Here are four events to get under your belt this weekend before you gorge yourself on turkey.
by Kate Cassidy
Po’Boy Preservation Festival, November 23
New Orleans, Louisiana
To honor the city’s most famous sandwich, the finest makers of po’boys assemble in uptown New Orleans this weekend for the Po’Boy Preservation Festival. Here, you can take in live music and folk art from more than 60 of New Orleans’s most unique sculptors, painters, and glass blowers, and learn the history of the po’boy, which, says Brad Wilkins of the Oak Street Association, “is more than a sandwich; it’s our past.” The festival will also support the revitalization of the Oak Street corridor, a recently designated National Main Street, through a silent auction. But after the bidding’s done and your belly’s full up on shrimp, oyster, catfish, and soft-shell crabs, to name a few, explore the rest of downtown NOLA (free; poboyfest.com).
Accommodations and Travel: The fest is located within a five-block section of Oak Street between Carrollton Avenue and Leonidas Street, and the intersection is accessible by streetcar. South Carrollton Avenue is also easily accessible by Routes 10 and 90, and is approximately 10 blocks west from Tulane, Newcomb, and Loyola universities. For more detailed information, visit poboyfest.com/map+directions.
PV Bicycle Center Grand Opening Party, November 21-23
Palos Verdes, California
It’s a biker’s delight this weekend in Palos Verdes, where the PV Bike Center is celebrating its recent move to a bigger, better location just a half mile from its previous location. The center, which has a state-of-the-art bike fitting studio that uses high tech gadgetry — from digital body scanning to computer analysis that gauges pedaling power — will play host to racing champs from around the country and allow guests to test ride some of the latest bikes for 2009. The weekend kicks off with a mountain bike ride led by Hall of Fame cyclist Ned Overend and culminate with a tour of the Palos Verdes Peninsula, led by pro triathlon champ T J Tollakson and the Aaron’s Pro Team riders. In between the group rides and educational clinics, the event will also feature raffles and a giant rolling poker game where participants can win prizes like LA Laker tickets, Nintendo Wiis, tasty SoCal wines, and, of course, sick mountain bikes (free; pvbike.com). Happen to win a new ride or have pockets deep enough to snag one? Try testing it out on the bike trails at the nearby George F. Canyon Nature Center, where trails lead through a 36-acre canyon that showcases some of the jaw-dropping views of Palos Verdes (palosverdes.com/naturecenter/).
Accommodations and Travel: The PV Bike Center is located on the corner of Hawthorne and Silver Spur, among the Rolling Hills Estates on the Palos Verdes Peninsula in California. It is a short trip away from Torrance, Redondo Beach, San Pedro, and Lomita using Routes 1 (Pacific Coast Highway) and 107. Nearly all of the closest hotels are located in the neighboring city of Lomita, but for more information on lodging options available, visit the Palos Verdes Chamber of Commerce (palosverdeschamber.com).
Celebrity Wine and Food Expo, November 21-23
Des Moines, Iowa
This weekend Des Moines is spicing things up a bit with a Celebrity Food & Wine Expo. The event, to be held at the Iowa Events Center, will play host to more than 100 exhibitors and celeb chefs such as Curtis Stone (Take Home Chef, TLC), Guy Fieri (Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, Food Network), and Andrew Zimmerman (Bizarre Foods, Travel Channel) to name a few. There will also be a Gourmet Stage, where you and your fellow foodies can learn from local chefs who’ll share their mid-western culinary expertise. But no meal is complete without a good drink paired with it. So after you’ve learned the tricks of the trade, head to The Vineyard, where you can learn how to make your own wine and beer from the experts, or skip ahead to the best part: the free tastings ($25 in advance, $30 at the door; cfwexpo.com). Looking to really soak in all that the greater Des Moines area has to offer? Consider escaping to Big Creek State Park, a nearby rec area that is centered on an 866-acre lake and includes 26 miles of hiking trails along with a 160-mile bike loop (iowadnr.com).
Accommodations and Travel: The Iowa Event Center is located on Grand Ave in downtown Des Moines. It can be accessed from I-35 from the North and South, and I-80 from the East and West. From all interstates, the Third Street exit will lead to Grand Ave. Once there, parking for the center is $6 and is located north of Vets Auditorium with entrances off Third, Fifth, and Crocker Streets (iowaeventcenter.com) The Marriott Renaissance Savery Hotel is the closest available lodging, linked to the Events Center via a climate controlled skywalk (marriott.com).
Huntsville Adventure Race, November 22
Huntsville, Texas
Put your body and mind to the test at the Huntsville Adventure race, where your outdoor skills and adventurous spirit will basically be all you’re equipped with to get through the tough 20-mile course (you are allowed a map, but no compass, so start licking your finger now to gauge the wind). The circuit includes 10 miles of mountain biking, five miles of flat water paddling by canoe, and five miles of trekking and orienteering through multiple trails ($150 per team; solemracing.com). Looking to spend some extra time in the park after crossing the finish line? The more than 2,000-acre, heavily wooded rec area has guided horseback trail rides and surrounds a sizable lake that has excellent fishing and boating (tpwd.state.tx.us).
Accommodations and Travel: Huntsville State Park is located six miles southwest of Huntsville and approximately one hour north of Houston, directly off of I-45 from exit 109. It connects the Sam Houston National Forest and encloses the 210-acre Lake Raven. You can set up shop in one of the park campgrounds, but if you don’t feel like braving the weather you’ll have to venture into nearby Huntsville for lodging. There’s everything from resorts to dude ranches and B&Bs (huntsvilletexas.com)
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