St. Augustine Fills Month of Sundays With Boats and Parades

Florida

St. Augustine will hold two celebrations next month. On Palm Sunday, April 5, commercial and pleasure boats will pass in review to receive a blessing, and there will be viewing all along the bay front. On April 12, an Easter Parade will take over downtown with floats and carriages drawn by horses in hats. Contact the St. John’s County Visitors Bureau, 88 Riberia St., Suite 250, St. Augustine, FL 32084; telephone (904) 829-1711.

Georgia

Dedication ceremonies for the National Prisoner of War Museum are set for April 9. This new museum honors the 800,000 Americans who have been prisoners of war since the Revolutionary War with exhibit rooms that address the issues of capture, living conditions, morale and escape. The museum is a short walk from the site of the Confederate Camp of Andersonville, which imprisoned more than 45,000 Union soldiers during the Civil War. Contact the Andersonville and Jimmy Carter National Historic Sites, Route 1, Box 800, Andersonville, GA 31711; tel. (912) 924-0343.

New Mexico

The Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque celebrates American Indian Week, April 21 to 26. Activities include storytelling, book signings, evening concerts by Native American comedian Rex Redhair (known as the Navajo Elvis), an arts and crafts fair, and a Native American semipro baseball tournament. Most events are free. Contact the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, 2401 12th St. NW, Albuquerque, NM 87104; tel. (505) 843-7270.

Pennsylvania

The Quilters’ Heritage Celebration, April 2 to 5 at the Lancaster Host Resort and Conference Center, usually draws enthusiasts from all over the world. They come to admire the more than 500 quilts on exhibit, attend classes and lectures and stock up on supplies. More than 100 vendors are expected. The theme this year is Feedsack Frenzy, focusing on quilts made from these utilitarian items. Contact the Quilters’ Heritage Celebration, P.O. Box 503, Carlinville, IL 62626; tel. (217) 854-9323.

South Carolina

At the 51st annual Festival of Houses and Gardens, March 19 through April 18 in the Old and Historic District of Charleston, visitors can walk through private homes that have been lovingly restored. On each three-hour tour (afternoons and evenings), guests move at their own pace, seeing eight to 10 homes within walking distance of one another. On March 25, April 6 and 13, the homes are dark so that everyone can assemble at Drayton Hall (the only plantation on the Ashley River to escape destruction during the Civil War) for an oyster roast. Reservations are suggested. Contact the Historic Charleston Foundation, P.O. Box 1120, Charleston, SC 29402; tel. (803) 723-1623.

Texas

Fiesta San Antonio, first held in 1891, is now a mammoth, citywide celebration with 150 events over 10 days, April 17 to 26. Highlights include a square dance, mariachi festival, a Mexican rodeo, Victorian ball, house tours, and street and river parades. The biggest event is a Night in Old San Antonio, a giant street party with ethnic foods and dancing. Contact Fiesta San Antonio Commission, 122 Heiman, San Antonio, TX 78205; tel. (210) 227-5191.

Scotland

The Edinburgh International Science Fair, April 4 to 19, has something for everyone: more than 100 lectures, a book fair, children’s workshops and even a helium balloon ride. Themes include aging, medical advances and 21st century technology. Topics include human spontaneous combustion, fungus and the science of chocolate. Contact the British Tourist Authority, 551 Fifth Ave., Suite 701, New York, NY 10176-0799; tel. (800) 462-2748.

Events appears monthly.