Southwest Airlines Spirit Magazine, Your destination for travel resources and entertainment.

A collection of fun events to keep you entertained.

February

2  Las Vegas

International Sportsmen’s Exposition 

You know the type, the Bear Grylls wannabe who sits in the cubicle next to you, recounting tales of rugged weekends spent in the great outdoors, living on nothing but his wits—and perhaps gourmet precooked meals eaten in a luxurious, state-of-the-art tent. Folks like him, as well as hordes of other hardcore outdoor enthusiasts, will flock to the Las Vegas Convention Center for this big event, running February 2 through February 4, which attracts more than 400 equipment, recreation, and destination-travel companies. They’re all on hand to offer the latest and greatest in hunting, fishing, and camping gear, as well as information on safaris, fishing charters, and other adventures. If shopping or schmoozing is not your thing, then catch the DockDogs competition, in which man’s best friends, in pursuit of a tantalizing decoy, hurl themselves off of a platform into a pool of water. Whoever leaps longest wins. As for the kiddos, let them hone their fishing skills at the catch-and-release pond or clamber up the climbing wall. 

2  Miami

The Original Miami Beach Antique Show

A who’s who of antiques and fine arts dealers from across the globe descend on the Miami Beach Convention Center for the world’s largest indoor antique show, running February 2 through February 6. Now in its 51st year, the event boasts more than 800 vendors peddling oldies but goodies—everything from ancient Persian textiles to 17th century French furniture. (Last year’s show included a Renaissance painting by El Greco and a Porsche 911 signed by Frank Sinatra.) Look for familiar faces in the crowd, among them Paul Haig of Haig’s of Rochester Fine Jewelry & Asian Antiques and a regular contributor to HGTV’s Cash & Cari. If you’re more of an Antiques Roadshow junkie, bring one object of your choosing to be evaluated on Appraisal Day, Saturday the 4th, from noon to 6 p.m. Also, don’t miss the chance to win an 18-karat gold and stainless steel Rolex watch, two midcentury-modern Machine Age tables, or an original work of art. All proceeds benefit the Humane Society of Greater Miami’s Founding Foster Care Fund. 

4 Minneapolis

City of Lakes Loppet

Like a Hot Wheels racetrack designed by a maniacal 5-year old who holds rhyme, reason, and the laws of physics in contempt, the 10th annual City of Lakes Loppet—the largest urban ski marathon in the world—boasts gutsy 25- and 33-kilometer courses through wooded trails, under six bridges, over one interstate and under another highway, through one tunnel, over five frozen lakes, through two frozen channels, over two roads, and around one island. All that’s missing is a loop de loop. Last year, a record-breaking 10,000 people participated in “Minneapolis’ Best Winter Weekend,” while another 40,000 cheered the cross-country ski fiends through snow-filled landscapes. World-class snowfall (Mother Nature permitting, of course), good eats, Midwestern hospitality, an opportunity to support City of Lakes Nordic Ski Foundation (which provides assistance to inner-city youth), and a shot at glimpsing thousands of ear-muffed skijorers shuffling up Main Street are not to be missed. cityoflakesloppet.com

9 San Antonio

San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo

With “everything’s bigger in Texas” braggadocio, the 63rd annual San Antonio Rodeo boasts that it is “more than an 8-second ride.” If we spent every single second of the rodeo’s 18-day schedule roaming the AT&T Center and Freeman Coliseum Grounds, we’d still miss some of this event’s rawhide bliss. Team roping, bareback riding, bull riding, barrel racing, and steer wrestling—which finds cowboys leaping from horses, grabbing the animals by the horns, and dropping them to the ground in a race against time—have us filling our 30-gallon hats with drool, and that’s without mentioning the deep-fried Oreos and Twinkies, as well as the high-end edibles offered in this extraordinary extravaganza. While some rodeos may offer up tribute bands or perhaps banjo-plucking pharmacists wearing chaps, San Antonio brings on the big guns for its main stage entertainment: Keith Urban, Trace Adkins, Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, and Daughtry. YouTube fanatics won’t want to miss this year’s Mutton Bustin’ event, which challenges children ages 4 to 7 to ride a sheep for a whole six seconds. And… “Action!” 

10 Nashville, Tennessee

Antiques and Garden Show of Nashville

The U.S. Customs Office determined that anything more than 100 years old could rightfully be considered an antique, which puts Playboy guru Hugh Hefner darn close, but no cigar. Trust us, though, there will be plenty of authenticity on hand at the 22nd annual Antiques and Garden Show of Nashville, the largest event of its kind in America. In addition to the opportunity to unearth rare finds at the Nashville Convention Center, this year’s shindig partners with 1stDibs, the world’s largest online luxury marketplace, offering guests the chance to treasure-hunt online, as well. Miles Redd, creative director of Oscar de la Renta Home, and Nancy Power, the internationally renowned landscape designer, will present captivating guest lectures on this year’s fanciful theme, “Collective Color,” blazing trails of vibrant hues over the sleek monochrome of years past. Energy and optimism are the key words at this gathering—what better way to beat the winter blues? 

11 Buffalo, New York

Buffalo WinterFest & Powder Keg Festival

Already beloved the world over for its spicy chicken wings, Buffalo drops the hot in favor of cold at the third annual WinterFest & Power Keg Festival, gathering 30,000 people to frolic in an idyllic winter wonderland that offers everything from igloo-building to horse-drawn sleigh rides, broomball matches to historic hikes, and loads of good times for all ages. Yes, that means puppet shows! Outdoor events overtake Niagara Square, Fountain Plaza, and two blocks of Delaware Avenue, while Statler City Building becomes ground zero for carnival games, winter crafts, pancake breakfasts, beer and wine tastings, and the ice water-worthy chili cook-off. (This is the town where hot wings were born, after all.) Beyond the tasty treats and snowy surprises, WinterFest hosts Red Bull’s Butter Cup, an eye-popping, and occasionally bone-crunching, snowboard competition open to athletes of intermediate to advanced-level skills. Doesn’t matter how fresh-fallen the snow; a brutal wipe-out still requires plenty of ice to reduce the swelling. Oh, right—with this event, we’ve got that covered.

13  New York City

Westminster Kennel Club’s 136th Annual Dog Show

Life gets ruff come February 13 and 14, as 2,000 premium pooches compete for prizes at New York’s Madison Square Garden. Second only to the Kentucky Derby in terms of longest continuously held sporting event, the Westminster Kennel Club’s Dog Show is now in its 136th year. The club likes to point out that this gathering pre-dates the invention of both the lightbulb and the car. What could be more timelessly entertaining than watching these classy canines, from border collies to bull terriers, Weimaraners to whippets, strut their stuff in hopes of landing the coveted Best In Show prize—or, let’s be real here, a piece of kibble. Indeed, this event is one big doggy treat. 

17  Indio, California

Riverside County Fair & National Date Festival

This Southern California mainstay is a real load of bull—and that’s a good thing. But there’s so much more to the Riverside County Fair & National Date Festival than its Bull-O-Rama, a show featuring fearless roughnecks hanging on for dear life to one-and-a-half-ton bucking beasts. This down-home gathering draws some 300,000 folks to the former railroad town of Indio, California, about two hours east of Los Angeles. Now in its 66th year, the fair was originally formed as a way to celebrate the end of the annual date harvest. The crop was imported to this oasis in the California desert from Algeria back in 1903, hence the fair’s Kit Carson-meets-Lawrence of Arabia theme, which serves as a showcase for equine agility as well as camel racing. Running from February 17 through February 26, the event also includes the Queen Scheherazade pageant and a roster of live music. This year’s headliners include LeAnn Rimes, Hot Chelle Rae, and Uncle Kracker. Talk about a date to remember! 

24  Baltimore

36th Annual American Craft Council Show

American crafters unite! Between February 24 and 26, more than 700 artisans from across the nation will display their one-of-a-kind wares at the Baltimore Convention Center for the 36th Annual American Craft Council Show. It’s the largest juried indoor craft show in America, so pace yourself at this mother of all markets. Aside from unique handmade items, including clothing, jewelry, pottery, glass, and edibles, the show has introduced new categories to keep things interesting. For example, the Blue Chip Club features merchandise worth $10,000 and up, while the Local category gives Baltimore-area artists the chance to parade their goods on a national stage. Returning this year by popular demand will be Greencraft, a section dedicated to artisans who use eco-friendly materials in their products. Now that’s crafty!

March

3  Union Point, Georgia

Run For Your Lives

Sorry Twilight fans, but vampires are so three years ago. Zombies are the new ghoul du jour. On March 3, the wooded Durhamtown Plantation sports complex in Union Point, Georgia, an hour and 45 minutes east of Atlanta, transforms into what will look like a Day of the Dead movie set for the second annual Run for Your Lives, a 5-kilometer obstacle course populated by an army of flesh-eating beings. Freaky, right? Don’t worry though—they’re actors only pretending to have a taste for brains. In fact, what they’ll really be hankering for are the red flags you’ll have attached to your belt, and they’ll be limping after you to get them as you forge your way through 12 natural and man-made obstacles. To stay alive, you need to have at least one flag on you when you cross the finish line. And another thing: You can participate either as one of the living or as one of the living dead. Or, you can simply watch all of the spooky action go down, then enjoy a few adult beverages at the post-race Apocalypse Party, a celebration of survival—or the end of the world, depending on your zombie-dodging skills.

3 Boston

Boston Urban Iditarod

We doubt Jack London had this variation of the traditional Alaskan dogsled race in mind when he penned Call of the Wild, but swapping shopping carts for sleds, people for dogs, and garish costumes for cold-weather gear, this bizarre event certainly earns a shot at London’s title. Forty teams totaling 200 people will race around Cambridge on a three-mile route kept secret until one week before the starter’s pistol is fired. At that point, it’s “mush, boy, mush!” through the land of Harvard, as costumed teams—some of them panting like Huskies—collect canned goods for charity from friends and bystanders, aiming to double last year’s 2,000-pound haul. The course has five checkpoints (er, bars) providing 20-minute, mandatory hydration stays along the way. It’s goofy, good-hearted fun for the whole family. If Beantown’s on your late-winter itinerary, sign up to yank a cart or stop by with a pocketful of doggie treats—er, canned goods. 

4 North Lake Tahoe, Nevada

The Great Ski Race 

Is your New Year’s resolution to engage in one of the world’s most difficult endurance sports, something that’ll give a proper medieval workout to every major muscle group in your body, burn more calories per hour than virtually any other activity, and reward you with a five-color T-shirt, a free hot lunch, and the warm, fuzzy feeling that you’ve supported a good cause? Then the 36th annual Great Ski Race, a 30-kilometer cross-country ski challenge from Tahoe Cross Country Center in Tahoe City to the Cottonwood Restaurant in Truckee, California, is right up your crevasse. Since debuting in 1977 with only 60 participants, The Great Ski Race has snowballed into one of the largest Nordic ski events west of the Mississippi, with more than 1,100 registrants last year, including a handful of septuagenarians and a pair of boys under 10. Last year, 95 percent of participants completed the course. (The rest were thrown to the Saint Bernards, we guess.) Not only do you enjoy an unforgettable snow day adventure—one you’ll be feeling for a week—but the $55 registration fee supports the Tahoe Nordic Search and Rescue Team, and includes live music, dancing, and refreshments at the finish line.

9  Chandler, Arizona

24th Annual Ostrich Festival

Stick your neck out for a good time at this funky festival running March 9 through 11 in Chandler, Arizona, 30 minutes southeast of Phoenix. It began in 1989 as a way to celebrate the city’s history of ranching these exotic birds for their expensive plumes. Get primed for the big event with a 5K run and a parade on March 3. By the next weekend you’ll be ready for the full-blown fair, complete with 150 crafts and food vendors. Ostrich Alley is lined with booths selling ostrich and emu burgers (supposedly much healthier alternatives to red meat), feather dusters, and leather goods. A bevy (technically a pride) of the tall birds will be corralled for folks to take a closer look, while the children’s petting zoo features other long necks, such as camels and llamas, as well as an assortment of barnyard critters. The festival culminates at Tumbleweed Park, where cowboys mount the flightless beasts for a 50-meter dash in which both speed and the ability to keep your mount on the straight and narrow are of equal importance. 

16 Miami Beach, Florida

Winter Music Conference

A small city of artists and music industry delegates from 70 countries descends upon South Florida for Winter Music Conference (WMC), a global music industry pow-wow which launches new music, technology, and trends amid a harmonious clamor of events, parties, seminars, and workshops. Twenty-five years ago, Miami Sound Machine went chart-topping conga crazy about “the rhythm of the night.” Unfolding over 89 venues with 403 events and more than 1,400 artists, WMC aims to teach Gloria Estefan and gang a little something about shakin’ it. With eclectic programming that stretches from indie rock to electronica, DJ sets to blues, music fashion to record collecting, plus the launch of several new big-ticket audio toys and tools, WMC is the perfect place to march to the beat of your own drummer, and perhaps someone else’s, too.

21 New Orleans

Tennessee Williams Festival 

Vivid, evocative, and sensual in shadow and light, New Orleans almost had to be the “spiritual home” of the great American playwright Tennessee Williams, and so The Big Easy commemorates the Cat on a Hot Tin Roof scribe’s 101st birthday with this five-day fete. “Everything in his life is in his plays, and everything in his plays is in his life,” frequent collaborator Elia Kazan once said of Williams. This French Quarter festival reflects that in quality and quantity, lassoing keynotes from actress Piper Laurie, playwright John Guare, and author Amy Hempel, among others; mounting a full production of A Streetcar Named Desire; screening The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond, a recent feature film based on a long-lost 1957 Williams’ script; and more. If The Rose Tattoo isn’t your kind of ink, the festival also boasts non-Williams adventures: a poetry slam, a one-act play competition, delectable local cuisine and live music, plus master classes on e-publishing, social media, memoir writing, and a crash course on working with agents. The festival’s grand finale is its hysterical closing ceremony, the Stanley and Stella Shouting Contest, a playful (and loud!) tribute to the roaring actors in Streetcar. “Steeeeelllllllaaaaaaaaa!”

22 Las Vegas

UNLVino Wine Festival 

Renowned chef Michel Richard, Zappos creator Tony Hsieh, and Renée West of Excalibur and Luxor are toasts of the town, alongside extraordinary champagnes, sake, world-class wines, award-winning cocktails, and craft beer at the 38th Annual UNLVino Wine Festival, a gala event raising scholarship funds for University of Nevada, Hospitality College students. The largest and oldest wine festival in Nevada, UNLVino launches with Bubble-Licious, hosted at the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, uniting couture, cuisine, entertainment, and flutes of the finest bubbly on earth. More than 100 premium sakes will be presented by Japanese brew masters at the Mirage, paired with Asian culinary delicacies, while the event’s final act gathers the world’s best vintners for a huge portfolio of international wines at Bally’s Las Vegas Hotel & Casino. As ever, Sin City allows visitors to make merry in a primo locale.