Go south, young man
Not only is Austin the Texan capital, it's the state's cultural heart: This is the best city in Texas, and maybe in America, for live music. This weekend, the town takes on a carnival atmosphere as the annual South by Southwest festival kicks off; hundreds of performers will be there, from up-and-comers such as Basia Bulat to legends such as Smokey Robinson. With its triple focus on new music, film and technology, it brings musicians, film and music-business types and tech gurus to drink beer, eat barbecue and get back in touch with the pleasure of hearing loud music with a roomful of people. www.sxsw.org
Antique chic
One of the world's biggest art and antique fairs kicked off this weekend, appropriately enough in one of Holland's oldest cities. TEFAF Maastricht this year brings more than 200 dealers with well over $2-billion worth of goods, largely traditional paintings (Old Masters are especially hot), sculpture and fine antiques. This is where the world's wealthy go shopping, and take note: While modern art and design figure in here, by all accounts the biggest money is still focused on the centuries before 1900. www.tefaf.com
A hot hotel in Bath
Bath is one of England's top tourist draws, with its millennia of history and active cultural scene (the Bath Comedy Festival, for instance, starts in two weeks). As the high season ramps up, a new boutique hotel is offering inexpensive, un-fusty lodgings in the heart of town. The Halcyon Hotel, just a couple of minutes from the rail station, occupies a Georgian townhouse, but the rooms feature subtly modern design, and start at $138. www.thehalcyon.com
Green day
Wednesday is St. Patrick's Day, and as that proud day approaches in Ireland a new museum is ready to showcase an important figure in Irish culture: the leprechaun. Okay, "important" may be overstating it - in fact it's useful to remember that many Irish aren't thrilled to see their nation identified with those little fairies and their pots of gold. Yet the National Leprechaun Museum, the work of Dublin product designer Tom O'Rahilly, is ready to tell their story with some fantastic experiences, including a room of giant-scaled furniture. Perhaps it's best to avoid sampling any Guinness until after your visit. leprechaunmuseum.ie