As a gesture of Southern hospitality, the South likes to celebrate the coming of Spring with Dogwood Festivals, which include all kind of activities including arts and crafts, music, floral displays, entertainment and lots of good food.

Atlanta, Georgia will be presenting it's 76th Annual Dogwood Festival between April 20-22 at Piedmont Park. The festival's famous juried Fine Artist Market will include sculptures, paintings, pottery, jewelry, photography and much more. The International Village and Stage at Lake Clara Meer dock promise some tremendous talent throughout the weekend from members of many nationalities living in Georgia, both amateur and professional. Over 400 performers will deliver the best of all worlds during their performances.

The 2012 Atlanta Dogwood Festival has something for everyone. For the youngsters there will be a Kid's Village featuring huge inflatables, arts and crafts, face painting for all ages, and the ever-popular 24-foot rock-climbing wall. The festival will have live music each evening, plenty of fun and good food. Two interesting events of the festival, which will require tickets, are "La Fête," an International Wine Tasting which celebrates the multiculturalism and camaraderie of International participants, and "Friends of Dogwood," featuring some of Atlanta's favorite restaurants offering a wide variety of foods, desserts and special wine tasting which offers an upscale hospitality experience. Both events will be held in the beautifully renovated, multi-million dollar, Greystone event facility in the heart of Piedmont Park. For more information on the Atlanta Dogwood Festival go www.dogwood.org.

In Tennessee, the beautiful city of Winchester will present their 8th annual International Dogwood Festival on the weekend of May 4th through 6th at the Winchester City Park. Just off Interstate 24 in Franklin County, Winchester celebrates the nursery industry where it is said that local nurseryman have patented more flowering dogwoods than anywhere else in the world. As well as beautiful blossoms, the festival will feature live musical entertainment, a car and tractor show, juried arts and crafts, a parade, fashion show, a gigantic kidz zone, golf classic, horse and buggy rides, train rides, plant auction and of course, plenty of  good food. This three day family event where admission is free usually attracts over 50,000 each year to the area. For more information on Winchester's International Dogwood Festival go to www.winchesterdogwoodfestival.com.

Each weekend throughout the month of April, Knoxville, TN will host their annual Dogwood Arts Festival with a variety of events which includes: Fine Art Exhibitions, (4/6-4/7); Dogwood Trails and Gardens (4/11-4/30). Dogwood Trails showcase this year's spring spectacle in over 60 miles of breathtaking landscaping, rainbow-hued flowers, and blossoming trees.

The scenery is available for touring and photography, compliments of the homeowners. Enjoy by way either a leisurely walk, bicycle ride, Sunday drive, or guided bus tour. The weekend of April 13-15 will be the festival's popular Market Square Art Fair which showcases the original work of more than 70 local and regional artisans featuring arts and crafts, demonstrations, entertainment and festive food, all right in the heart of downtown Knoxville. After touring the market, tired visitors can take a leisurely ride on a guided bus tour of the Dogwood Trails.

During the weekend of April 20-22 is "Rhythm and Blooms," a celebration of American roots musical traditions, with performances by locally-revered and nationally-renowned artists playing a variety of music which will include country, blues, jazz, rock, bluegrass, and folk. For those who like to paint the town red, there will also be a "Chalk Walk" on 4/21. Both kids and adults love to take part in this street painting festival said to have originated in 16th century Italy. On April 24, there will be a Very Special Arts Festival, featuring art from special children with disabilities. April 27, the final weekend of festivities will commence at 6:00pm with the "Dogwood Mile and Party on the Square," a kids fun racing event. Then at 7:00pm comes the grand finale, when the streets from Hill Avenue to Gay street in downtown Knoxville will be lined with families anxious to watch the Dogwood Parade. Marching bands, decorated floats, performing arts groups, and nine giant helium balloons make the hour-long parade one of the Festival's most exciting events.

Finishing with Bikes & Blooms (4/28-4/29) a chance to truly experience the nature of the Dogwood Trails by bicycle, either an organized or a self-guided ride. Organized rides meet April 28 at Springbrook Park at 9am for a 5 or 10 mile ride along the beautiful Alcoa/Maryville Greenways, or April 29th at 2:00pm for a less than 5 mile ride starting at Ijams Nature Center taking greenways to get to Island Home, tour the neighborhood and return to Ijams.

For more information on the Knoxville's Dogwood Arts Festival visit their website  www.dogwoodarts.com.

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