Calendar

Yourguide to event-related travel in theSoutheast

GEORGIA

Rome— The RomeShakespeare Festival, Sept. 19-29, offffers free performances including children’s shows. www.romeshakespearefestival.com.

Augusta— Arts in theHeart of Augusta Festival, Sept. 20- 22, brings together food from20 difffferent countries and an arts and crafts market, fifive entertainment stages and children’s activities. artsintheheartofaugusta.com.

Blue Ridge— The Blue Ridge Blues and BBQMusic Festival, Sept. 20-21, features a blues crawl Friday evening and then live music during the festival Saturday. blueridgebluesandbbq.com.

Jekyll Island— The Shrimp& Grits Festival, Sept. 20-22, celebrates the Southern dish with a professional cooking competition, a craft brew fest, arts and crafts vendors, live music and a new5K. www.jekyllisland.com/shrimpgrits.

Buchanan— The Haralson County Fried Pie Festival, Sept. 21, includes lots of fried food, arts and crafts, a car and bike showandmusical entertainment. www.haralsoncountyhistory.com.

Macon— TheOcmulgee Indian Celebration, Sept. 21-22, offffers music, dance, food, storytelling, crafts and demonstrations byNative Americans to honor the cultures of the SoutheasternNative Americans. www.ocmulgeemounds.org.

Perry— The Georgia National Fair, Oct. 3-13, features livestock competitions, horse shows, youth educational exhibits, carnival rides and food. georgianationalfair.com.

Brunswick— Coastfest, Oct. 5, includes touch tanks, living history demonstrations, student art contests and more. coastalgadnr.org.

Hiawassee— The Georgia Mountain Fall Festival, Oct. 11-19, includes arts and crafts vendors, educational demonstrations, a flflower show and the offifficial state fifiddlers’ convention in addition tomusical performances fromCrystal Gayle, Gary Puckett and BalsamRange. georgiamountainfairgrounds.com.

Ellijay — The Georgia Apple Festival, Oct. 12-13 and Oct. 19-20, features a parade, car showand more than

300 vendors with handmade items, aswell as demonstrations of how somecrafts aremade. georgiaapplefestival.org.

Dalton— The Prater’s Mill Country Fair, Oct. 12-13, focuses on mountain music, living history exhibits and homeade crafts and original art, as well as demonstrations like blacksmithing, spinning, quilting and woodcarving. pratersmill.org/fair.

Tybee Island— The Tybee Island Pirate Fest, Oct. 10-13, features a Buccaneer Ball, live music, a parade and a thievesmarket. tybeeisland. com.

Richmond Hill — The Great Ogeechee Seafood Festival, Oct. 1820, features seafood tastes aswell as live entertainment fromDavie LeeMurphy and the Marshall Tucker Band. goseafoodfestival.com.

Dahlonega— The Gold Rush Days, Oct. 19-20, will have more than 300 arts and crafts vendors gathered arond the square and historic district. goldrushdaysfestival.com.

Milledgeville— Deep Roots, Oct. 26, is an arts andmusic festival that features an antique car show, live entertainment, an artist market and a BBQcontest. visitmilledgeville.org.

ALABAMA

Rogersville— The Shades of Bluegrass Festival, Sept. 27-28, features food and craft vendors and will accomodate campers. 931-629-2285. Huntsville— The CrushWine& Food Festival, Sept. 25-29, offffers more than 150 wines for tasting, local live music, food trucks and grape stomping. www.crushwinefestival. com.

FLORIDA

Largo— I Like It Hot! Festival, Sept. 14-15, includes a pepper-eating contest, amateur salsa competition, voodoo chicken bones challenge, hot hula hoop contest, live music andmore. ilikeithotfestival.com. Captiva Island— The IslandHopper Songwriter Fest, Sept. 20-29, is a 10- daymusic festival that brings 80-plus artists to 100-plus shows across Captiva Island, Fort Myers Beach and in downtown Fort Myers. www.island-hopper.fortmyerssanibel.com. NewSmyrna Beach— The Jazz Festival, Sept. 26-29, featuresmusic from5 Island Steel, Dave Capp, Jeffff RupertQuartet andmore. nsbjazzfest.com.

Panama CityBeach— Oktoberfest, Oct. 4- 6, features German food and craft beerwhile donning lederhosen and dirndls. visitpanamacitybeach.com. Pensacola— The Pensacola Dragon Boat Festival, Oct. 12, will include the race aswell as children’s activities like face painting, sack racing, corn hole andmore. pensacoladragonboatfestival.com.

MISSISSIPPI

Ocean Springs— TheMississippi Songwriters Festival, Sept. 19-22, is a four-day event featuring 150- 200 national, regional and local songwriters performing in intimate and concert-style settings. mssongwritersfestival.com.

Jackson— TheMississippi Science Fest, Sept. 21, features special guests, hands-on activities, exhibitions, interactive activites and more. www.mssciencefest.org.

NORTHCAROLINA

Huntersville— The Rural Hill AmazingMaizeMaze, throughNov. 3, is a 7-acre cornmaze featuringmore than twomiles of interconnecting paths and you can enjoy local beer, wine and cider, hiking trails andmini mazes. www.ruralhill.net.

MountaAiry— Mayberry Days, Sept. 23-29, includes a parade, shows, a silent auction and family activities. www.mayberrydays.com.

Hendersonville— Art on Main, Sept. 28- 29, brings togethermore than 100 juried artists selling their wares including fifine art paintings, works in clay, metal, wood, fifiber and photography. www.acofhc.org.

SunsetBeach— Sunset at Sunset, Oct. 5, is a full day ofmusic, crafts and food in addition to a kids area. The sun will set over the Ingram Planetarium on Sunset Boulevard. www.ncbrunswick.com.

Ocean Isle Beach— The North Carolina Oyster Festival, Oct. 19-20, features oyster-eating contests and cookoffffffffffffs, aswell as live music and tastings. www.ncbrunswick.com.