Atlanta Georgia Dogwood Festival

Georgia selected the Cherokee rose as its state flower back in 1916, but it’s the dogwood that gets all the love. In fact, the first  Dogwood Festival was celebrated in Atlanta, Georgia a mere 20 years later, with  pageants, parades and scores of the delicate trees planted around town. Today,  the Atlanta Dogwood Festival is an eagerly awaited  sign of spring. Traditionally held in sprawling Piedmont Park, the festival brings together lovers of art, food entertainment and  trees in one big blooming weekend. Get even more of a horticultural fix at the Atlanta Botanical Garden, which resumes its extended hours in April. Something’s always blooming in its indoor and outdoor gardens. You can’t miss the orchid collection, but you’ll have to look closely to see the wildlife – frogs,  geckos, birds – in the Tropical Rotunda. The Midtown location of the Flying Biscuit Café is well-known for its “non-stop” breakfast menu, especially the  fluffy biscuits that accompany your order. Northwest of Atlanta, you’ll find  unique shopping, history and museums in the town of Marietta. Take in a show at one of Marietta’s two theaters, or just enjoy  the atmosphere of an old-fashioned town square. You can walk back to the park  from there. Stay at the newly refurbished Artmore Hotel, a 1924 Spanish-style building with a charming courtyard that’s near  Midtown arts and cultural locations.