Arts and crafts, epic cycling adventures, and a phone grip with multiple uses

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Exhibit focuses on the homeless experience

See a new exhibit that portrays homeless people and their stories with dignity at the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center in Vermont, March 14-June 14. The exhibit, “Steven Kinder: 552,830,” includes larger-than-life portraits of homeless people in New York City. Also see the artist’s sketchbooks and working photographs, and items given to Kinder by some of the people featured in the works, including cardboard signs and collection cups. The number in the show’s title — 552,830 — refers to the number of people who experienced homelessness in the United States in 2018. Another BMAC gallery contains photographs, videos, and written narratives called “Coffee & Conversation: Stories of Homelessness,” an updated version of a 2015 project that brought together Brattleboro residents experiencing homelessness with those who have stable housing. Admission: $8, age 19 and older; $6, age 65 and older; $4, students; free, age 18 and under. 802-257-0124, www.brattleboromuseum.org.

A new exhibit at the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center in Vermont portrays homeless people and their stories with dignity.

A Nordic ski-and-stay package

Throw on your winter clothes and head to Hotel Vermont in Burlington for a weekend of cross-country skiing. The hotel has partnered with Fischer Sports to offer the Ultimate Cross-Country Skiing Package, which gives two people Fischer ski rentals, a ski pass to Sleepy Hollow, Trapp Family Lodge, or Catamount Outdoor Family Center (your choice), a free Skida hat or neck warmer, and a tin of Nu Chocolate hot cocoa. Spend your days skiing along miles of peaceful trails. Then grab a Vermont Flannel blanket and hang out around the outdoor firepit or buy a local cider or beer from the hotel’s Juniper Restaurant and relax by the indoor wood fireplace. Packages start at $289 for two people, based on double occupancy. 855-650-0080, www.hotelvt.com.

A renowned arts and crafts fair

Enjoy handcrafted works and live music during the Paradise City Arts Festival in Marlborough, June 12-14. (This event had been scheduled for later this month but was moved to June.) This juried event, held at the Royal Plaza Trade Center, features works by 175 exhibiting artists, including jewelry, paintings, ceramics, glass, furniture, photography, and wearable art. A special exhibit, “Ocean View,” showcases works that capture scenes of coastal life or draw from the patterns, hues, and shapes of the ocean and its critters. Watch Steven Wiseman demonstrate lathe and spindle turning as he creates hardwood bowls and sculptural vessels (at booth 355), and bands perform in the Sculpture Café. Free, 12 and under; $8, students; $12, age 65 and older; $14, age 18 and older. Free parking. 800-511-9725, www.paradisecityarts.

Works by more than 175 artists will be on display at the Paradise City Arts Festival in Marlborough March 20-22, including “Ocean View” (pictured here), captured by E. Kelly O'Neal's abstracted photograph of the Cape Cod shoreline. Steven Kolodny's "Nautilus" pendant is suspended before it.

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Celebrate Roaring Twenties and literary icons

Enjoy a rare visit to the former home of F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, which is housed in the only museum in the world dedicated to this literary couple. The Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald Museum in Montgomery, Ala., hosts an open house commemorating the couple’s 100th wedding anniversary, April 4. As you wander through the original parlor, sunroom, kitchen, and bedrooms, see Scott’s writing pen and books, items from Zelda’s childhood home, the couple’s love letters, and first-edition copies of all their books. The Fitzgeralds lived here from 1931 to 1932, during which they wrote portions of their novels “Save Me the Waltz” (Zelda) and “Tender Is the Night” (F. Scott). The Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts also hosts an exhibition of Zelda’s oil paintings and watercolor paper dolls, March 24-May 31, which includes works from its permanent collection and those given to the museum by Scottie Fitzgerald Smith, daughter of Zelda and F. Scott. 334-625-4333, www.mmfa.org/art/exhibitions, and 334-264-4222, www.thefitzgeraldmuseum.org.

An epic cycling adventure

Explore 1,258 miles of Colorado countryside — pedaling by pristine lakes and blossoming wildflowers, and up and over numerous mountain passes — with Cycle of Life Adventures, June 4-30. The company’s new 26-day trip includes 89,502 feet of elevation gain as it winds through Crested Butte, Durango, Grand Mesa, and Palisade’s wine country, by Colorado National Monument, and over some of the state’s highest mountain passes (Lizard Head Pass, Red Mountain Pass, Molas Pass, and Coal Bank Pass). During three rest days, choose to fly fish, kayak, raft, golf, hike, and hang out in a spa — or just kick back and read a book. Join for a week ($2,445-$3,095 per week per person) or the entire trip ($9,100). 303-945-9886, www.cycleoflifeadventures.com/epic-colorado.

EVERYWHERE

A phone grip with multiple uses

Take selfies, watch a movie, or shoot hands-free images from up to 30 feet away with Adonit’s new V-Grip. This compact, 3.4-ounce grip works with smartphones 4.5 inches or larger. Attach it to your phone so you can easily take selfies — just hold onto the ergonomic grip or use the 19.7-inch extendable pole for group shots. Open the handle and the V-Grip forms an adjustable stand that lets you watch entertainment hands-free. The V-Grip also comes with a detachable shutter remote: Put your phone on the stand, connect the phone and remote via Bluetooth, and take hands-free shots — great for group photos and time-lapse images. The V-Grip has a ¼-inch mount that lets you attach it to a tripod, and a cold-shoe mount for attaching a minilight or microphone to the grip. $34.99. www.adonit.net/v-grip.

Kari Bodnarchuk can be reached at travelwriter@karib.us.