Here are some of the more interesting events, deals, websites and other travel tidbits that have come across our desk recently:
*January and February are prime times for bald-eagle viewing along the Mississippi River, and many river communities in Iowa and Illinois plan special events for folks to learn about our national bird. Bald Eagle Days, Jan. 6-8 in Rock Island, Ill., features live eagle programs, demonstrations and more than 100 informational booths. For information on this and other bald-eagle events in Iowa and Illinois, check out http://tinyurl.com/z66th8j.
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*Plymouth, Mich., gets in the winter spirit Jan. 6-8 with its annual Ice Festival, with ice-carving competitions and sculptures to view, along with the Dueling Chainsaws contest Saturday, when the carving experts have 15 minutes to turn a block of ice into a work of art. There will also be live music and plenty of food and drink. http://tinyurl.com/z399mtd
*If you’re a snowmobile racing fan you’ll want to head up to Eagle River, Wis., in January. The Amsoil World Championship Derby Track will host the 2017 Vintage World Championship Snowmobile Derby on Jan. 13-15, followed by the 2017 AMSOIL World Championship Snowmobile Derby on Jan. 19-22. 715-479-4424, www.derbytrack.com
*Detroit is the place to be for car aficionados Jan. 14-22 for the annual North American International Auto Show. This is a chance to see concept cars, new vehicle models, electric cars, trucks and more. www.naias.com
*Snow artists will be at work Jan. 18-21 in Rockford, Ill., during the Illinois Snow Sculpting Competition. The winners will represent the state in the U.S. Nationals Snow Sculpting Competition. The sculptures can be viewed in Sinnissippi Park. http://tinyurl.com/jszcraj
*Read about where to find a good bowl of chili in Missouri at http://tinyurl.com/jze3hxw.
*The Indiana tourism folks periodically ask the public to vote on best of Indiana attractions in areas such as best music festivals or best barbecue. Bean Blossom Blues Fest is the most recent winner in music fests, by the way, and Shigs in Pit in Fort Wayne has the best ‘cue. Check out the most recent winners at http://tinyurl.com/jjdbzov.
*The scenic Hocking Hills region of southern Ohio is hosting the fourth annual Comfort Food Cruise on Jan. 14-15, 21-22 and 28-29. Tickets, which are $18, are good for one comfort food at each of 12 restaurants in the area plus cinnamon rolls at the Hocking Hills Regional Welcome Center in Logan. Among the offerings are prime rib sliders, turkey pot pie and a chocolate churro. http://tinyurl.com/la4yvt6
*Great Value Vacations has several very reasonably priced Iceland tour packages, with late winter departures, including round-trip air. For example, the four-night Wonders of Iceland package is as low as $1,181 per person, double occupancy from Chicago on March 31. View all of the packages at http://tinyurl.com/h8vxdx2.
*Liberty Travel offers four-night packages at the all-inclusive Paradisus Punta Cana resort in the Dominican Republic that are priced from $1,235 per person, double occupancy, which includes round-trip airfare from Chicago. http://tinyurl.com/zm8e39t
*The all-inclusive Holiday Inn Resort Montego Bay in Jamaica has standard rooms as low as $228 per night, single or double occupancy, in January. www.caribbeanhi.com
*The polo season at the International Polo Club Palm Beach in Florida begins Jan. 1 and concludes April 23 with the USPA 113th U.S. Open Polo Championship. http://tinyurl.com/3nry52h
Deals and websites have been checked for availability as of press time. Listings are not endorsements. Send tips at least a month in advance to ChicagoTribTravel@gmail.com.
Phil Marty is a freelancer.
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