Weekend outlook: bittersweet

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Minnesota History Center presents "Chocolate: The Exhibition"

Chocolate. Need I say more? Okay, fine: the Minnesota History Center is presenting an exhibition all about chocolate - it's history, how it's made, and its connection to both tropical rainforests and slavery. The exhibition opens this weekend with a big family day on Saturday from noon to 4pm, but the Twin Cities' Marathon is also this weekend, so plan your parking accordingly. (Also, if you want to learn more, tune in to Midday today at 11am - I'll be talking with the exhibition developer Gretchen Baker and local chocolatier B.T. McElrath.)

Love to collect art books, but don't have much room on the shelf? Jody Williams' creations are just right for you. Williams' books are often only a couple of inches tall, handmade, and often enclosed in equally cool miniature boxes. Many of her pieces are in the Walker Art Center's book collection, but you can see them up close this month at Form and Content Gallery in Minneapolis. Her current work features etchings of contemporary invertebrates and their fossil ancestors, and an accompanying series of specimen boxes.

Halloween is on the horizon, which means it's time to get creeped out at the Soap Factory's Haunted Basement in Minneapolis. It's the haunted house tour of your youth, but this particularly brand of scary has some real artistic flair. Be prepared to sign a waiver at the door saying you won't sue anybody for the horrors you are about to experience. What I want to know is - will there be creepy smells again this year?

Want to know what's really going on in Afghanistan? Then get thee to the Guthrie for an epic theatrical experience. Tricycle Theater presents Great Game: Afghanistan, in which key moments from the country's history are transformed into short plays. 12 plays are broken down into three evening's worth of entertainment, or if you wish, go on a Saturday or Sunday and immerse yourself in Afghani history and culture. For more information, check out Euan Kerr's story here.

Ahh, many of us have dreamed of getting a nice, fat inheritance from a doting Aunt. But what would you really have to go through to get it? Pillsbury House Theatre presents "Vigil," in which solitary misfit Kemp leaves his boring bank job to care for his dying aunt Grace. He hopes to quickly cash in on her will, but Grace isn't going anywhere anytime soon.

So, what are you doing this weekend?

• After five years, State of the Arts comes to a close
• Park Square’s second stage to open Friday
• Most critics find ‘Romeo and Juliet’ a dreamy delight