A collection of fun events to keep you busy over the next three months.

OCTOBER

11 Plantersville, Texas
Texas Renaissance Festival
You don’t have to travel halfway across the world to fest and feast like Robin Hood. Just go about 50 miles northwest of Houston for the opening weekend of the annual Texas Renaissance Festival. Across 53 acres, a recreated 16th-century British village comes to life for eight uniquely themed weekends, including All Hallows Eve weekend before Halloween and the Celtic Christmas festivities after the Thanksgiving holiday. Last year, more than 373,000 people took a spin on such rides as the King’s Carousel or tried their hand at games like Drench-A-Wench. More than 200 performances, from the Gypsy Dance Theater to the Washing Well Wenches, take place daily. Meanwhile, old-time craftsmen and artisans give demonstrations of skills like glassblowing at various locations around the village. Shop in more than 340 arts and crafts shops, then procure turkey legs and Belgian waffles at one of more than 60 food and drink booths. And with more than 3,000 characters in costume every day, your kids won’t be the only ones playing dress-up.

12 Astoria, Oregon
Great Columbia Crossing
This month, start walking (or running) in Washington and finish up in Oregon. Head to Astoria, Oregon, located about 90 miles northwest of Portland, during the annual Great Columbia Crossing. This 10K trek challenges participants to run across the longest continuous truss span bridge in North America: the Astoria-Megler Bridge, which passes over the Columbia River. A shuttle takes participants from the meeting place at the Port of Astoria across the river to the starting point in Washington. The event marks the only time each year that pedestrians can make the crossing, since ordinarily only cars and bicycles are permitted on the bridge. Race along with 2,000 other people competing for the fastest time. After the awards ceremony, celebrate your bi-state feat with a heaping bowl of chowder, the best follow-up to a chilly, early-morning run.

17 Chicago
One World, One Sky: Big Bird’s Adventure
Can you tell me how to get, how to get to...the moon? This month Sesame Workshop—the nonprofit education organization behind the television show—teams up with Chicago’s Adler Planetarium, the Beijing Planetarium, and New Jersey’s Liberty Science Center for One World, One Sky: Big Bird’s Adventure. The show aims to teach kids about astronomy and marks the first collaboration between U.S. and Chinese planetariums. On the 17th, visit the Adler Planetarium to watch Big Bird, Elmo, and a new friend from China named Hu Hu Zhu. The trio discovers the sun, moon, and such constellations as the Big Dipper on an imaginary trip to the moon and learns that, despite the geographic distance between them, they share the same sky. The show premiered on Sept. 26 in Beijing. The theaters hold planetarium shows in English and Spanish (available upon request for group showings). Creators hope it will promote a positive attitude toward science and an appreciation for Chinese and American cultures. Consider it one small step for one giant bird.

18 Eloy, Arizona
National Skydiving Championships
There’s nothing like a high-stakes competition—especially at high altitude. Watch nearly 1,000 aerial professionals compete 13,000 feet off the ground during the 2008 United States Parachute Association National Skydiving Championships. The event takes place in Eloy, Arizona, located midway between Tucson and Phoenix. The eight-day free blowout begins each morning at sunrise and goes until sunset, concluding with an awards presentation and banquet on the last day. With help from video screens set up on the ground, guests can watch competitors in the sky battle in multiple heats, including Skysurfing, where a jumper rides through the air on a surfboard and performs spins and twists; Freeflying, where three-person teams perform a choreographed freefall; and the Canopy Formation, which includes teams creating geometric formations with open parachutes in the air. Visitors can meet the teams between jumps and observe dirt dives, where teams practice jumps on the ground around the drop zone. Feeling a little adventurous? The Adventures in Skydiving School will allow first-timers to jump. Heights got you nervous? The SkyVenture Arizona Indoor Skydiving wind tunnel will provide a grounded skydiving-like experience, so that even the weak-kneed can make the leap.

19 Baltimore
Bedazzled: 5,000 Years of Jewelry
Baltimore corners the market on bling this month when the Walters Art Museum presents Bedazzled: 5,000 Years of Jewelry. The exhibit shows off a selection of more than 200 pieces of jewelry from 3000 B.C. through the early 20th century. Henry Walters left all of his loot to the city of Baltimore after his death in 1931, and it now represents the widest range of any privately donated jewelry collection in the United States. Admire a gold bracelet from the first century B.C., a 1900 Paris Exposition Universelle grand-prize-winning iris corsage from Tiffany and Co., and a 19th-century ceremonial Chinese headdress. Then browse the exhibit section devoted specifically to rings—the only type of jewelry worn throughout the ages. The exhibition runs through Jan. 4 and aims to depict the importance of jewelry as both a creative expression and a sign of status. After seeing how jewelry has evolved, participate in the Family Festival of Treasures on the 25th. The free, daylong event invites people to dress up like royalty and participate in projects inspired by imperial jewels from long ago. So don some sparklies and take a walk on the wealthy side.

24 New Orleans
Voodoo Experience
What do you get when you add Joss Stone and jambalaya? No, not a spooky Halloween entrée, but Voodoo Experience, New Orleans’ annual three-day music festival. For its 10th anniversary, the festival went big for the Big Easy. Does rock get you going? Sit tight for the Stone Temple Pilots and Nine Inch Nails. Hip to hip-hop? Erykah Badu and Lil’ Wayne can rev you up. Artists like Stone, Lupe Fiasco, Death Cab for Cutie, and REM round out the playlist, while the Neville Brothers and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band add local flavor. If you’re jonesing for flavor of another kind, head to the festival’s Village, a town square with vendors selling everything from spicy Cajun cuisine to arts and crafts. The party starts Friday; we’ll see you at the crawfish.

25 Miami
Blue Man Group: Making Waves
Prepare your kids to join the most famous blue-tinted clan in the country—and no, we don’t mean the Smurfs. Blue Man Group: Making Waves, an interactive traveling exhibit, makes its seventh stop at the Miami Children’s Museum. The 1,500-square-foot exhibit lets kids (and adults) join in the Blue Man action by playing with some of the group’s famous instruments, such as the Slide-u-lum, Build-u-lum, and Sand Drum. Kids can make for the PVC station to play the group’s colorful PVC instruments and learn what’s behind the unique sounds. Then visit the Belly Drum area to learn how the Blue Men use the human body as a percussion instrument—and hope they don’t ask for adult volunteers from the audience.

31 New Braunfels, Texas
Wurstfest
Follow your noses, carnivores, to the annual Wurstfest in New Braunfels, about 30 miles northeast of San Antonio. The 10-day festival started in 1961 as a one-day affair that attracted 2,000 people. Since then it has grown so large that lovers of the tubular ground delight flock from across the globe to this thriving hotspot of German culture in the Texas Hill Country. Watch dancers in Bavarian costumes twirl during the Wurstfest Waltz competition, or browse the arts and crafts booths for such souvenirs as cuckoo clocks and lederhosen. The meaty goodness starts at 11 a.m. on weekends, but you’ll have to restrain yourself until 5 p.m. midweek. Tickets cost $8 and money raised from the festival funds local community projects. Let’s hope a wurst-shaped grill pit is one of them.

NOVEMBER

1 New Orleans
Swamp Fest
Mardi Gras may be months away, but there’s already fun on the bayou in November thanks to the Louisiana Swamp Festival. A celebration of Cajun culture, heritage, and cuisine, the festival takes place all weekend at the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans. The zoo, you ask? So did we. The annual celebration features the 25-year-old Louisiana Swamp Exhibit, the most authentic swamp exhibit in the state. (Who knew there was a lot of competition?) Join about 17,000 other people for such authentic Cajun cuisine as fried alligator, crawfish pie, and jambalaya. After you’ve filled up, wander the booths to watch local craftsmen weave baskets and sell driftwood paintings. Naturally, no New Orleans party would be complete without live music. You can kick back and listen to Grammy winners Terrence Simien and the Zydeco Experience, Beausoleil Avec Michael Doucet, and other artists perform on three stages. Then get schooled in fast-paced Cajun dancing. Want a true taste of swamp life? Meet one of the zoo’s most famous residents—a white alligator named Spots. Probably best to settle for a polite wave.

2 San Diego
Fall Back Fest
The end of daylight saving time means setting the clocks back an hour, but in San Diego “fall back” means falling way back into the Wild West. During the annual Fall Back Festival in the city’s Gaslamp Quarter, which starts at 11 a.m., your family can fall into a cultural and historic children’s street fair chock-full of Western-themed activities and entertainment. Take a tour of the grounds on a hayride and let the kids play cowboy on the back of a pony. Round out your evening with puppet shows, Mexican folk dancers, and balloon artists. You can watch American Indian dancers act out a myth, as well as historical demonstrations including a live cannon shooting. And your kids will get all the sweet-tooth satisfaction they need during the pie- and ice-cream-eating contests. Just don’t let them fall in.

7 Columbus, Ohio
J.R. Indoor Electric Festival
Watch an airplane soar as high as it can—until it hits the roof, anyway. The largest indoor model airplane-flying event in the country lands in Columbus, Ohio, this month for the J.R. Indoor Electric Festival at the Four Seasons Golf Dome. The expansive 270-by-300-foot space gives visitors the chance to fly radio-controlled aircraft rain or shine. Show up for the demonstration at noon, when manufacturers display their latest model plane designs. Stay for the full-contact Demolition Derby, where those models go into full-blown attack mode. Watch your hairdo, though, if you’re sporting a beehive: More than 400 miniature electric model aircraft, including jets, sea planes, and helicopters, will be zooming through the air.

8 Washington, D.C.
Green Festival
The White House might as well be called the Green House this month during the annual Green Festival in Washington, D.C. The largest green-living event in the nation, it will attract some 31,000 people to the city’s convention center Nov. 8 and 9 to learn about the latest developments in renewable energy, green building, clean technology, eco-fashion, and more. Visitors will get to sample organic cuisine, enjoy live musical performances, and visit 350 eco-friendly businesses and exhibits. Listen as eco-oriented speakers give presentations about their experiences; past guests included Jim Hightower, Greg Palast, and Julia Butterfly Hill. Can’t make it to the capital? Don’t worry. Green Festivals take place across the United States in various cities throughout the year. And it turns out going green will save you green: Attendees who ride their bikes to the event earn $5 off their admission price.

15 Santa Monica, California
Los Angeles Asian and Tribal Art Show
Jet lag’s no issue: Asia comes to California this month for the Los Angeles Asian and Tribal Art Show. The two-day event in Santa Monica—about 15 miles west of Los Angeles—brings together more than 60 international art dealers and galleries. Held at the city’s Civic Auditorium, you’ll get a chance to admire such unique pieces as tribal carpets, silk textiles, Chinese snuff bottles, and ornate Mughal art, all of it available for purchase. Imagine that: Bringing an artistic taste of Asia back home without the hassle of customs.

DECEMBER

4 Portland, Oregon
Holiday Ale Festival
Warning: Portland’s annual holiday festival is held outdoors in December. But the city makes up for it by providing an ample supply of a classic cold-weather cure: beer. Bundled-up attendees can slurp a variety of popular brews, from Belgians and Barley Wines to Scotch Ales and Stouts. Expect to warm up early, since the four-day event starts at 11 a.m. every day. When you feel brave enough to wander away from the tasting tent, check out the complimentary root-beer garden (for designated drivers), browse the assorted beer merchandise, and enjoy plenty of food and music. Best of all, the featured brews will have a holiday theme. Sample drinks include St. Nick’s Sock Knocker, Brewdolph, and Wreck the Halls—three ways to guarantee a jolly holiday season.

17 Newport Beach, California
The Christmas Boat Parade
Trade snow for sand this December in Newport Beach, California. Located between Los Angeles and San Diego in Orange County, the city celebrates a monumental anniversary with its 100 Years of Cheer, commemorating the first annual Christmas Boat Parade in 1908. The oldest parade of its kind in the United States, the five-day event draws more than 1 million people every year. Festivities kick off each evening at 6:30 p.m., when nearly 100 decorated yachts cruise their way around a 14-mile path in Newport Harbor. People can gather in restaurants, beaches, private homes, and yacht clubs around the harbor to catch a glimpse of the floating vessels. Later, holiday revelers can stop by and check out what locals say is the tallest Christmas tree display in the country. A 115-foot-tall white fir stands in Bloomingdale’s Courtyard at Fashion Island, decorated with 17,000 white lights, bows, and ornaments. It’s safe to say you can’t miss it.