Here are some of the more interesting events, deals, websites and other travel tidbits that have come across our desk recently:
*Great Value Vacations offers its Classic Thailand: Bangkok & Phuket package priced from $1,810 per person, double occupancy, for departures in November. That includes round-trip air from Chicago, four nights’ lodging in Bangkok and three nights in Phuket, air between the two cities and two half-day tours. Other dates and departure cities are available. 800-896-4600, http://tinyurl.com/l7kg99t
*If you’d like to try your hand at a fly-fishing vacation but don’t know a rod from a pod, Orvis, the fly-fishing expert, is offering free classes for both newbie and semi-newbie anglers during May and June across the country. http://tinyurl.com/mujhzu7
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*American Queen Steamboat Company, specializing in luxury riverboat travel in the U.S., has released its 2017 brochure. You can order one or view it online at http://tinyurl.com/hc4gsyn.
*GO Fest — Whistler’s Great Outdoors Festival will be May 19-22 in Whistler, British Columbia. http://tinyurl.com/lpe22vg
*The 10th anniversary John Wayne Birthday Celebration will be May 26-27 in Winterset, Iowa. The John Wayne Birthplace Museum will be the hub for activities. Screenings of classic Wayne films will be in the restored Iowa Theater. The all-horse parade will showcase a Wells Fargo stagecoach and the featured guest will be Johnny Crawford from “The Rifleman” TV series that aired in the late 1950s and early 1960s. http://tinyurl.com/l9nt7hl
*For the fourth year, Kenosha Craft Beer Week will be held in Kenosha, Wis. Scheduled May 13-21, it will involve special events at local craft breweries, bars and restaurants, including releases of new brews and beer and food pairings. 262-652-2739, http://tinyurl.com/k65s6ka
*Rockin’ Thunder offers a variety of jet-boat rides on the Ohio and Kentucky rivers in Madison, Ind. http://tinyurl.com/mp6r4bw
*The 40th annual Galesburg Railroad Days will be June 22-25 in the western Illinois town. There will be tours of the Railroad Museum and the rail yard, a model train show, antique tractor and car displays and more. The 20th Century Railroad Club is offering a package to ride Amtrak from Chicago or the west suburbs to the celebration Saturday, but payment must be made by May 10. Find info on the club’s offer at www.20thcentury.org and on Railroad Days at http://tinyurl.com/mugtdhw.
*Grammy Award winner Jonny Lang will be the headliner for the fifth annual BBQ, Blues and Bluegrass Festival: A Taste of Michigan on May 20 in St. Joseph, Mich. Lang’s band will be one of five performing from noon to 8 p.m. http://tinyurl.com/lqtzalz
*More than 70 breweries will be on hand May 19-20 for the World Expo of Beer in Heritage Park in Frankenmuth, Mich. Various ticket packages can be purchased in advance or at the gate. http://tinyurl.com/mlu2758
*The Indianapolis Children’s Museum has been voted best museum in the U.S. for families by readers of 10Best and USA Today. See the list of top 10 museums at http://tinyurl.com/kaf5pdn.
*Dozens of artists will take part in Plein Air MKE 2017, May 11-21 on Milwaukee’s historic East Side. For the open-air painting event, artists will set up along the Milwaukee Museum Mile, which is made up of five museums: the Charles Allis Art Museum, the Jewish Museum Milwaukee, the North Point Lighthouse, the Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum and Museum of Wisconsin Art at Saint John’s on the Lake. 414-278-8295; http://tinyurl.com/lnhy8kl
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.
