AUSTIN

Spa devotes a week to gardening issues

Immerse yourself in all things green during Lake Austin Spa Resort's Gardening for Life week April 19-25.

The spa promises a week of inspiration and practical tips in a relaxed setting. Class leaders range from writers to landscape architects to nutritionists, and topics include global gardening issues, composting, garden crafts, Earth Day and garden tours.

Cooking demonstrations and spa treatments also are on the schedule. Prices start at $1,555 per person for three nights.

Contact: 1-800-847-5637; www.lakeaustin.com

SAN ANTONIO

Symphony gets into the Fiesta spirit

The San Antonio Symphony will celebrate the city's Fiesta season by performing with Los Tres Reyes, a bolero trio from Mexico, and hometown artists Mariachi Campanas de America and the Guadalupe Dance Company.

The concert is part of the symphony's Fiesta Pops series, which celebrates popular music of San Antonio and South Texas.

Tickets are sold by the symphony at www .sasymphony.org or 210-554-1010, and by Ticketmaster at www .ticketmaster.com or 1-800-745-3000.

Also in San Antonio April 16-17 is the annual Fiesta Oyster Bake at St. Mary's University. More than 100,000 oysters will be served baked, raw and fried along with many other foods.

Music and entertainment also are featured. Proceeds benefit the university.

Fiesta Oyster Bake contact: 210-436-3324; www.oysterbake.com. Fiesta San Antonio contact: 1-877-723-4378; www.fiesta-sa.org

MUENSTER

Town celebrates its German heritage

More than 30,000 people from Dallas and other parts of Texas are expected to attend the 35th annual Germanfest celebration April 23-25 in Muenster.

In addition to feasting on sausage, sauerkraut, potato salad, apple strudel, cheeses and breads, visitors may participate in traditional German contests and competitive sports events such as a bicycle rally and 5K and 15K runs. Outdoor chefs can test their talent in a barbecue cook-off, and musicians plus other entertainers will perform on three stages.

Muenster is about 83 miles northwest of Dallas on U.S. Highway 82 in Cooke County.

Contact: 1-800-942-8037; www.germanfest.net

OKLAHOMA

Choctaw recalls land rush with ride, festival

The April 24 Land Run Bike Ride in Choctaw, Okla., is really five rides ranging from 10 to 50 miles that welcome families and cyclists of all ages.

Participants can view the scenery in its spring glory, and entry fees will help provide funds to maintain the city's Historical Sculptural Gardens and other landscaped areas.

The bike ride is part of the April 22-24 Choctaw Land Run Festival, which celebrates the Oklahoma Land Run of April 22, 1889.

On that date, the federal government opened 2 million acres of Indian Territory to settlement by Anglos, and about 50,000 people lined up to claim land.

The community that became Choctaw started on land claimed during the land run, and the town, 16 miles east of Oklahoma City, is considered the oldest chartered city in the state.

Contact: 405-390-8276; www.choctawfestival.org

HOUSTON

FotoFest presents photography display

FotoFest Biennial, the longest-running photography biennial in the nation, continues through April 25 in scores of spaces across Houston.

The exhibition focuses on contemporary U.S. photography by exploring trends.

In addition to the exhibitions produced by FotoFest, scores of museums, nonprofit centers, galleries, office buildings, stores and restaurants host exhibits during the same period.

Spaces hosting FotoFest Biennial exhibitions are: 3917 Main St. (Isabella Court), Allen Center I and II, Art League Houston, New World Museum, Williams Tower Gallery, Winter Street Studios and Vine Street Studios.

Among more than 100 other places that choose to exhibit photo-related art during FotoFest are: Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston; The Heritage Society Museum; Museum of Printing History; Art Car Museum; Houston Center for Photography; Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture Gallery at University of Houston; De Santos Gallery; Bank of America Center; Mother Dog Studios; and Ouisie's Table.

Contact: 713-223-5522; www.fotofest.org

LOUISIANA

Ogden Museum offers entry discount

The Ogden Museum of Southern Art at the University of New Orleans has a buy-one-get-one-free admission offer through April 30.

Each adult buying a ticket will receive a free ticket for an adult or child.

Contact: 504-539-9600; www.ogdenmuseum.org/ special offers.html

NEW BRAUNFELS

Hill Country calling – the water is up

Rivers and lakes are running full in the Texas Hill Country near New Braunfels, indicating big fun ahead for those who visit for spring and summer recreation.

Heavy fall and winter rains have led the National Weather Service and local river authority officials to announce the end of a severe drought in the area.

The Guadalupe and Comal rivers and nearby Canyon Lake are popular destinations for fishing, rafting, tubing, swimming, kayaking and water skiing.

New Braunfels is about 30 miles northeast of San Antonio off of Interstate 35 and about 240 miles southwest of Dallas.

Area information: 1-800-572-2626; http://nbcham.org

Video (a comic version of the rules of the river): http://riverrulesandyou.com