In The Hubs

Fine Arts, Fun Sports

Starry Night might be Vincent van Gogh’s best-known painting, but it’s just one of several works demonstrating the great painter’s fascination with life after dark. What captivated him about the nocturnal landscape, and how did he translate nighttime lights to canvas? A new exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art, Van Gogh and the Colors of the Night, attempts to answer these questions. More than two dozen of the troubled genius’ works exploring the theme (including Lane of Poplars at Sunset, above) are on display through January 5. moma.org

As industrialization encroached further and further on Europe and the United States in the 19th century, impressionist painters clung fiercely to their visions of nature and the environment. Paths to Impressionism: French and American Landscape Paintings from the Worcester Art Museum, an exhibit at the Newark Museum, displays 42 works, including efforts by the French master Claude Monet and the leading American impressionist, Childe Hassam. Through January 4, 2009. newarkmuseum.org

If you’ve been dying to see the flag that Jim Craig wore after the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team’s Miracle on Ice, or even Nancy Lopez’s Barbie doll, you’re in luck. The Sports Museum of America — an interactive, multimedia facility that opened in Manhattan in May — celebrates the best in almost every sport. Visitors can experience what a goalie sees as the puck hurtles toward him, and test their play-by-play skills in the simulated announcer’s booth. sportsmuseum.com — David McDonough

Pretty Things

In 1900, three renowned designers who created some of the defining status symbols of the Gilded Age displayed their work at the Paris World’s Fair. Now, a new exhibit at the Cleveland Museum of Art, Artistic Luxury: Fabergé, Lalique, and Tiffany, brings their beautiful works together again. Jewelry, vases, stained glass windows, lamps, and the famed Fabergé eggs made for the Russian royal family are all part of the debut exhibit in the museum’s new East Wing, which opens October 19. More than 300 pieces, many from private collections, are on display. clevelandart.org

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is in its glory this month with three major events. From October 10 through January 4, check out Cleveland Rocks, a collection of black-and-white concert photos from local freelance photographer George Shuba, who captured images of groups like the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and the Doors when they rolled through town in the 1960s. On October 8 and 22, two free concerts, part of the Cleveland Sessions series, spotlight local talent. And World Festival Day, October 12, is a musical celebration of ethnic diversity. rockhall.com

Head out to Red Wagon Farm in Columbia Station for some fall fun. Choose your jack-o’-lantern-to-be and buy freshly picked apples at the annual Pumpkin Festival, held every Saturday and Sunday in October. Stick around to explore the five-acre corn maze, sip hot cider, and enjoy a hayride. Kids can tackle Straw Mountain and meet some talkative scarecrows. redwagonfarm.com

Continental is an official sponsor of the Cleveland Museum of Art and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. — Laura Taxel

From TV to the Stage

A few years after Richard Nixon resigned the presidency, he faced off with British TV host David Frost for a memorable series of interviews. Just in time for this year’s elections, Broadway Across America presents Peter Morgan’s acclaimed play Frost/Nixon. See it on stage before the motion picture adaptation comes out in December. broadwayacrossamerica.com — Michele Meyer

Getting There: All the destinations covered in “Go Explore” can be reached by flying Continental Airlines. To book your vacation, contact Continental Airlines Vacations at covacations.com.