EAT YOUR HEART OUT, EURODISNEY. In the course of bankrupting Bavaria, Mad King Ludwig built three of the most fantastic castles this side of fairyland. His favorite, Linderhof, includes a subterranean grotto where he drifted in a swan-shaped boat, serenaded by live opera performances. Herrenchiemsee, modeled on Versailles, has a Hall of Mirrors where concerts are held every summer. Most unreal of all is the turreted Alpine aerie Neuschwanstein–open year-round, since Ludwig insisted on central heating. He was mad, not stupid.
PUPPETS AREN’T JUST KID STUFF. The stage version of “The Lion King” made that fact eye-poppingly clear. Now Julie Taymor, the designer-choreographer of Simba’s wild realm, is back with a new cast of fabulous beasts in “The King Stag” at London’s Barbican Centre, from Aug. 15 through Sept. 2. Written by Carlo Gozzi and directed by Andrei Serban, “Stag” conjures up the long-ago land of Serendippo, whose ruler has already rejected 748 prospective brides in his quest for a perfect wife. He’ll need powerful magic to succeed–and Taymor has it to spare.
THEY CAN’T SIT STILL? No problem. Take them to South Bank Centre’s summer dance workshop series in London. Terpsichoreans 6 to 16 and up can stretch their imaginations along with their muscles in “Triggered,” a “sound installation” in which jumps and gestures unleash all sorts of unearthly noises (July 23-Aug. 4). The older ones can also take beginners’ courses in ballroom dancing, polish their “martial-arts fusion” steps or even get coaching in stand-up comedy. And the price ought to make parents cut a rug: it’s all free.
THUMBS UP! Take your little Russell Crowe fans to see the original gladiators’ home stadium. From June 21 through the end of the year, the curators of Rome’s Colosseum are running a special exhibition titled the “Blood and Arena Show.” More than 150 ancient artifacts will be on display, including helmets, armor, swords and mosaics depicting the fighters in action. This section of the amphitheater has been closed for years, but it was worth the wait: the restorers exposed an ancient secret passage built by the Ridley Scott film’s real-life villain, Emperor Comodus.
BEACH-BLANKET BERLIN. The city’s lakes are unpublicized treasures. Cheap, handy and fun, they can be a godsend to children and adults in hot weather. The largest, Wannsee, is easily reachable by subway and offers all kinds of aquatic sports. Heavily forested Muggel Lake, across town, gives a fairly convincing illusion of bucolic tranquility, while little Plotzen Lake accommodates swimmers and sunbathers practically in the center of town. Parental advisory: take the kids elsewhere during the Love Parade (July 21), when the city fills up with ecstasy-popping ravers.
FORGET ‘PEARL HARBOR.’ No matter what Hollywood says this year, modern history didn’t begin and end in the Pacific. Young (and old) historians will learn a thing or two at one of Europe’s grandest military museums, the Musee de l’Armee in Paris. The exhibits may gloss over some of France’s worst moments from World War II, but the World War I material is fascinating–and you don’t see a lock of Napoleon’s hair every day, either. Two hours east of Paris is the Verdun battlefield, where some 550,000 French soldiers gave their lives in 1916. For extra interest, the Tour de France will pass through town July 11 and 12.
CHILL OUT. Truly intrepid kids–and their truly intrepid parents–might enjoy a swim above the Arctic Circle. The peace, the seclusion and the scenery of Norway’s Lofoten Islands are well worth the long journey (a 22-hour train trip from Oslo to Bodo, followed by a three-hour ferry ride) to the islands’ storybook seaside villages. The midnight sun shines from late May through mid-July, and if the air is surprisingly warm, the water is anything but. No matter. After you towel off and take a deep breath, you’ll be ready to whip your weight in Vikings–or haul the kids to one more arts festival.
