March can present a travel problem. It is a weird time. Depending on where you are, spring or winter could be in full swing. Or it could just be mud. On the upside: there are flower festivals galore this time of year, including in Oregon and California. This list will help guide you to the flowers — and the snow — pulling you out into the desert, up into the mountains and to a few oft-overlooked cities that aren’t quite coastal, but are close enough for a day trip to the beach. We’re going to try to skip the mud, but we can’t help you if you decide to venture out right after an early spring rainstorm. And consider these all tied for number one in terms of ranking.
Moab, Utah
The desert is beautiful in March. The temperature climbs up to the 60’s. There’s a breeze. The sun is out. While you could participate in any of the numerous runs that are happening in Moab in March, including the ultramarathon Behind the Rocks or, if you’re feeling less committed to self-punishment, the Canyonlands half-marathon and 5-mile run, it’s also a perfect time to just visit. Go to Arches National Park. Drive to Canyonlands. Go for a hike. If you’re willing to fully commit to driving across the state, you might still be able to fit in some spring skiing or catch the Get Lucky Festival in Magna, Utah.
Portland, Ore.
We’re saying Portland, but the biggest suggestion here is that you attend the Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival 40 minutes south that starts the last week of March. Fields and fields of tulips. Wooden clogs. If you head to Oregon at the beginning of the month, there’s also the Portland Seafood and Wine Festival. And while the tulips might be blooming to the south, you can always head an hour east and catch spring skiing at Mt. Hood.
Houston, Texas
We said flowers right? It’s bluebonnet season in Houston. You’ll find them in parks all over the city from Terry Hershey to Memorial Park. For the first two weeks of March you can also visit the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo where you can eat your fill of barbecue, pet a few goats, and watch endless rodeo competitions. If you’re looking for a place to stay there’s the Moxy Hotel downtown, which lives in the old State National Bank building.
Charlottesville, Va.
This one’s for the indoor cats. In March, Charlottesville is hosting the 30th annual Virginia Festival of the Book, which will have talks and panels with some of your favorite authors and critics. Roxanne Gay will be there. Poet Ani Gjika. Novelist Katherine Howe. Mid-March is also the beginning of blue crab season in Virginia, and its sugaring season in the mountains — maple sugaring, that is. You can attend the Highland County Maple Festival or just make sure to pick up some crab and maple syrup (although probably not in the same dish) after attending a talk about Southern Fried Crime. Spend a night or two at the moody Kimpton The Forum Hotel, which is enmeshed in the University of Virginia’s campus. Our writer describes it as perfect for chic millennials who may or may not own a labradoodle.
Antelope Valley, Calif.
This is about the poppies, people. While we can’t quite know yet how intensely Southern California will bloom this year, the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve is the kind of place Dorothy wishes she had found. Antelope Valley is also just north of Los Angeles, making it possible for you to add the Rolling Loud hip-hop festival, where Nicki Minaj and Post Malone will headline, on to your trip. Or you could just hit the beach.
Sun Valley, Idaho
We’ve brought you the flowers – here’s the real snow. Sun Valley, Idaho has some of the best spring skiing out there. Go at the beginning of the month and you can still catch the Sun Valley Film Festival. Make a whole trip of it and hit up the Treefort Music Festival before heading into the mountains for skiing. Another note: if you’ve ever wanted to try backcountry skiing, springtime is a good time to learn – the snowpack consolidates making avalanches less likely. If there’s one place to stay, it’s the iconic Sun Valley Lodge, though “to call it a ‘lodge’ is a bit of an understatement,” according to our reporter.
Boston, Mass.
Can you believe that we made it through this entire list without mentioning St. Patrick’s Day? To that end, is there anywhere else to go but Boston? Do it. We dare you. Let yourself experience American Irish culture in its fullest form. Join the hordes for the Southie Parade. Do a pub crawl the night before and somehow make it to the 5K the next morning. Maybe you’ll even find a ceili and learn to dance.
