.
Oct. 25: Halloween Festivals in Saugatuck/Douglas. Call 269-857-1701.
Oct. 25: Halloween Bash at the Dunes Resort, a big costume contest at this well-known gay resort. Call 269-857-1401.
Madison, Wisconsin
One of the nation's most gay-friendly areas is Madison, Wisconsin. There's plenty to see and do there. But the Dane County Farmers' Market held every Saturday from spring to fall in Capital Square is a real treat. You'll find vegetables, garden plants of all kinds, crafts, and of course—cheese.
Some of the popular local festivals and other events include:
Aug. 14-17: Sun Prairie Sweet Corn Festival with lots of corn plus a carnival, games, food stands, stage entertainment, bingo, and craft show. Call 608-837-4547.
Aug. 23: 6th Annual Madison Blues Festival, featuring such artists as B. B. King, Al Green, Jeff Beck, Dr. John, Galactic, and Susan Tedeschi, Call 608-255-4646.
Sept. 7: Ironman Wisconsin Triathlon, a grueling competition of swimming, biking, and a marathon through various Dane County locations. Call 608-226-4780.
Sept. 27-28: Edgerton Applefest in a rural community near Madison features an open-air market with apples and produce, an arts and crafts show. Call 608-884-4408.
Any weekend during October you can tour a real Wisconsin dairy farm, Hinchley's Dairy Farm in Cambridge. Dairy tours consist of visiting the nursery to see calves, milking a cow, holding, petting and feeding barnyard animals, and taking a hayride to the pumpkin patch to harvest a free pumpkin. What a great thing for gay/lesbian families to take the kids to. Call 608-764-5090.
Wisconsin Dells
The Dells is another favorite destination for gay/lesbian parents. There are many family amusements here along with the natural beauty of the rock formations carved by the Wisconsin river. The Dells also has a number of autumn celebrations that include:
Sept. 12- 14: Celebration of autumn with Arts & Crafts Fair, Antique Flea Market, Maxwell Street Days, parade, concessions, and entertainment.
Oct. 4 and 5: Wollersheim Winery Grape Stomp Festival with such down-home favorites as grape spitting contests, cork toss, grilled food and wine tasting at Wollersheim Winery, 7876 Hwy 188, Prairie du Sac, WI 53578.
Oct. 18 and 19: 6th Annual Autumn Harvest Fest, downtown Dells, with micro-brew beer tasting, hayrides, pony rides, an apple-eating contest, and face painting.
Lake Geneva, Wisconsin
Long a summertime favorite of Chicagoans, this 'Little Switzerland' in Wisconsin hosts a number of concerts, fairs, and festivals.
Every Thursday in August ( except the 14th ) there are free concerts in Flat Iron Park at 7 p.m. Call 262-248-4416.
Aug. 9-10: 23rd Annual Art in the Park, a juried art show in Library Park on the shore of Geneva Lake featuring over 100 artists from all over the United States. Call 262-249-7988.
Aug. 13-17: Venetian Festival. Call 262-745-7546.
Aug. 27-Sept. 1: Walworth County Fair in Elkhorn, WI. Call 262-723-3228.
Oct. 11-12: Annual Oktoberfest in downtown Lake Geneva. Call 262-248-4416.
Starved Rock State Park, Illinois
There are few nearby places with such wonderful fall colors as this gorgeous gorge carved out of the Illinois prairie. A favorite place to stay is the stone and log lodge built in the 1930s. The lodge has been refurbished and a new hotel wing added with an indoor swimming pool and spa area.
It's worth timing your fall visit to coincide with Burgoo Fest in Utica, Illinois, the town closest to Starved Rock.
Oct. 12: Burgoo Fest, featuring this marvelous 'pioneer stew' along with pies and other goodies. From humble beginnings, Burgoo Fest has grown into LaSalle County's major fundraiser. And it is lots of fun.
Galena, Illinois
This picturesque town near the Mississippi River is steeped in Civil War-era history and filled with historic homes, among them the dwelling of Ulysses S. Grant. One of the main reasons to visit Galena is to enjoy the antique architecture. And there are several events to help you do this:
Every Saturday through Oct. 25 there is an Historic District Walking Tour departing at 10 a.m. from the DeSoto House Hotel lobby.
Call 815-777-9252 or 815-777-9129 or visit www.galenahistorymuseum.org/tours.htm.
Every Saturday through Aug. 30 the Annie Wiggins Ghost Tour of sites and cemeteries departs at 5 p.m., 7 p.m., and 9 p.m. from
Annie Wiggins Guest House. Call 815-777-0336 or www.anniewiggins.com/tour.html and prepare to be scared!
Sept. 12, 13: Historic Greenwood Cemetery Walk, in which actors dressed in historic costumes portray citizens from Galena's early years. Call 815-777-9129 or www.galenahistorymuseum.org/tours.htm.
Sept. 27: Ulysses S. Grant Home Lamplight Tour, 7-8 p.m. By the light of oil lanterns, tour the home of Civil War General and 18th President, Ulysses S. Grant; 815-777-3310.
Sept. 27-28: 54th Annual Fall Tour of Homes. Guided tours of four private homes built in the 1800s and a church built in 1838. Call 815-777-0229 or visit www.firstgalena.presbychurch.org/falltour.html .
Galena and the surrounding communities also have several events relating to pioneer and Civil War history, including reenactments:
Aug. 8-10: 8th Annual Civil War Days at Eagle Ridge Inn & Resort near Galena offers historic portrayals, presentations, and battle reenactments, ending with a Victory Ball. Call 815-777-2444.
Sept. 20: Native American Spirituality Explored at Apple River Fort State Historic Site, a recently constructed replica of a pioneer fort in nearby Elizabeth. Learn the importance of dreams and visions in Native American society and make a traditional dream catcher using glass beads, dogwood, sinew, and feathers. Call 815-858-2028.
Oct. 4-5: Reenactment of the Civil War Battle of Morseville on Schuller Road near Stockton, including period fashion show. Call 815-858-3493.
Oct. 10-11: Into the Woods at Apple River Fort State Historic Site in Elizabeth, a living history event in which reenactors demonstrate hide tanning, sausage making, gunsmithing, and blacksmithing. Call 858-2028 or visit www.appleriverfort.org .
For those who enjoy—or would like to enjoy—the spectacle of hot air balloons floating like colorful ghosts in the sky, consider attending the Galena Halloween Balloon Festival from Oct. 24 to 26. There will be balloon glows on Friday and Saturday at 6:30 p.m. followed by morning balloon launches on Saturday and Sunday. Top it off with trick-or-treating each evening on the levy in downtown Galena. Call 815-777-3600.
The spice of a local show, fair, or festival can turn a quick getaway into a very special treat.
Your travel writer: Cynthia A. Marquard along with Ted Lally owns and manages Aqua Terra Travel, 1640 N. Wells St. in Chicago. Cynthia or Ted can be reached at 312-787-2400 or 1-800-44-ENVOY.
Visit their internet Web site at www.aquaterratravel.com .
