MARCH: Where to in the lower 48?

January 22, 2008 5:39 PM

Where would you visit in the lower 48 during the month of MARCH for a long weekend? Through an airline bungle, I have two tickets to use. The whole trip will be 4-5 days. What events, conferences, shows, etc. are going on in MARCH that you would love to travel for? Alternatively, we could just do great "get away" spot that doesn't cost a fortune. Take me off the beaten path, folks. Show me the way. Background re ticketholders: He is an Apple geek engineer with a Pruis, she is an art/history buff and foodie that works in the legal field. Both live in Northern California.
posted by ohjustsayso to travel & transportation (13 answers total)

If you like electronic music, don't miss the Winter Music Conference culminating in Ultra Music Festival in Miami at the end of March.
posted by infinityjinx at 5:45 PM on January 22, 2008

SXSW is March 7-16. Music. Webnerdery. Etc. Plus Austin, TX.
posted by zpousman at 5:48 PM on January 22, 2008

Santa Fe? It's not off the beaten path, per se, but there's tons to do there for art/history/food buffs, even without any specific festivals or events going on.

Alternatively, if you really want to just get away, maybe Joshua Tree/Mojave desert? We stayed here in Twentynine Palms for a long weekend late last February and loved it.
posted by scody at 5:48 PM on January 22, 2008 [1 favorite]

SXSW... obviously. Probably the coolest conference/festival around anytime of year.
posted by rooftop secrets at 5:52 PM on January 22, 2008

I had thought of SXSW, but we might have to travel at the END of the month. Should have included that. Will see if I can move around the sked - Austin would be awesome.
posted by ohjustsayso at 6:06 PM on January 22, 2008

Laissez les bons temps rouler: New Orleans!

She is bound to fall in love with superstar chef John Besh's Restaurant August, consistently featured on the list of the top restaurants in the United States. When my boyfriend and I visited a couple of months ago, he exclaimed that Besh's cuisine alone made the entire trip worth it (six courses paired with wines for two, ~$200). Furthermore, the oyster lover in you will be delighted as Gulf oysters are in prime season until April.

The St. Patrick's Day Parade (March 15th), like all block parties in New Orleans, is bound to be crazy amazing even if not exactly, eh--memorable. But even if you are not able to visit that weekend, NOLA is a wonderfully romantic vacation spot: there is so much to do and see that it is hard to sum it up in a few paragraphs. Check out the New York Times's 36 Hours in New Orleans article for a taste of the cultural and culinary attractions.

PS. March weather in New Orleans is pretty much perfect. Other events in March.
posted by halogen at 6:59 PM on January 22, 2008

My lovely burg of Louisville, KY is the heart of college basketball at that time ("March Madness"). If basketball turns you on, there is no better place to be.
posted by jbickers at 7:12 PM on January 22, 2008

Washington DC. The Cherry blossoms, Smithsonian Kite Festival, (both at the end of March) Real Geekfest in the museums. Plus Georgetown and Old Alexandria.
posted by Gungho at 7:59 PM on January 22, 2008

NYC: March 31 is the Yankees home opener vs. Toronto.
posted by mattbucher at 8:18 PM on January 22, 2008

Savannah, Georgia is one of the oldest and most beautiful cities in the United States and also has the second largest St.Pat's celebration in the U.S. Frequently I meet people who have come from Ireland to celebrate. It's awesome, there is a crazy parade and it's in March.
posted by thebrokenmuse at 11:24 PM on January 22, 2008

I would opt for somewhere where the azaleas were blooming, or banning that, DC. It was truly beautiful with the cherry trees blooming. Also dogwood trees, if I remember it right.
posted by that girl at 5:13 AM on January 23, 2008

Spring Training baseball games are great. You could camp in Arizona and catch a couple of games near Phoenix.
posted by tiburon at 8:56 AM on January 23, 2008

i agree that DC would be nice. In addition to everything to be done there, it's just a one-hour commuter train ride from baltimore, which has more in it to do than you might think, at least as far as art/historical attractions go. there's the BMA, the contemporary museum, and the walters (which, i assure you, is not to be missed). and there are always shows up at MICA (i think there's a round of MFA thesis shows, at the end of march). you missed the dime museum by about a year, but there's always the visionary. current space probably has something up, then, too, but their schedule can be a bit dicey.

and there's scads of early 19th-century-onwards historical-type sites that i never visited, in the four years i lived there, but i can't imagine they'd be difficult to seek out.

i don't know what apple geeks do with their time, nor can i give much guidance re: fine dining (if you're into cheap pizza, however, or divey indian places, that's another story). sorry there.
posted by wreckingball at 10:29 AM on January 23, 2008