Things to Do in Northbrook

The minds behind Chicago Sailboat Charters share their passion for the sailing experience by making waterborne adventuring accessible to the general public with group sailing charters. Fostering the atmosphere of a private charter, the captains ferry passengers out onto Lake Michigan, sometimes right along the shoreline, for stunning views of Chicago's skyline. Depending on the weather, the wave tamer may also cruise straight out onto the lake at varying speeds, letting Mother Nature's temperament dictate routes for a safe and relaxing outing. The crew encourages its guests to make the most of the trip by bringing snacks, drinks, and an inflatable blanket for a picnic out on the lake, and every sailboat comes equipped with a bathroom.

Popular globetrotting pop collective Architecture in Helsinki transforms Metro into a throbbing, futuristic discotheque as its latest tour storms American shores. Formed in Melbourne, the ambidextrous dance band stirs fans with a tornado of flamboyant sounds, infectious anthems, and commitment-free instrument swapping. With hits such as “Do the Whirlwind” and latest single “W.O.W”, lead crooner Cameron Bird and his cakewalking team of tunesmiths tickle ear bones and rehabilitate ankles in support of their latest album, Moment Bends. During the kaleidoscopic performance, the band seduces dance floors with 10-foot hooks and sounds culled from hypnotic synths, romantic glockenspiels, and strummed chest hairs.

Nestled in a historic riding hall more than a century old, Noble Horse Theatre presents engrossing equestrian art starring a stable of equine luminaries and their globetrotting cadre of rein masters. Performed entirely on horseback, Noble Horse’s The Nutcracker populates the beloved holiday tale with dashing stunt riders, an elegant quadrille of white stallions, and a Trojan candy cane filled with miniature ponies. As the traditional Tchaikovsky score plays, a narrator leads audiences through the famous battle against the Mouse King to a dreamscape in which the Nutcracker transforms into a prince. Classical riding styles and daring stunts pair with impressive sound and lighting design to unspool the fantastical holiday tale of Clara, her eccentric Uncle Drosselmeyer, and a treasure chest of enchanted toys. Show-goers perch on unobstructed chairs arranged in stadium fashion in a candlelit venue and may tote along their own snacks and spirits, which can be consumed atop castle-like antique tables or the backs of bumbling understudies.

A salty, malty lineup of local and imported refreshments graces plates and pint glasses in Paddy Long's classic Irish pub. Expert bacon mavens lead tasters through five succulent flavors, which vary by season and could feature imports such as Danish bacon and Italian pancetta alongside domestically cured delights seasoned with cracked pepper, brown sugar, or even more bacon. A pairing of five 6-ounce portions of domestic and far-off craft beers are chosen from the pub's extensive beer menu, which includes 18 drafts such as Delirium Tremens and Three Floyds Arctic Panzer Wolf, leaving palates balanced like a sugar packet skillfully placed beneath a suspension bridge.

The fourth annual Chicago Bluegrass & Blues Festival revels in the Second City’s love of first-class roots music in a daylong showcase of popular acts sprawled across three stages inside the hulking Congress Theater. After attendees catch a peek of dueling banjos and conciliating mandolins, the 15-band buffet features a main-entree performance by southern-fried Georgia sextet Drive-By Truckers. On the heels of their new album Go-Go Boots, the Truckers stir soul and blues into their signature skid-marking sound, which tears through the air like a Trans Am shot out of a cannon that’s been flung from a catapult. Mellifluous outfit Dawes drops in with sweet Americana sounds that make Midwesterners crave a trip to L.A., and winsome indie-folker Joe Pug impresses with weathered lyrics and a dusty voice that can hit notes only heard by hearing-aid wearers who stand too close to a microwave.

At Joe's on Weed St., sports games and pennants fill the front space, and a stage in the rear hosts a bevy of live musical acts. Conveniently located near the North and Clybourn Red Line station, the acoustical walls of the full bar have vibrated with the sounds of such artists as O.A.R., Keith Urban, Run-DMC, and Rick Springfield.