Alas, all good things (including summer) must come to an end. But before the fall frenzy kicks in, start emptying your summer bucket list with some not-to-miss fun.
Arrivederci summer!
Sneak in one more family-friendly Chicago summer fest. Festa Italiana in Little Italy is one of my family’s favorites. Steal away to Italy with music, Italian dance, trolley tours and delicious Italian food Aug. 13-16 on South Ashland Avenue and West Taylor Streets. On Aug. 16, look for the traditional old world procession from the storied Shrine of Our Lady of Pompeii to the Festa Italiana site, all to the beat of a traditional Italian marching band. starevents.com.
Shut the door!
After hours, you’ll feel like a kid locked in candy store–because you are! Gather 10-30 of your gal pals for giggly bowl-licking fun with a chocolate girls’ night lock-in at Morkes Chocolates, 11801 Main St., Huntley. Enjoy fun candy-making and martini-sipping (BYOM)–all while making sweet last-minute summer memories! morkeshuntley.com.
Last beeline to fun
Put this bee in your bonnet: Staycation guests at the rolling Hilton Chicago/Oak Brook Hills Resort, 3500 Midwest Road, Oak Brook, can request a bees’ knees tour with its resident Beekeeper Chef. Check out the nearly one million honeybees living and working on resort grounds making honey for farm-to-table recipes and beeswax for natural products. oakbrookhillsresortchicago.com.
Preserve the memories
Spend a day collecting summer memories. Instagram-friendly Artifact Uprising has some neat ways to remember the sunny times with easy-to-generate scrapbooks, contemporary calendars and wood blocks prints. artifactuprising.com.
