Here are some of the more interesting events, deals, websites and other travel tidbits that came across our desk recently:
♦It may be winter, but kites will be flying Feb. 16-18 during Sky Circus on Ice at Lake Lawn Resort on Delavan Lake in Delavan, Wis. Both at the resort and downtown, you’ll find performances by kite teams, kite-making workshops and kite-flying lessons, ice carving, snow sculpting and more. http://tinyurl.com/y8uzul2q
♦The 40th Annual Big Muddy Film Festival will be held Feb. 19-25 at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. Some 72 films selected from 289 entries will be screened at the student-run festival. www.bigmuddyfilm.com
♦A winter photography workshop and dog sledding adventure will be held Feb. 24-27 in McMillan, Mich., in the Upper Peninsula. Participants will learn to drive a dog-sled team, snowshoe in Tahquamenon Falls State Park, visit ice caves and get personal photography instruction. Cost is $1,350 per person, double occupancy, and includes lodging, meals and a variety of activities. 906-748-0513, http://tinyurl.com/y8jw4p87
♦Model trains will rule Feb. 17-18 at the Mad City Model Railroad Show in Madison, Wis. Check out model train layouts in a variety of gauges, more than 300 vendor tables, exhibits and videos. Kids can ride a model train too. www.nmra-scwd.org
♦Tinker Swiss Cottage Museum and Gardens in Rockford, Ill., periodically holds its very popular paranormal tours in search of spirits at the museum. The 2018 schedule begins March 17, but that one is already sold out. If you’re interested in the next one June 15, hop to it and buy your tickets now. 815-964-2424. http://tinyurl.com/yc2xpts7
♦The Book Across the Bay cross-country ski race breaks the winter boredom Feb. 17 with a nighttime outing on a 6-mile, candlelit route across Chequamegon Bay in Wisconsin. The route runs from Ashland to Washburn and attracts skiers and snowshoers, both competitive and recreational. Afterward there will be chili, beer and music. www.batb.org
♦Take a guided snowshoe hike at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore Visitor Center in Porter, Ind., on Feb. 17 from 1-3 p.m. The hike will start from the Visitor Center. There will be a limited number of snowshoes available or you can bring your own. If there’s not enough snow, a park ranger will lead a hike instead. 219-395-1882. http://tinyurl.com/yahorpxw
♦You can order an activity guide for the Iowa/Illinois Quad Cities area or view it online at www.visitquadcities.com.
♦If you’ve been a fan of free admission days that the National Park Service has had for its parks and sites that charge a fee, you’re going to be disappointed this year. Last year there were 10 free days, and in 2016 — the centennial of the Park Service —there were 16. This year there are just four. One of this year’s days — the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. — has already passed. The other three are April 21, the first day of National Park Week; Sept. 22, National Public Lands Day; and Nov. 11, Veterans Day. http://tinyurl.com/go82aan
♦The Online Vacation Center has an amazingly low rate on a 10-night cruise on Royal Caribbean International from Sydney to Auckland, New Zealand. Sailing dates are available in late 2018 or January 2019, with the lowest rate starting at $789 per person, double occupancy, for an ocean-view cabin. http://tinyurl.com/y7l63v3w
♦Bikes and Hikes LA has a Hollywood Bike Adventure that runs every day and covers 12 miles in three hours. Cost is $68 per person. http://tinyurl.com/ybp2jwkq
♦Natural Habitat Adventures, specializing in nature-based tours around the world, has its 2018 catalog available for order at http://tinyurl.com/yclfzemy.
Deals and websites listed here have been checked for availability as of press time, but the listings are not an endorsement. Send tips at least a month in advance to ChicagoTribTravel@gmail.com.
Phil Marty is a freelancer.
