Hit the road

The road trip is the ultimate college experience -- and the summer's the best time to do it. Pack a car, pack a cooler and pack a few friends, and roll with the IDS Weekend's guide to three fun destinations -- all within a day's drive. Can't take off this weekend? Check out the movies in the pullout to live vicariously through film until you have the time for the real thing.\nCHICAGO\nThe Windy City is only a little more than four hours away by car. From Bloomington, head to Indianapolis on SR 37, jump on I-465, and from there, it's a straight shot up U.S. 65 to Toll Road 90 and then into Chicago. \nWhat to do:\nAn exhibit at the Field Museum of Natural History will detail Jacqueline Kennedy's year in the White House with more than 80 of her outfits and 200 documents, photos and videos. The exhibit explores how Jackie "used the power of clothing to build international goodwill as the First Lady's style extended beyond her wardrobe as she used her passion for the arts and history to heighten American culture," according to the museum's Web site. Check out www.fieldmuseum.org for more information.\nCheck out the hot Broadway musical "Wicked." The show tells the tale of Oz long before Dorothy shows up. Directed by Tony Award winner Joe Mantello and featuring music by Stephen Schwartz, tickets can be purchased on the day of the performance for as little as $25. Check out site. Check out www.broadwayinchicago.com for more information.\nWhere to play:\nSound-bar is a 20,000-square-foot club with a hefty list of in-house DJs and guest artists. It's located at 226 W. Ontario St. and opens up at 9 p.m. Thursday through Saturday.\nCheck out www.sound-bar.com for pictures and upcoming events. \nLocated at 3730 N. Clark St., Smartbar is often a test spot for industrial artists such as Ministry and Trent Reznor. The bars in the Wrigleyville area are known for being sports-heavy, but Smartbar breaks the mold. \nUpcoming events:\nThe Chicago Blues Festival, which runs June 9-12, is the largest free-admission blues festival in the world. This year's lineup features more than 70 performers.\nThe Taste of Chicago Festival, which runs June 24 to July 4, is an annual ten-day food-and-music party. The shindig features musical performances and food from Chicago-area restaurants. Admission is free. \nCINCINNATI\nCincinnati, the city on the river, is just under three hours away. Take S.R. 46 over to U.S. 74 , and from there it's just a hop, skip and a jump. Check out www.mapquest.com for more precise directions. \nWhat to do:\nCincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden is the second-oldest zoo in the country. The 75-acre zoo houses 510 animal species and 3,000 plant varieties. This summer, the zoo will feature the Zoo Babies series of events. For more information, check out www.cincyzoo.org.\nThe Cincinnati Art Museum has a great summer series planned, including "Crowns: Portraits of Black Women in Church Hats," which runs until June 12, and "Strokes of Genius: Masterworks from the New Britain Museum of American Art," which runs until June 19. The museum is open from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. daily, closed Monday. For more information, check out www.cincinnatiartmuseum.com.\nWhere to play:\nKings Island, the sprawling amusement park just outside Cincinnati, recently opened a new attraction called "The Italian Job: Stunt Track!" Summer is prime season for amusement parks, but the park's Web site suggests visiting "weekdays during the summer and any day during the months of April, May and October" when attendance is the lightest. Tickets are $44.99 for adults. For more information, check out www.pki.com.\nJapp's Cigar and Martini Bar, located at 1134 Main St., is in the hear of Cincinnati. The location started as a wig shop in the 1880's, but has since morphed into its current incarnation: a standing room-only martini joint. Call (513) 684-0007 for more information.\nUpcoming events:\nThe Cincinnati Fringe Festival provides venues for those theater artists who often don't have or aren't invited to participate in traditional summer theater festivals. This year's lineup includes award-winning writers from Cincinnati and other parts of Ohio. The festival runs from June 1 to 12. For more information, check out www.cincyfringe.com. \nThe Cincinnati Opera will present the classic opera "La Bohème," which recently re-entered pop culture as the inspiration for the Tony-award-winning Broadway Musical "Rent." The Opera's Web site describes the show's first scene as "He's a young, starry-eyed poet, and she's his quiet new neighbor. Alone together for the first time, the two begin to talk -- a conversation in the dark as they wait for the moon to rise above the snow-covered rooftops. He touches her hand, and sparks fly." The opera also suggests that viewers "come with someone you love." The opera runs June 16, 18 and 24. Check out www.cincinnatiopera.com for more information. \nLOUISVILLE\nOnce you take SR 46 over to US 65, it's a straight shot south to the quirky delights of Louisville. \nWhat to do:\nThe Kentucky Derby Museum tells the story of the history of the legendary Kentucky Derby -- and there's much, much more to the race than just fast horses. Find out the inside story on what it takes to be a jockey, and see if you would make the cut. Admission is $9 for adults, and check out www.derbymuseum.org for more information.\nHit a punk show while you're in Louisville -- the scene is renowned. Check out www.louisvillehardcore.com for show information. Before the show, hit the Louisville Extreme Park on the waterfront, which features 40,000 square feet of outdoor concrete skating surface, a 24-foot full pipe and a wood vert ramp.\nWhere to play:\nThe action is at Fourth Street Live! in Louisville. The entertainment area is packed with restaurants, bars, shops and clubs. Check out Red Cheetah, a dance club that "caters to the true V.I.P. demographic." Felt, a high-end billiards club, features a 1,000-gallon jellyfish aquarium. Check out www.4thstlive.com for more info.\nTake a drive along Bardstown Road and check out the Irish pub scene. The big three are Molly Malone's, O'Shea's Irish Pub and Flannigan's Ale House. Have a Guinness and a nice evening of Irish fun.\nUpcoming events\n"Barbies & Baseball: Photography by David Levinthal" will be running at the Louisville Slugger Museum through September 5. Levinthal uses two great American icons -- Barbie dolls and baseball player figurines -- to tackle what baseball means to the American audience. While you're there, check out the history and making of the legendary Louisville Slugger baseball bat. For more information, call (502) 588-7228. \nThe Kentucky Shakespeare Festival runs the entire month of June. It's the nation's oldest free independently operating Shakespeare festival in the nation. According to the festival's Web site, "by presenting our productions free of charge, we stand by our firm belief that art is for everyone -- rich, poor, educated, illiterate, healthy or disabled." This summer features "Macbeth" and "A Comedy of Errors." Check out www.kyshakes.org for more information.