Renaissance Festival

EVENT / RENAISSANCE FESTIVAL

Aug. 22-Oct. 4: The annual Minnesota Renaissance Festival features entertainment, food and more than 200 crafters, including potters, jewelers and glass blowers. The opening weekend's theme is the Silk Road, which lets festival organizers stretch beyond 16th century England to bring in such acts as belly dancing, an Arabian horse show and hookah demonstrations. 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekends, plus Labor Day and Oct. 2; 12364 Chestnut Blvd., Shakopee; $10.95 to $19.95; 800-966-8215 or renaissancefest.com.

MUSIC / ZEITGEIST

Aug. 23: St. Paul new music ensemble Zeitgeist has been around for more than three decades pushing the envelope of classical music. Catch the veteran Twin Cities music musicians — piano, woodwinds and percussion — at an outdoor concert suitable for all ages. 6:30 p.m.; Caponi Art Park, 1210 Diffley Road, Eagan; $4 donation suggested; 651-454-9412 or caponiartpark.org.

THEATER / JUNGLE BOOK

Aug. 26-28: A dozen young actors from Bath, England, will perform their adaptation of Rudyard Kipling's 'Jungle Book' as part of an exchange between Stages Theatre Company in Hopkins and Theatre Royal Bath's Young People's Theatre. Known as 'the egg,' because of their egg-shaped auditorium, the Bath youth company

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is involved in most aspects of production, including writing and stage tech. 7 p.m. Aug. 26, 1 and 2 p.m. Aug. 27 and 7 p.m. Aug. 28; Stages Theatre, 1111 Mainstreet, Hopkins; $8; 952-979-1111 or stagestheatre.org.

COMO ZOO / BLOOMING BUTTERFLIES

Through Sept. 7: The butterfly exhibit is back at Como for a second summer. Hundreds of butterflies will flutter in an outdoor screened greenhouse, including a few Minnesota species and up to 100 exotic butterflies and moths from around the world. More than 6,000 chrysalides will be shipped to Como throughout the summer to emerge and flit around a garden showcasing flowering nectar plants. For $1, you can release your own butterfly into the tent. 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Como Zoo and Conservatory, 1225 Estabrook Drive, St. Paul; free; 651-487-8201 or comozooconservatory.org.

MINNESOTA ZOO / AFRICA!

Through Sept. 7: The Minnesota Zoo is letting African animals — zebras, gemsbok, ostriches, giraffes and wildebeest — loose on six acres along the Northern Trail this summer. 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Minnesota Zoo, 12000 Zoo Blvd., Apple Valley; $14 ages 13 and older, $8 children ages 3 to 12; parking $5; 952-431-9500 or mnzoo.com.

EXHIBIT / WOLVES AT THE BELL MUSEUM

Through Oct. 4: The fate of wolves, recently taken off the federal list of endangered species in Minnesota, is considered in the exhibit 'Wolves and Wild Lands in the 21st Century' at the University of Minnesota's Bell Museum of Natural History. The exhibit includes mounted animals, photographs and paintings from the museum collection. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays, noon to 5 p.m. Sundays; 10 Church Street S.E., Minneapolis; $5 adults, $3 students, children ages 3-16 and seniors, free for children younger than 3. 612-624-7083 or www.bellmuseum.org.

AMUSEMENT RIDES / COMO TOWN, CAFESJIAN'S CAROUSEL

Through October: Two attractions, Como Town and Cafesjian's Carousel, are open at Como Park, Midway Parkway and Kaufman Drive, St. Paul.

  • Como Town offers outdoor amusement rides, including the new Tornado! that sweeps riders off their feet and lets them control the spin. 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, open until 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; 75 cents per ticket (rides cost one to four tickets), unlimited ride wristband $16.95; 651-487-2121 or comotown.com.

    • If you favor a slower pace, mount one of the 68 horses on the antique Cafesjian's Carousel. 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, closed most Mondays; $1.50; ourfaircarousel.org..

    HISTORY EXHIBIT / MINNESOTA'S GREATEST GENERATION

    Ongoing: The latest exhibit at the Minnesota History Center, "Minnesota's Greatest Generation," uses recorded interviews, photographs, film footage and hundreds of artifacts to document the experiences of an entire generation, from childhood in the 1920s through World War II and into the present. 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday, noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday; Minnesota History Center, 345 W. Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul; $10 adults, $8 seniors and college students, $5 children ages 6-17, free for children age 5 and younger. 651-259-3000 or www.mnhs.org.

    FILM / FREE FAMILY FLICKS

    Ongoing: The Theatres at Mall of America shows free family flicks every Saturday at 10 a.m. Arrive early to get a seat. See theatresmoa.com. to find out what's showing.

    NATURE / BIRDING

    Ongoing: See songbirds up close and watch experts band birds as part of an ongoing effort to help scientists learn more about bird migrations and habits. All ages welcome. Carpenter Nature Center has been capturing, banding and releasing birds for 26 years. 9 a.m. to noon every fourth Friday of the month, Carpenter St. Croix Valley Nature Center, 12805 St. Croix Trail, Hastings; free; please call ahead to let them know you're coming; 651-437-4359 or CarpenterNatureCenter.org.