Things to Do in Palatine

Hedgehog Hannah travels to birthday parties, scouting events, and family gatherings to regale audiences with her collection of animals, providing an experience that is equal parts exciting and edifying. The assortment comprises critters from all over the world, including an alligator, a snake, and sugar glider. Humans have the chance to pet and play with the animals and play trivia games for which they may win prizes. Party packages are also available, and they may include a personally wrapped birthday gift, cake and pizza, or the chance to dress Hedgehog Hannah's chihuahua, Pablo, in costumes and accessories. Concerned parents need not fret, as each animal is trained to stay as calm and well-behaved as a Pilgrim practicing yoga.

A buzzing crowd gathers around the entrance of the Zoppé Family Circus tent before each performance, straining to glimpse the wooden hands of a large clock that displays the next showtime. When the moment is nearly at hand, members of the family emerge from the cavernous tent to greet their guests. As they introduce their siblings, spouses, and children, an accordion exhales melodies first heard in 1842, when Napoline and Ermenegilda Zoppé traveled from Budapest to Venice for their first show.

Inside the tent, Napoline and Ermenegilda’s descendants effortlessly balance on wires and swing from trapezes. Just below their aerial stage, horses trot around a sawdust ring as equestrian ballerinas display a brand of showmanship worthy of comparison to John Wayne's performance in The Lone Leotard. Between acts, Giovanni Zoppé takes on the persona of Nino the clown—a lovable character whose earnest efforts to steal the show are thwarted by his own buffoonery.

Lake Arlington's surface ripples in the breeze as shouts, cheers, and drumbeats echo across its shores. Ornately painted boats, carved into the likeness of Chinese dragons, glide across the water to the rhythm of 40 paddles turning in unison. The male and female boaters at Chicago International Dragon Boat Festival split into four racing divisions and follow the roots of a traditional eastern sport as they paddle, drum, and steer in coordination with their teammates. Spectators view the proceedings from tiered grandstands, which enable them to see the full scope of the race without having to rent a jetpack. They can also revel at an outdoor beer garden, listen to live entertainment, and usher their kids to participate in interactive activities in the Dragon's Nest. Competitors plunge into challenge races to benefit causes such as public services and breast-cancer research and rush to complete the most pushups after the race during the Workout of the Dragons.

This year's event benefits the nonprofit organization Salute, Inc., whose staffers work to support soldiers and veterans through fundraisers. Great White North assembles the event in partnership with local Windy City Dragons, in an effort to pay it forward to local charities while spreading enthusiasm for the sport. Their staffers also design each boat, specializing in the crafting of ornate vessels bearing the likenesses of colorful Chinese dragons and glorious Burt Reynoldses.

Terra Sounds doesn’t just look for book smarts when procuring its staff of expert instructors. The school of art and music places equal importance on backgrounds in stage performance, organizing art shows, and studying a foreign language. Here, instructors with a well-rounded approach to their subjects connect more easily with their students, introducing them to the Italian alphabet in a language class, helping them learn guitar chords during a music class, or instilling the proper way to make an origami swan out of a speeding ticket in an art class.

Near the runways of O'Hare Airport, O'Hare Paintball Park hosts competitors inside its 25,000-square-foot indoor arena. A quiet staging area away from the noise of roaring opponents lets combatants prepare for each skirmish before storming the field with paintball guns in speedball or scenario matches. Red and blue speedball-format obstacles lend cover during quick elimination games, and inflatable hummers, log cabins, and wooden boxes conceal warriors in themed games to give an authentic war-zone feel. Experienced staff members interact with players before and after matches by assisting younger competitors, offering strategies for overcoming difficult situations, and offering techniques for painting Monet's Water Lilies on opponents' bunker walls. O’Hare Paintball Park is open to the public Thursdays through Sundays.

The GolfBetter Studio tweaks clients' golf games using a holistic combination of instruction, fitness, and equipment to improve swings and skills. After a Power Golf Assessment, each participant enters a program in which each lesson focuses on developing changes in motor skills using the K-Vest. The studio's Titleist Performance Institute–certified instructors use every tool at their disposal to up their students' games, be it swing-analysis technology or making misbehaving golf clubs sit facing the corner for hours.