Beautiful, sublime summer is almost here. But it can go by in the blink of an eye, and that means you should never spend a weekend at home just because you didn't know what plans to make.听To make the most of your carefree days, we rounded up the most unique outdoor experiences in North America. There's an event or race for every weekend, so keep this calendar handy at all times.
May 29: MB Bike the Drive
Where: Chicago, Illinois
鈥婥辞蝉迟: From $59
It鈥檚 worth the 5:30 a.m. start for to cycle a car-free, 30-mile loop on Lakeshore Drive. Start in the historic Bryn Mawr neighborhood and ride south to the half-way-point听rest stop on the lawn of the Museum of Science and Industry in the heart of the city. This isn鈥檛 a race, but cars are allowed back on the route at 11 a.m. If that鈥檚 not reason enough to ride fast, the post-ride pancake feast at Butler Field is.
June 4-5: TX German Bier and K盲se Festival
Where: Austin, Texas
Cost: $45
Belly up to Austin鈥檚 oldest beer garden, the , founded in 1867 by German immigrant August Scholz, for this . Taste German-style beer from 16 breweries and sample mouthwatering K盲se,听grilled cheese prepared by the best chefs in Austin. Dance it all off to Brave Combo, a homegrown Texas band that plays world beat music. Party and bowl at the听Saengerrunde听until 10:30 p.m.鈥攐r until the food runs out.
June 9-12: Southern Grown Festival
Where:听Sea Island, Georgia
Cost: From $950
This celebrates southern cooking, music with soul, and stiff bourbon cocktails. Start off with a genteel meat-and-three picnic while playing lawn games along the Black Banks River and listening to Tennessee-based The Black Cadillacs. Get wild on Saturday night with performances by Dumpstaphunk and the Tedeschi Trucks band, followed by the Late-Night Throwdown, a battle into the wee hours to determine which chef-bartender team makes the best crowd-pleasing comfort food and cocktails.
June 17: Spartan Agoge
Where:听Pittsfield, Vermont
Cost: $450
In Ancient Greek, the word 鈥淎goge鈥 means 鈥渞earing.鈥 That鈥檚 gentle terminology for the physical, mental, and emotional extremes this will extract from participants. Since Spartan activities are secretive, we can鈥檛 give you insider tips other than to aim for the ultimate goal, which is to embrace the unknown and become the 鈥渕aster of yourself.鈥 And make it out of Vermont alive. Packing tip: bring 10,000 calories of MREs (that's Meals-Ready-to-Eat).
June 23: Race to Alaska
Where:听Port Townsend, Washington, to听Ketchikan, Alaska
Cost: $650 to race, plus $75 per each additional听crew member
In the true spirit of Alaskan self-reliance, has two basic rules: no support and no motors are allowed. For a sense of just how difficult the route听through the Inside Passage is, last year 35 teams of sailors, rowers, and paddlers started, and only 15 made it across the finish line. As event organizers like to say, it鈥檚 the 鈥淚datarod on water鈥濃攎inus the dogs, plus the risk of drowning. Be sure to win: The first place prize is $10,000. Second place is a set of steak knives.听And even if you're not competing, this one is a blast to watch.
June 26-28: Abalone Camp
Where:听Little River, California
Cost: $618, includes gear, two nights lodging, and some meals
Learn how to harvest bivalves from the best freedivers in California at at the peak of the abalone season. Whether a rank beginner or experienced freediver, guests learn how to collect, then clean, cut, and pound the abalone they caught. Camp culminates in a cooking demonstration and, of course, a communal feast on the lawn at the .
July 3: Bluegrass Sundays
Where:听Aspen, Colorado
Cost: Free
What says summer more than a high-alpine hike through wildflowers of the Colorado Rockies? One that ends at the top of Aspen鈥檚 11,212-foot-tall Ajax peak with . On this particular Independence day weekend, the picking is provided by Running Out of Road,听a five-piece band from Durango. If you鈥檝e had a few too many for the hike down, there鈥檚 always the option to ride the gondola.
July 4: Independence Day Celebration
Where:听Jackson, Wyoming
Cost: Pancake Breakfast, $10 adults, $5 kids
Celebrate our nation鈥檚 independence where the deer and the antelope occasionally roam in downtown Jackson, Wyoming. The party starts with a pancake breakfast on the square and a that includes clowns and classic cars. Take the rest of the day to climb a Teton, but be back by 6 p.m. sharp for the Town Square Shootout, rodeo, and fireworks exploding over Snow King Mountain.
July 9-13: Artist Camp
Where:听Labrador, Newfoundland
Cost: $760
This offers guests the chance to craft silver jewelry en plein air听while camping on Prisoners Island off the coast of Labrador. The island鈥檚 name may sound foreboding, but its misty Atlantic coastline and berry-covered hills provide inspiration. Local artist and kayak guide Pete Barrett provides the instruction. Bonus: There鈥檚 also time to hike the mainland鈥檚 4,131-square-mile , Canada鈥檚 largest and newest swath of protected beauty.
July 14-17: Northwest String Summit
Where:听North Plains, Oregon
Cost: From $225
You may be getting too responsible to spend a summer chasing Railroad Earth in your beater Vanagon, but this event, with its glittery homemade hula hoops, will . The 15th anniversary concert, at a beautiful venue 20 miles northwest of Portland, is the apex of summer bluegrass festivals with a star-studded lineup including Yonder Mountain String Band, Leftover Salmon, the Infamous Stringdusters, Railroad Earth, and many more. There鈥檚 even a Kids鈥 Area for costume-making, board games, and passing down the art of hula-hooping.
July 23-28: Singletrack 6
Where:听Kootenay听Mountains, British听Columbia
Cost: $581
The best of all worlds: An that climbs roughly 10,400 feet听and traverses 160 miles of sometimes rocky, sometimes flowy听singletrack. It also passes through funky small towns like Fernie, Cranbrook, and Golden, which ensures that after three to five hours of riding per day, there will be a delicious hot meal and a comfortable bed in a luxurious inn. End-of-ride brews and music are guaranteed, although the music lineup is still TBD.
July 29-31: Pikes Peak Ultra
Where:听Pikes Peak National Forest, Colorado听
Cost: $145
Fun is a relative term, but for some particularly masochistic runner types, this tough , which has a total elevation gain of 11,000 feet (and loss of 11,000 feet), might be the best weekend of the summer. There鈥檚 no doubt the course, which culminates at the summit of 11,499-foot Mount Rosa, is brutal. But it brings new meaning to the term 鈥渞unner鈥檚 high.鈥
August 6: Farm to Fork Fondo
Where:听Lancaster, Pennsylvania听
Cost: From $125
In the best Italian tradition, this fully supported, brings together the finest things in life: food and bikes. Join 500 cyclists, including听pros from the Colavita-Bianchi women鈥檚 cycling team, as they climb and descend almost 7,000 feet into the rolling, verdant Pennsylvania Dutch countryside through Amish and Mennonite farming communities. This isn鈥檛 a race, but there are timed GPS segments along the route.听The faster you go, the more time you have to eat at the post-ride barbecue at the , owned by 鈥淔armer Jim,鈥 whose family has been working the soil here for three generations.
August 10-14: Kids 国产吃瓜黑料 Games
Where:听Vail, Colorado
Cost:听国产吃瓜黑料 race, $180 per team; Mud run, adult $20, kids $10
It鈥檚 never too early to get your kids addicted to adventure racing. This 听is a non-intimidating, two-kid-per team,听2.5-to-3.5-mile听epic that starts with a ride up the Lionshead gondola (different age groups听participate听on different days). Kid teams (no parent-assistance allowed) then follow a mapped route down the mountain that includes a low-ropes course, climbing, a zip-line, and a Tarzan swing. It all culminates in a giant slip-n-slide on steep Pepe鈥檚 Face to the finish line. The course sounds like so much fun that we鈥檙e lobbying event organizers to create a similar one for adults. For more singularly focused kids, who want mom and dad to join in the fun, the entire family can participate in the 听on Saturday.
August 20-21: Folks Festival
Where:听Lyons, Colorado
Cost: Three-day festival pass, $150; with on-site camping, $220
This is the mellow elder statesman of its jamming siblings, like Rocky Grass, which takes place here earlier in the summer. This event is so mellow, in fact, that concert goers can tube the St. Vrain River while listening to Lucinda Williams, The Decemberists, Dougi Mclean, Kathie Mattea, and more from mid-morning to 10 p.m. every night. To move your body beyond opening a beer, Rocky Mountain National Park is a 40-minute drive away, and the 3,000 acres of open space and singletrack trails at Hall Ranch are just a short ride away.
August 27: Peaks and Paws
Where:听Village at Squaw Valley, California
Cost: $5
Man鈥檚 best friend is the star at this all-day fest that , with events like the K9 Kings Ultimate Flying Dog Show,听an entertaining display of doggie athleticism. Humans participate, too: join a guided hike up a peak, listen to bluegrass bands like The Cherry Pickers听and Dusty Green Bones听on the big stage, or walk away with a new four-legged friend. And, yes, there鈥檚 even a 鈥淵appy Hour鈥 where you can save $1 on drinks and your pooch can munch on听complimentary dog treats.
September 5, Labor Day: Chill Out
Where:听Anywhere, USA
For one last blast of summer, one could partake in the , a rigorous 1.1-mile crossing of the Columbia River that starts with a paddleboat ride, ends in Hood River, and dates back to 1942. But this is Labor Day. Take advantage and get lazy. We suggest reading a few of the 25 essential books for the well read听explorer,听产补办颈苍驳 bitter chocolate and听sea salt听sticky听bites听(they're听healthy enough to take on a run!),听then couching it to watch the 10 most underrated adventure movies on Netflix听(in our opinion).听To avoid going batty by the end of the weekend, school yourself on three simple strength听moves that will have you rearing to go for fall races.