Dutch Treat Wooden shoes, a towering
windmill, more than 6 million blooming
tulips—you can experience it all in…
Michigan? That’s right: from May 2
through 9, Holland, Michigan, will celebrate the 80th anniversary of Tulip Time,
a festival paying homage to the city’s
Dutch heritage (Holland was established
by Dutch settlers in 1847) and its six miles
of tulips. Highlights include performances
by Dutch folk dancers plus several parades, one of which showcases the Dutch
tradition of cleaning the streets, and
features hundreds of costumed
locals armed with brooms and pails.
(Hey, feel free to march to our neighborhood.) Worth a look: the historic “Big Red”
Lighthouse at Holland State Park (800-
822-2770; tuliptime.com).
SEEING GREEN Check out the 1970s version of Kermit and his puppet pals at the Jim Henson exhibit in Seattle.
Big Hair, Bright Makeup Hon, you just
stop on by Bawlmer from June 13 through
14 for a good time, okay? Baltimore
celebrates the warmth and hospitality of
its working women with HonFest 2009,
a street party where the ladies look like
extras from a John Waters film: lots of
beehive hairdos, bright-blue eye shadow,
and spandex pants. You can visit the festival’s glamour lounge for a beehive do of
your own, or check out the work of local
artists and listen to live music. Want to
compete for the title of Best Hon 2009?
Talent is not required—a previous winner
played “Take Me Out to the Ball Game”
on a beer-bottle xylophone—though
you must honor the sacred motto: “The
higher the hair, the closer to God” (410-
243-6800; honfest.net).
Dream Team As the birthplace and
home of Martin Luther King Jr., Atlanta is
a hard place to top for amazing mementos of black history. So it’s completely
fitting that the city will host “America
I AM: The African American Imprint,” from
June 7 through August 31 at the Atlanta
Civic Center. The exhibit, chronicling
400 years of black history in America,
will feature more than 200 fascinating
artifacts, including Malcolm X’s personal
diary, a letter to Frederick Douglass from
President Lincoln, and clothing from
some of the most beloved American
icons, including Ray Charles, Jackie
Robinson, and Muhammad Ali (404-523-
6275, americaiam.org).
Muppet Man The Muppets
made their debut on Sesame
Street, right? Wrong—it was actually
the Today show in 1960. But don’t worry:
you’ll be an expert in Muppetology after
visiting “Jim Henson’s Fantastic World” at
the Experience Music Project Museum in
Seattle, May 23 through August 16. The
exhibit showcases one hundred of
Henson’s original drawings, cartoons,
and storyboards, and offers a glimpse of
how his ideas went from rough sketch
to such beloved characters as Bert and
Ernie (877-367-7361; empsfm.org).
PRE T T Y IN PINK Stop by Baltimore in June for
the chance to flaunt your biggest beehive
and celebrate the city’s friendly working gals.
It Takes All Snorts It’s like the World
Series of pork: at Hillsborough Hog Day,
in Hillsborough, North Carolina, June 20,
dozens of teams compete to win the
top prize for tastiest barbecue. The best
part? You get to sample their work. And
when you’re blissfully full from wolfing
down Carolina ribs and slow-cooked
pork, you can listen to live beach, country,
and bluegrass music, try your hand at
a horseshoe tournament, or buy some
local artworks or craft items. Don’t miss
the festival’s antique-car show and the
“pig hollering” contest for kids (919-732-
8156; hogdays.com).
Pop Stop No, you’re not having an
acid flashback—you really are standing
in what appears to be Andy Warhol’s
silver-painted glam art loft, with Studio
54 disco tunes percolating in the background. At the de Young Museum in San
Francisco you can live out all your hipster
dreams in this replica Warhol pad while
enjoying the artist’s original paintings of
pop-music icons, including Elvis, Mick
Jagger and the Rolling Stones, Debbie
Harry, and Michael Jackson. It’s all part
of the museum’s “Warhol Live” exhibit
exploring the pop artist’s work through
the lens of music. But catch it fast—like
all things trendy, the exhibit won’t last; it
ends on May 17 (415-750-3600; famsf
.org/deyoung). —Audrey Goodson
