Frigid temperatures might make it tempting to avoid going out as much as possible, but there’s plenty of fun to be had if you’re willing to brave the elements. Bundle up and head to local theaters, museums, restaurants and other spots offering enough winter fun to keep you busy until the thaw.
Hewn Bakery, 810 Dempster St., Evanston, runs an after hours event at 6 p.m. Jan. 11 where you can learn bread-making techniques from owner Ellen King and learn about the heritage wheat and growing practices at Hewn supplier Hazzard Free Farm. You’ll also share a light dinner including salads, cornbread, soup, local beverages and polenta pumpkin seed bread. Tickets are $75 at brownpapertickets.com.
Work on your healthy eating resolutions for 2017 at a workshop with certified health coaches Leah Bostrom of Chia Leah and Molly O’Neil of MPowering Health from 1-2:30 p.m. Jan. 12 at Elawa Farm, 1401 Middlefork Drive, Lake Forest. You’ll pick up practical tips for using pantry basics and kitchen staples with easy cooking techniques and recipes. Tickets are $60 at elawafarm.org.
The Pickwick Theatre Classic Film Series screens “Once Upon a Time in the West” at 2 and 7 p.m. Jan. 12 at the theatre, 5 S. Prospect Ave., Park Ridge. Tickets cost $10 at the door, $8 in advance, $6 for the matinee. Visit www.parkridgeclassicfilm.com.
Chicago Sinfonietta presents its annual tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at 8 p.m. Jan. 14 at North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie. The concert celebrates the optimism of youth by enlisting young musicians from throughout Chicago to perform alongside the orchestra. Tickets are $29-$58 or $10 for students and can be purchased at chicagosinfonietta.org or by calling 312-284-1554.
Found, 1631 Chicago Ave., Evanston hosts its quarterly burlesque review with performances by Lady Jack, Eva La Feva and Donna Touch at 8 p.m. Jan. 19. Cover is $20 and you can reserve a seat for the show along with a dinner reservation at foundkitchen.com or by calling 847-868-8945.
The Arc Theatre presents the classic play “Steel Magnolias,” which follows six women from different generations share laughter, love and loss at a Louisiana beauty salon. The show runs from Jan. 19 to Feb. 12 at Red Curtain Theater at the First Congregational Church House, 1417 Hinman Ave., Evanston. Tickets are $25 or $10 for previews and sold through arctheatrechicago.org.
The Glenview New Church School hosts a Winter Wonderland event for young children from 9:30-11:30 a.m. Jan. 21 featuring building blocks, sensory tables, a bouncy castle, car tracks and singing performances from two fairy tale princesses. Admission is free if you register in advance through eventbrite.com or $3 at the door.
Enjoy a winter walk with a naturalist from 5-6:30 p.m. Jan. 21 at Independence Grove, 16400 W. Buckley Road, Libertyville. Listen for and perhaps see active winter animals. Hear strategies on how animals and plants survive the cold season. The trail length is just over 1 mile. The walk is free. Meet outside the Visitors Center entrance. For more information, visit www.lcfpd.org/events.
See “Elemeno Pea,” Molly Smith Metzler’s comedy about the sibling rivalry between two sisters – one a social worker, the other the personal assistant for a billionaire trophy wife. The show runs Feb. 3 to March 5 at Citadel Theatre, 300 S. Waukegan Road, Lake Forest. Tickets are $35-$38 and can be purchased at citadeltheatre.org or by calling 847-735-8554.
Alex Maragos of NBC 5 News hosts Lake Forest Symphony’s annual Hot Jazz on a Cold Night gala from 6:30-11 p.m. Feb. 4 at the Onwentsia Club, 300 N. Green Bay Road, Lake Forest. The black tie optional event includes a performance by violinist Stefan Milanovich, cocktails, passed appetizers, dinner, dessert and dancing. Tickets are $250 and can be purchased at lakeforestsymphony.org or by calling 847-295-2135
Wonder Rooms and Cabinets of Curiosities served as precursors to modern museums and artists Karen Connell and Jeroen Nelemans explore the power of those collections to transform a space in their exhibit “Window Wonders,” which runs from Feb. 4 to March 19 at Platform, 904 Sherman Ave., Evanston. Pieces include light boxes where a viewer’s angle changes what they see and photographs of dioramas meant to evoke feelings of magic and nostalgia. The exhibit opens with a reception from 5-7:30 p.m. Feb. 4 and is open from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday. Admission is free.
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Embrace the weather at Winter Chilly Fest from 4-8 p.m. Feb. 11-12 and Emily Oaks Nature Center, 4650 Brummel St., Skokie. The bash features ice-skating on the frozen pond, snow and ice games, snowshoeing, hayrides through woodland and a campfire with hot chocolate and roasted marshmallow. Admission is $6 though you can also warm up with a chili dinner including vegetarian and turkey versions, toppings, cornbread, apple juice, coffee and dessert from $11-$13 and $8-$10 for kids. Call 847-674-1500 ext. 2500 to register.
The traveling exhibit “Changing Perspectives: The Landscapes of Harold Gregor” is on display through Feb. 17 at Oakton Community College’s Koehnline Museum of Art at 1600 E. Golf Road, Des Plaines. Works on display span more than 50 years of the former University of Illinois professor’s career an include oil and acrylic paintings, watercolors and prints and a mix of abstract pieces and pictures of the farmland surrounding Urbana-Champagne. The museum is open from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday.
Tour the Midwest Young Artists Conservatory’s rehearsal facility at 878 Lyster Road, Highwood at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 18 at Jazzed Up Dining & Classic Cocktails, a benefit hosted by Celebrate Highwood that includes performances by MYAC students, appetizers, dinner, dessert, drinks and a silent auction. Tickets are $75 and can be purchased at celebratehighwood.com or by calling 847-432-6000.
Thodos Dance Chicago’s “Timeless Motion” concert features the world premiere of founder Melissa Thodos’ new piece “Changing Strangers” plus “Acid Reign,” a piece by guest choreographer Brian Enos that imagines what a celebration on another planet or in the future might look like. See the performance at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 25 at North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie. Tickets are $25-$58 and sold through northshorecenter.org and by calling 847-673-6300.
“Frozemont” continues its run at MB Financial Park, 5501 Park Place, Rosemont, through Feb. 26 with outdoor ice skating, ice carving competitions and more. For more information, visit rosemont.com/mbfinancialpark/frozemont.