Events

The Great Miami Metrozoo Egg Safari
Miami, April 7-8

Take this year’s Easter egg hunt to a much more exotic level. Kids 12 and younger can have their faces painted, spend the day rock climbing and—the most exciting part—watch lions, gorillas and spotted hyenas tear into paper maché Easter eggs stuffed with their favorite treats. www.miamimetrozoo.com

Dogwood Festival
Atlanta, April 13-15

Atlanta has been welcoming spring with this festival since 1936. The weekend is known for live music—featuring more than 50 bands—and the days can be spent sampling from food stalls, checking out more than 200 showcases of high quality artwork and watching the annual US Disc Dog Southern Nationals, where you can watch pooches playing Frisbee. Also make sure to enjoy the blooming dogwood trees. www.dogwood.org

PEN World Voices
New York, April 24-29

The Festival of International Literature gathers some of the best writers from around the world for six days of readings, panels and talks. This year’s theme will be “Home and Away,” and authors include Steve Martin, Salman Rushdie, Pico Iyer, Billy Collins and Marilynne Robinson. Events take place at venues throughout the city: the New York Public Library, Columbia University and Cooper Union. www.pen.org

Cherry Blossom Festival
Philadelphia, April 9-22

Embrace the spring with a visit to the 10th anniversary of Philadelphia’s Subaru Cherry Blossom Festival. Visitors can be a part of this Japanese tradition, enjoying customary art, food, fashion and dance performances. This year, the festival will reach its goal of planting 1,000 cherry trees throughout Fairmount Park. www.jasgp.org

Aussie Adventure
Atlanta, April 21-22

Celebrate Earth Day this year by hopping around the Kangaroo Conservation Center in Dawsonville, about 45 minutes north of downtown Atlanta. With 300 kangaroos, this is the largest collection outside of Australia. Get tips on conservation, enjoy arts and crafts, learn about butterfly gardens, and, most importantly, wander down walking trails alongside the kangaroos. www.kangaroocenter.com

ALIVE! Expo
Atlanta, April 28-29

Dusting the cupboards and organizing closets is not all that spring cleaning is about—so take some time to incorporate healthy ideas into your daily life at the third annual health and wellness event. ALIVE! Expo will include nutritious cooking demonstrations, interactive yoga and Pilates presentations, and complimentary health screenings. www.aliveexpo.com

Art Chicago
Chicago, April 27-30

Though Art Chicago has switched locations—this year it will be taking place at The Merchandise Mart—America’s longest running international contemporary and modern art fair remains one of the nation’s best. More than 125 of the world’s most influential gallerists will be featuring thousands of pieces from exciting artists. www.artchicago.com