It’s March in the South

With springtime around the corner (I think); the crazy, unpredictable weather has only just begun.

But don’t let the uncertainty get you down, instead get out and enjoy March in the South.

So this month, why don’t you…

• celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, southern-style. Join in the celebrations, festivals and parades in such places like Dublin, Texas, New Orleans, Erin, Tenn., and Savannah, Ga. There’s even the world’s shortest St. Patrick’s Day parade in Hot Springs, Ark., on March 17.
• find inspiration when exploring botanical gardens. Learn how the experts grow their flowers and plants, or just relax at places like the Missouri Botanical Gardens in St. Louis, Huntsville (Ala.) Botanical Gardens, Atlanta Botanical Gardens or Leu Gardens in Orlando.
• honor flowers. Spring is time for the bloom of the blossoms, beginning with the cherry blossoms. There’s the National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, D.C., beginning on March 27, the Cherry Blossom Festival in Macon, Ga., March 19-28 and Conyers (Ga.) Cherry Blossom Festival, March 27-28. Mobile, Ala., is home to the Festival of Flowers, March 25-28. The EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival is all ready underway in Orlando. Don’t forget about the Daffodil Festival in Gloucester, Va., March 27-28.
• enjoy a festival or two. It’s a known fact: no matter where you are in the South, you are close to some sort of festival. Don’t miss the Florida Strawberry Festival in Plant City, happening through March 14. In Louisiana, you’ll find the Iowa Rabbit Festival, March 19-21.
• take to the road. Spring equals road trip time and if you need some suggestions on where to go in the South, you’re in the right spot. How about Louisville, Ky., Cedar Key, Fla., Athens, Ga., downtown Lakeland, Fla., Independence, Mo., or Raleigh-Durham, N.C.. And that’s just the beginning of places you can discover in the South.

photo credit: Shamrocks, flickr, creative commons by jonmatthew photography