Prelude - In the Know
Night movies
There’s something magical about watching movies under the night sky during the warm summer months. And, although drive-in theaters are becoming increasingly hard to find, film fans can still experience the thrill of watching beneath the stars at Turner Classic Movies’ seventh annual Screen on the Green classic film festival in Atlanta’s Piedmont Park next month. Movie dates to put in your diary include: A Hard Day’s Night (June 1), The Wiz (June 8), Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (June 15), Breakfast at Tiffany’s (June 22) and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (June 29). Nightly bands, giveaways and other attractions complete the event. www.turner.com/screenonthegreen
Higher and higher
If screaming downhill at amazingly high speeds is your idea of a good time, take note: Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park in Wisconsin Dells was recently awarded a Golden Ticket from Amusement Today, the greatest accolade in the amusement park world, for its Hades wooden roller coaster. New last year, the 160-foot-tall roller coaster has been attracting thrill seekers with the steepest vertical drop of any hybrid wooden roller coaster in the country plus the world’s longest underground roller coaster tunnel. Located within easy reach of Chicago, Milwaukee and Minneapolis, the amusement park was also honored for its gokarts. www.mtolympusthemepark.com
Tut’s return
From May 26 through January 1, 2007, the Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs exhibition comes to Chicago’s Field Museum. Ever since Howard Carter discovered the young king and his jewels in 1922, Tutankhamun has captured the world’s imagination. A blockbuster exhibit since touring the world in the ’70s, Tut’s latest show has more than twice the treasures of the original, including artifacts taken from other tombs in the Valley of the Kings. Much of the exhibit was not included in the original show and has never left Egypt before, providing audiences with their first glimpse of some of the world’s most impressive artifacts. www.fieldmuseum.org
Blooming marvelous
The Atlanta Botanical Garden is hosting the largest ever outdoor exhibition of the late artist Niki de Saint Phalle’s highly lauded outdoor sculptures through October 31. Presented by Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., the show will include enormous animals, mythical figures, totems, sports heroes and, most famously, her Nanas—oversized, often dancing, powerful women celebrating life. Her renowned works are covered with mirrors, glass, semiprecious stones and ceramic mosaics, giving them an otherworldly feel. Niki Nights take place each Thursday evening, when the sculptures will be on display until 9pm, with food and refreshments available for purchase, providing a unique botanical gardens experience. www.atlantabotanicalgarden.org