Featured image by geralt, via Creative Commons She's best known for A Raisin in the Sun, the first drama by an African-American woman to be produced on Broadway. She's the youngest person and first African-American to win the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best American Play. But Lorraine Hansberry was also an activist … Continue reading Free film screening about African American playwright Lorraine Hansberry at the Portland Art Museum January 15

Featured image from the 32nd Anniversary Tribute to the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. in Portland, Oregon (photo credit: World Arts Foundation) On Monday, January 15, the World Arts Foundation hosts its 33rd annual tribute to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. with local artists, musicians, speakers, and presentations of lifetime achievement awards 11 a.m.-6 … Continue reading Martin Luther King Jr. tribute in Portland features Claudette King, BB King’s daughter

Photos by Cheryl Landes Updated November 29, 2019 Santa is busy in Spanaway Park from Thanksgiving through New Year's Day. He flies a plane. He sails a tall ship with Rudolph, his lead reindeer. He shoots gifts from a cannon across the road into a giant bag. He has a great aim—every present lands in … Continue reading Fantasy Lights, the Northwest’s largest drive-through display, brightens the holiday season in Spanaway, WA

Featured image credit: Museum of Science+Industry, Chicago Robots are a growing part of our lives. They analyze and solve complex mathematical problems within seconds. They help us explore planets where we couldn't survive. They comfort patients in hospitals and residents of assisted living centers. They protect us by sweeping areas suspected of containing explosive devices, … Continue reading See the coolest collection of robots ever assembled at the Museum of Science+Industry in Chicago through February 4

Featured image by Museum of Illusions, Los Angeles Have you felt your eyes are playing tricks on you? You see something, but when you do a double-take, it isn't there. These experiences, usually caused by optical illusions, can be disorienting and nerve-wracking. But optical illusions can also be fun. They force your eyes and brain … Continue reading Perception or reality? You decide at the Museum of Illusions in Los Angeles

Featured image from the Museum of Failure Remember eating a burger for lunch smothered with Heinz Green Sauce ketchup with a side of Fat-Free Pringles? Maybe you washed that down with a Crystal Pepsi or a Coca-Cola Blak. Later, because you worked a long day and were too tired to cook dinner, you popped a … Continue reading It’s OK to fail at this museum

Featured image by Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI), Portland Harry Houdini probably is the most talented escape artist of all time. Born Ehrich Weisz in Budapest, he adopted his Houdini stage name in his teens and was perfecting his craft in the circus during his twenties. He became famous for escaping from handcuffs … Continue reading Explore Houdini’s mysterious world at the next OMSI After Dark, January 31 in Portland

Featured image: Reflections in a window at the Washington State History Museum in Tacoma (photo by Cheryl Landes) Celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday, January 15, with free admission to the Washington State History Museum in Tacoma. Explore the exhibits in the Great Hall, where you'll learn about the events, people, and geology … Continue reading Washington State History Museum in Tacoma celebrates Martin Luther King Jr. Day with free admission, performance

Featured image: The courtyard at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston (photo by MarkSk, Trip Advisor contributor) The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is my favorite art museum in Boston. It's like a four-story Italian palace that has been turned inside out. From a bird's-eye view, the museum resembles a framed rectangular courtyard filled with … Continue reading Free admission to Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston for Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, January 15

Featured image: Steam locomotive (photo by H.P. Gruesen, via Creative Commons) See model trains at different scales chug through miniature landscapes, talk to the creators, take a mini-train ride, and try your hand at vehicle building through interactive exhibits at the 44th Model Railroad Show, Saturday-Monday, January 13-15, at the Pacific Science Center, 200 Second … Continue reading 44th annual Model Railroad Show chugs into the Pacific Science Center in Seattle January 13-15