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March 10, 2016

Best of spring

With the early arrival of warm weather, there's time to tiptoe through the tulips.

This year, winter fizzled so fast some of us didn't get a chance to whine about it. For once, we have lots of time to enjoy spring before summer arrives.

Go on a spring drive, see fiddlehead ferns unfurl and surround yourself with that delicate shade of chartreuse that seems to tint the air green.

Canoe through sloughs, stalk morel mushrooms and watch colorfully attired folks dance around a maypole.

Here are our picks for the best things to do in spring 2016.

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Best bets for the weekend

Hoist a green beer or head out on a road trip.

Rocks and shells adorn the Dickeyville Grotto.

Well, that was fast. Winter's hasty retreat leaves us in an awkward spot, with snow gone but wildflowers weeks away. What to do?

We vote for a road trip. Along the Mississippi River, watch bald eagles flying north by day and listen to music at night. There are four remarkable little venues on the Minnesota side of Lake Pepin, and this weekend you can hear an Eagles tribute and bluegrass in Red Wing, more bluegrass in Lake City and bluesman Charlie Parr and humorist Kevin Kling in Zumbrota.

Continue to northeast Iowa and buy heirloom seeds at Seed Savers near Decorah. Then cross the river to southwest Wisconsin (beer, badger holes and the Dickeyville Grotto) and keep going for a brewery tour of southern Wisconsin.

You can win a future road trip if you guess the arrival time of the first ship to the ports of Green Bay (deadline March 15) and Duluth (deadline March 31).

Green-beer season is starting, with a Celtic Pub Crawl in cheese-capital Monroe, a three-day pub crawl in Chicago and parades in Chicago, Milwaukee, Madison and lots of smaller towns on the first of two St. Patrick's Day weekends.

There's more going on in Madison, at the giant Canoecopia paddle-sports expo, with acres of sleek kayaks and lots of adventure stories, and Bike-O-Rama next door. Next week, Madison hosts the U.S. Speed-skating Championships, with free admission.

It's a good time to learn something at a folk school — how to prune your old fruit trees, for example, or forage for spring edibles. Our favorite is the North House's yurt-building workshop. It costs $4,695, but you go home with a finished yurt, or round canvas cabin.

On a rainy day, plan your summer trips. Tall ships will be sailing the Great Lakes, so it's a great time to take a Circle Tour of Lake Superior or Lake Michigan. If you can only go to one place, pick Mackinac Island, which the ships have to pass on their way between lakes.

Next weekend

Celebrate the legendary feats of St. Pat (and St. Urho)

St. Urho Days in Menagha, Minn. This Finnish town near Park Rapids celebrates its grasshopper-skewering saint with dog-sled rides and a 12:20 p.m. parade, followed by barstool races, human foosball and Viking bowling. March 18-19.

St. Patrick's Day Parade and Irish Fest in New London, Wis. This town becomes "New Dublin'' for the week, with festivities that include a big Grand Parade at 1 p.m. Saturday, followed with Irish music, food and marketplace under a big-top tent. March 14-19.

St. Patrick's Day Festival in Emmetsburg, Iowa. In northwest Iowa, this is the state's Irish capital, and it celebrates with many festivities, including a parade at 1:30 p.m. Saturday. March 17-19.

Balloon Rally in Cable, Wis. Hot-air balloonists give rides for charity, weather permitting, and there's an evening balloon glow. March 18-20.

For more events, see our Events Calendar.

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