Destination information for Houston, New York/Newark & Cleveland

New York/Newark
Houston
Cleveland

New York/Newark

Tap into the Greens

The organizers of the Green Apple Festival remind you to walk, cycle, or take public transportation to the Earth Fair at Central Park. New York’s Earth Day festivities run April 18–20 and are part of a nationwide celebration of the environment. In addition to a lineup of great music, the festival will host nonprofit organizations promoting new technologies and products. Last year’s Green Apple Festival was billed as the largest carbonneutral event of its kind. greenapplemusicfestival.com

Archie and Jughead will be there, and so will the Vixens of Virtue and the Vixens of Vice. New York Comic Con is the East Coast’s largest comics expo, with more than 200 booths of comic books, graphic novels, anime, and video games. Taking place April 18–20 at the Javits Center, the event features autograph signings and panel discussions. New artists will be crowned king, and old ones will take bows. The Yellow Kid (star of New York’s first comic strip) would be proud. 888.605.6059; nycomiccon.com

At Hunter Mountain, a couple of hours north of New York City, the Tap New York Craft Beer & Fine Food Festival 2008 flows forth April 26 and 27. More than 100 types of suds from 30-plus brewmasters will be competing for the Best Beer and Best Brewery awards. Cooking demonstrations and food are also on tap. And did we mention beer? 800.486.8376; tap-ny.com

— David McDonough

Houston

Inspiration Nation

Little league serves as the battleground for new coach Michael, who wants kids to have fun, and cutthroat veteran coach Don, in Richard Dresser’s play Rounding Third. Running April 4–20, the sidesplitting send-up of modern times hits a home run at Stages Theatre. Continental is an official sponsor of Stages Theatre. 713.527.0123; stagestheatre.com

Over two weekends this month — April 19–20 and 26–27 — you can experience the exotic music and tasty treats of Africa during the Houston International Festival. This year’s theme is “Out of Africa,” and hundreds of thousands of visitors are expected to come out for festivities that will include street performances and a one-of-a-kind juried arts and crafts show. 713.654.8808; ifest.org

The Five Blind Boys of Mississippi — one of the nation’s most influential postwar gospel vocal groups — perform in Galveston April 19 at Gospel by the Sea. The Blind Boys’ “Our Father” was one of the first gospel songs to land on the Billboard R&B chart, in the early 1950s. Also sure to raise the roof at Moody Gardens Convention Center are the Abundant Life Choir and the Greater St. Matthew Praise Dancers. All proceeds benefit St. Vincent’s House. 409.763.8521; stvhope.org

— Michele Meyer

Cleveland

Help Thy Planet

Show some love for Mother Nature by showing up for EarthFest 2008, Sunday, April 20, at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. Organized by the Earth Day Coalition, it’s the largest annual environmental education event in Ohio. Learn about clean fuels, greening your home, and other ways to be a better caretaker of the planet. More than 100 exhibitors share information, and crafts and games for kids make it a family-friendly occasion. 216.281.6468; earthdaycoalition.org

This month is your last chance to check out Humans: A Field Guide at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History and find out more about what makes you tick, think, and tell jokes. The exhibit, which closes April 27, examines the origins of life, our kinship with primates, and what makes us different from all other mammals. 216.231.4600; cmnh.org.

— Laura Taxel

Getting There: All the destinations covered in “Go Explore” can be reached by flying Continental Airlines. To book your trip, contact Continental Airlines Vacations at covacations.com.

Photographs: courtesy of Tap New York; courtesy of The Houston International Festival; istockphoto (gorilla)