SOUTHEAST TRAVEL CALENDAR

Start planning

The 16th annual Blind Willie McTell Blues Festival, May 9 in Thomson, honors the late musician with concerts, Southern food and special events. Rolling Stones keyboardist Chuck Leavell and bluegrass artist Jim Lauderdale headline the festival. 706-597-1000, www.blindwillie.com.

Georgia

Athens to Macon —- Georgia’s Antebellum Trail Pilgrimage, on consecutive weekends April 16-18, April 23-25 and April 30-May 2, features events along the trail, and tours into some private, historic homes not generally open to the public. Tickets are available at any of the welcome centers along the trail. 1-800-709-7406, www.atpilgrimage.org.

Valdosta —- Wild Adventures Theme Park has concerts scheduled on many Saturdays throughout the summer and into the fall: April 18, Vince Gill and Amy Grant; May 23, Creedence Clearwater Revisited; June 13, Clint Black; Aug. 15, Foreigner; and more. 229-219-7080, www.wildadventures.net.

Savannah —- The Savannah Garden Exposition, April 17-19, features full-size exhibition gardens, expert demonstrations, children’s activities and an open-air market with growers and garden-related merchandise. 912-236-4795, www.savannahgardenexpo.com.

Athens —- The Piedmont Gardeners’ Garden Tour, April 18, features six private gardens. 706-548-5760.

Fairburn —- The Georgia Renaissance Festival returns April 18-June 7 for its 24th year. Features include kings, castles, pubs, royal feasts, jousting, armor and weapons exhibits and more. 770-964-8575, www.georgiarenaissancefestival.com.

Thomasville —- The 88th annual Thomasville Rose Show and Festival, April 23-25, offers parades, live music, sporting events, arts and crafts, car show and a street dance. 229-227-7020, www.downtownthomasville.com.

Augusta —- The Sacred Heart Garden Festival, April 24-26, includes garden and floral exhibits, tours of private gardens, discussions with featured speakers, entertainment, children’s activities and more. 706-826-4700, www.sacredheartgardenfestival.com.

Macon —- The Pan African Festival, April 25-26, features a weekend in the park, which includes live music, dance, food, cultural demonstrations and arts and crafts vendors. In addition, there are spoken word performances, an evening film festival, a parade and an interfaith unity service. 478-743-8544, www.tubmanmuseum.com.

Alabama

Huntsville —- The Huntsville Botanical Garden’s Spring Festival of Flowers, through April 30, welcomes 60,000 bulbs in bloom and includes garden tours, horticultural classes, fashion shows and children’s workshops. 256-830-4447, www.hsvbg.org.

Athens —- The Dogwood Festival, April 18-19, features live music, arts and crafts, children’s activities, how-to demonstrations, and a separate fashion show and luncheon. 256-233-8728, www.keepathenslimestonebeautiful.com.

Gardendale —- The eighth Magnolia Festival, April 18, includes live music, an arts and crafts show, a pooch parade, cookie-eating contest, carnival rides, flower show, classic car show and more. 205-608-1800, www.magnoliafestival.org.

Orange Beach —- The 25th annual Interstate Mullet Toss & Gulf Coast’s Greatest Beach Party, April 24-26, held at FloraBama Lounge, encourages participants to toss fish to raise money for local charities. Other activities include bikini contest, keg toss and tug of war. 850-492-0611, www.florabama.com.

Dothan —- The Mural City Art Fest, April 25-May 2, features a street festival, street entertainers, children’s activities, juried art show and more. www.muralcityartfest.com.

Danville —- The 22nd annual Multicultural Indian Event, May 14-17, offers music, history, traditional crafts demonstrations, real cannons, and wagon and canoe rides. 256-905-2494.

Florida

Daytona Beach —- The Daytona Beach International Festival, April 16-May 2, is a 17-day event featuring more than 150 musical artists in 30 venues. 1-866-849-0731, www.dbif.com.

Starke —- The 11th annual Bradford County Strawberry Festival, April 18-19, features shopping, games, rides and a “Legends” show with Elvis and Patsy Cline. 904-964-5278, www.mainstreetstarke.com.

Orlando —- The 22nd Fiesta Medina, April 19, is a Latin community festival featuring music, booths, food and a children’s area. 407-381-5310, www.renesproductions.com.

Destin —- The 23rd annual Sandestin Wine Festival at Baytowne Wharf, April 23-26, includes not just wine tasting, but for the first time this year, the International Cheese Pavilion. Winemaker dinners and some whiskey discussions also scheduled. 850-267-8117, www.baytownewharf.com.

Leesburg —- The Leesburg Bikefest 2009, April 24-26, converts the town into a motorcycles-only area for live bands, Ms. Bikefest Contest, custom motorcycle show and biker games. 352-365-0053, www.leesburgbikefest.com.

Pompano Beach —- The 25th annual Pompano Beach Seafood Festival, April 24-25, features food, music and arts and crafts. 954-570-7785, www.pompanobeachseafoodfestival.com

Celebration —- The Great American Pie Festival, April 25-26, includes demonstrations, bake-offs, pie tastings and pie-eating contests. 407-566-1200, www.piecouncil.org.

West Palm Beach —- SunFest, April 29-May 3, is a waterfront music and art festival that includes wine tasting, family activities and arts and crafts. 561-659-5980, www.sunfest.com.

Fernandina Beach —- The Isle of Eight Flags Shrimp Festival, May 1-3, features a pirate parade, food booths offering a variety of seafood, a juried arts show, kids activities and more. 1-866-426-3542, www.shrimpfestival.com.

Orlando —- The Florida Music Festival, May 14-16, features live performances from more than 250 musical acts. The event also spotlights works by hundreds of filmmakers and dozens of visual artists. 407-839-1499, www.floridamusicfestival.com.

Hollywood Beach —- The Red, White & Bluegrass music festival, May 16-18, features Ricky Skaggs as the headliner. Other performers include Laurie Lewis and the Right Hands and more. 954-921-3404, www.visithollywood.org/bluegrass.html.

North Carolina

Blowing Rock —- The Blue Ridge Wine & Food Festival, April 16-19, includes wine tastings and competitions, VIP receptions, vintners’ dinners, cooking classes and seminars, a downtown gallery stroll and a chef’s challenge. 1-877-295-7965, www.blueridgewinefestival.com.

Pleasure Island —- The Pleasure Island Chowder Cook-off, April 18, brings together chefs from restaurants in Pleasure Island, Monkey Junction and Wilmington to square off. Other activities include live music and a kids’ zone. And chowder won’t be the only food available. 910-458-8434, www.pleasureislandnc.org/chowdercookoff.asp.

Beaufort —- The Beaufort Wine and Food Festival, April 22-26, hosts wine and food personalities, tastings, wine dinners, cooking classes, sommelier seminars and more. 252-728-5225 www.beaufortwineandfood.com.

Wilkesboro —- Merlefest, April 23-26, features some big names in music including Doc Watson, the Carolina Chocolate Drops, Del McCoury, Tift Merritt, the Lovell Sisters, Linda Ronstadt, the Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band and more. 336-838-6267, www.merlefest.org.

Charlotte —- The Queen’s Cup Steeplechase, April 25, offers horse racing, of course, but also a children’s area with pony rides, terrier races, tailgating contests, live music and food. 704-843-7070, www.queenscup.org.

Wilson —- The Wilson Garden Tour, May 1-2, gives tours of six residential gardens and the Wilson Botanical Gardens. 252-237-0113, www.wilson-nc.com.

Wilmington —- The 17th annual Greek Festival, May 15-17, includes music, dancing, church tours, a marketplace and cooking demonstrations. 910-392-4444, www.stnicholasgreekfest.com/index.html.

Brevard —- The White Squirrel Festival and Squirrel Box Derby, May 23-24, is a two-day event with music and the usual festival activities. The Squirrel Box Derby features hand-built cars racing down the hill, competing for titles such as the fastest critter, the squirreliest theme and the nuttiest design. 828-884-3278, www.brevardnc.org.

South Carolina

Charleston —- The Spring Festival of Houses and Gardens, through April 18, offers a chance to tour inside nearly 150 of the city’s Colonial and antebellum homes and gardens, www.historiccharleston.org.

Beaufort —- The Book Makers Festival, through April 25, welcomes readers, writers, illustrators and book makers to partake in the author signings, hands-on demonstrations and more. 843-379-6607, www.eatgoodbread.com.

Rock Hill —- The Come See Me Festival, April 16-25, includes a beach bash, Moonlight Jazz & Blues, skydiving, fireworks, a children’s tea party and carnival, concerts and sporting events. 1-800-681-7635, comeseeme.rockhill.net.

Charleston —- Charleston Race Week, April 16-19, offers three days of boat racing in the harbor and off shore. 843-722-1030, www.charlestonraceweek.com.

St. George —- The World Grits Festival, April 17-19, includes arts and crafts, a fun run, grits grinding demonstrations, entertainment and, of course, a grits-eating contest. www.worldgritsfestival.com.

Port Royal —- The Soft Shell Crab Festival, April 18, features entertainment by shag bands the Showmen and Fatback, a classic car and truck show, crafts, games and, of course, crab. www.oldvillageportroyal.com/event-softshell.htm.

Myrtle Beach —- The Blues & Jazz Fest, April 18, offers entertainment, wine sampling and more at the La Belle Amie Vineyard. 843-399-9463, www.labelleamie.com.

Hilton Head —- The Hilton Head Seafood Festival, April 25, features a chef competition, crawfish boil, farmers market, bocce ball tournament, crab races, silent auction and more. davidmcarmines.org/Festival.html.

Simpsonville —- Freedom Weekend Aloft, May 22-25, includes hot-air balloons, fun runs, Frisbee Dog National Qualifier, live music and dancing. 864-399-9481, www.freedomweekend.org.

Charleston —- The Spoleto Festival, May 22-June 7, features more than 120 shows in historic theaters, churches and outdoor areas. Mediums include dance and visual arts, theater, opera, chamber, symphonic, choral and jazz music. 843-579-3100, www.spoletousa.org.

Tennessee

Lookout Mountain —- Earth Dayz, April 12, April 16-19 and April 23-26, features the Rock City Raptors Birds of Prey shows, story and activity time, panning for gems, a rock-climbing wall and more. 706-820-2531, www.seerockcity.com/earth dayz.

Pigeon Forge —- Dollywood’s Festival of Nations, through April 27, features more than 200 performers celebrating music, dance and art. In addition, new shows include “Imagine” by Le Grand Cirque and performances by the Czech Pilsen Brass Band and more. 1-800-365-5996, www.dollywood.com.

Clarksville —- The Rivers & Spires Festival, April 16-18, pays tribute to military heroes with parades, pageants, five stages, International Streetfest, kids’ zone and Jazz’N Wine on the Cumberland River. 931-245-4344, www.riversandspires.com.

Gatlinburg —- The 59th annual Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage and National Park Experience, April 22-26, offers more than 100 programs including instructional walks and guided hikes. In addition, a juried art competition is scheduled. 1-800-568-4748, www.springwildflowerpilgrimage.org.

Memphis —- The Beale Street Music Festival, May 1-3, has three outdoor stages and a blues tent. In addition to about 65 musical acts, there’s arts, crafts and clothing booths, jewelry and food. 901-525-4611, www.memphisinmay.org.

Winchester —- The International Dogwood Festival, May 1-3, is honoring Japanese culture this year. Activities include Japanese culture and vendors, car and tractor show, battle of the bands, art exhibits and entertainment including Aaron Tippin, the Road Hammers and Mustang Sally. 866-967-2532, www.winchesterdogwoodfestival.com.

Greeneville —- The 15th annual Iris Festival, May 16-17, offers artists and crafters selling wares, dancing, entertainment, kids’ activities, antique car show, storytellers and more. 423-638-4111, www.greenecountypartnership.com.