In Florida, a Festival That’s Just for the Birds

The annual Florida Birding Festival & Nature Expo, Oct. 4 to 7, will take place in and around Clearwater and St. Petersburg, with activities for experienced and novice birders. The festival is timed to the migration of the numerous birds that nest on nearby barrier islands.

Outings include boat trips to Ft. DeSoto, butterfly searches and night excursions to see owls and bats.

Early registration for field trips is recommended.

For more information, contact the St. Petersburg/Clearwater Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, 14450 46th St. N., Suite 108, Clearwater, FL 33762; telephone (800) 822-6461, Internet https://www.pcef.org.

Mississippi

Natchez was relatively unscathed by Civil War battles. Eighteen of the area’s antebellum homes are open for tours during the Natchez Fall Pilgrimage from Oct. 10 to 27. (Tours visit three each morning and four in the afternoon.) Most of the homes have original furniture, even original wallpaper. Hoop-skirted hostesses will explain local history, architecture and family lore. Evening events include plantation suppers.

For more information, contact Natchez Pilgrimage, Canal Street Depot, P.O. Box 347, Natchez, MS 39120; tel. (601) 446-6631, https://www.natchezpilgrimage.com.

New Mexico

At the 30th annual Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, Oct. 6 to 14, visitors can watch morning mass ascensions and evening glows--and even sign up for balloon rides.

The Special Shape Rodeos show off balloons shaped like animals, for instance, or ships. The competitive events include racing to designated points and dropping weighted bags on targets.

Arrive before sunrise to see it all.

For more information, contact the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, 4401 Alameda Blvd. N.E., Albuquerque, NM 87113;tel. (505) 821-1000, https://www.balloonfiesta.com.

Tennessee

The 29th National Storytelling Festival, from Oct. 5 to 7 in Jonesborough, brings together the country’s top tellers of tales. This year’s featured artists include Jim May, Elizabeth Ellis and Brenda Wong Aoki, but anyone with a good story can join in at the Swappin’ Ground.

Visitors can also explore Jonesborough, the state’s oldest town, nestled between the Blue Ridge and Great Smoky mountains. Book tickets and lodgings early.

For more information, contact the International Storytelling Center, 116 W. Main St., Jonesborough, TN 37659; tel. (800) 952-8392, https://www.storytellingfestival.net.

Wisconsin

Autumn on the Farms at Old World Wisconsin in Eagle, Oct. 20 and 21, offers visitors an opportunity to enjoy the activities of the harvest season as early settlers did. Costumed interpreters demonstrate farm chores, and visitors can help make soap and apple cider and stomp sauerkraut.

This outdoor living history museum, 25 miles west of Milwaukee, contains authentically restored and relocated buildings from the state’s German, Finnish, Norwegian, Danish, Polish, Yankee and African American pioneer homesteads.

For more information, contact Old World Wisconsin; tel. (262) 594-6300, https://www.shsw.wisc.edu/sites/oww.

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