FastPlans/Boats in Duluth

In Duluth, the shipping season is in full swing.

The first laker left the harbor March 20, and the first saltie, the Marshall Islands-flagged Federal Weser, arrived April 12. Locals as well as tourists are happy to see the big boats back.

How to keep track of boats: Check arrivals and departures on Harbor Lookout and see boat descriptions on Boat Nerd.

What to do: Visit the free Lake Superior Maritime Visitors Center next to the Aerial Lift Bridge. 

Events to catch: April 28, Lester River whitewater kayak race. May 13, Run Smelt Run parade.

Details: For more, see Boat watching in Duluth and Duluth 101.

Past fast plans: A John Muir tour in Wisconsin, Spring in Galena, Baseball in Milwaukee, On Lake Pepin, Spotting eagles

This weekend

Take a spring drive and gawk at art.

Bluff Country Studio Art Tour in southeast Minnesota and northeast Iowa. Take a spring drive and visit artists in and around Winona, Lanesboro, Spring Grove and Harmony in Minnesota and Decorah in Iowa. April 27–29.

Behind the Arts Studio Tour in Racine and Kenosha, Wis. Visit more than 100 artists at 30 studios, in Racine on Saturday and in Kenosha on Sunday. April 27–29.

St. Paul Art Crawl in St. Paul. Tour the studios of more than 300 artists, many in the Lowertown, downtown and Raymond neighborhoods. April 27–29.

Minnesota Horse Expo in St. Paul. There's a parade of breeds daily at noon, free pony and wagon rides and a rodeo Friday and Saturday evenings and Sunday afternoon. April 27–29.

For more, see our Events Calendar.

Road trip: Wildflowers of the Mississippi Valley

A spring quest leads to Minnesota bluff country and Wisconsin river towns.

In May, the woods are full of people on the hunt.

Some are stalking morel mushrooms. Others are trying to bag a turkey or spot a rare warbler.

The rest of us are content to chase wildflowers. For one thing, we’re guaranteed success.

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20 great spring hikes

The scenery along these lovely trails will put a spring in your step.

What's so great about hiking in spring? That's easy – there's so much to see.

Move your feet in any direction and you'll run across wildflowers, waterfalls and, best of all, sweeping views that last only until the trees leaf out.

Head out before summer makes its brash appearance, with walls of greenery and fleets of bugs.

Here are 20 great places to go hiking in spring.

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20 great spring drives

When weather warms, the urge to hit the road is irresistible.

It's a beautiful spring day — finally. The trees are budding, the birds are chirping. What do you do?

Road trip! Somehow, the call of the highway is especially strong in spring. We want to feel the wind on our face and see something new and unusual.

There's a lot to do along the way: Walk through bluebells, spot birds, visit artist studios, sample cheese, watch a parade.

Here are 20 of the best spring drives in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois and  Michigan, along with festivals you'll want to catch, in 2018.

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Waterfalls of the North Shore

When snow melts along Lake Superior, the rivers start to roar.

Up north, all of the snow that brought you great skiing just keeps on giving when spring arrives.

That's when it turns into waterfalls, roaring down river gorges and misting awed onlookers.

One of the easiest places to see lots of big waterfalls is along Minnesota's North Shore, where dozens of rivers roar down into Lake Superior. Where there's water, there's a waterfall.

When's the best time to go? As soon as ice melts, of course.

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