Peak Fall in Chicago: Open House Weekend, Film Fest, and Caskets on Cass

Mid-October is the sweet spot around here. The leaves are at peak color, the air finally feels like fall, and for about ten days the Chicago area stacks more good stuff into the calendar than any other stretch of the season. If you only pick one weekend to get out and enjoy where you live, this is the one. Here is what's on, from the city out to the western suburbs.

Open House Chicago, October 17 and 18

This is my favorite weekend of the year, and yes, I know how that sounds coming from a guy who tours houses for a living. The Chicago Architecture Center throws open more than 200 buildings and sites across the city and suburbs, most of them places you normally can't walk into, and it's all free and self-guided. Bank vaults, private clubs, historic theaters, working factories, skyline views from floors that are usually badge-only.

Even if you have zero interest in architecture, it's the best free entertainment in Chicago. Pick one neighborhood, download the site list, and wander. You'll learn more about this city in one afternoon than in a year of driving past it. It runs Saturday and Sunday only, so don't put it off until next weekend.

62nd Chicago International Film Festival, through October 25

The film festival is running now through next Sunday, with screenings all over downtown. General tickets run about $26, and the lineup mixes big premieres with smaller films you'll never see anywhere else. Pick one movie you've never heard of and take a chance on it. That's the whole point of a festival. Weeknight screenings make an easy date night, and you're right in the middle of the city when it lets out.

Wicked West Fest and Caskets on Cass, Westmont, October 17

Now for my favorite event title of the season. Downtown Westmont throws its Wicked West Fest today, and the headline act is Caskets on Cass, a casket race down Cass Avenue at 12:30 p.m. Teams build and decorate their own racing caskets and push them down the street in full costume. It is exactly as ridiculous as it sounds, and the crowd loves it.

The rest of the day is built for families. The Trick or Treat Trail runs 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., there's a Pumpkin Smash at 11, and the Haunted Forest Walk runs 3 to 9:30 p.m. for $9 if you want the scary version after dark. Westmont is a Metra stop away, and downtown does this one right.

Zoo Season: Spooky Zoo and Boo! at the Zoo

Two zoos, two different Halloween takes. Spooky Zoo at Lincoln Park Zoo is today and it's free, which makes it an easy yes for families with little kids who want costumes and candy without the haunted-house intensity. Brookfield Zoo runs Boo! at the Zoo through October 25, with more of a full-park festival feel on the west side. Pick based on your kids' ages and how much walking you want to do.

Peak Color: Morton Arboretum and Night of 1,000 Jack-o'-Lanterns

If you do nothing else on this list, see the trees this week. The Morton Arboretum's Fall Color Festival runs through October 31 out in Lisle, and this is the window when the maples earn their reputation. Go on a weekday morning if you can swing it. Weekend parking fills up fast when the color peaks.

At night, the Chicago Botanic Garden's Night of 1,000 Jack-o'-Lanterns runs through October 25, with a trail lit by a thousand hand-carved pumpkins. It's ticketed and it sells out on peak nights, so grab tickets before you drive up there.

How I'd Play It

Don't try to do all of it. That's how a fun week turns into a traffic report. My plan would be Open House Chicago on Sunday, one film festival screening on a weeknight, and the Arboretum on a weekday morning while the color holds. Westmont folks, you've got the casket race in your backyard today, so no excuses.

This is the part of fall that reminds people why they live here. If a weekend like this has you thinking about a move across town or out to the suburbs, you know where to find me. Enjoy the color while it lasts.