Events worth traveling for

The largest hot-air balloon gathering on earth — 500+ balloons at dawn.

NYC's free holiday market and ice rink in Midtown Manhattan.

A traditional German-style Christmas market in the heart of the Loop.

Two desert weekends of headliners, art installations, and palm-lined stages.

"The most exciting two minutes in sports" — big hats, mint juleps, and Churchill Downs.

Weeks of parades, beads, and king cake building to Fat Tuesday.

Washington's spring bloom around the Tidal Basin — a sea of pink cherry blossoms.

A whole month of Halloween in America's witch city.

The biggest pop-culture convention in North America — 130,000 fans every July.

The world's largest marathon — 50,000 runners across all five boroughs.

Two October weekends of music in Zilker Park, in the live-music capital.

A fast, flat World Marathon Major through 29 Chicago neighborhoods.

The "world's greatest collector car auctions" under the Arizona sun.

Four days of camping and music on "the Farm" in rural Tennessee.

The world's oldest annual marathon — Patriots' Day from Hopkinton to Boylston Street.

A temporary city of radical art and self-reliance in the Nevada desert.

"The Daddy of 'em All" — the world's largest outdoor rodeo, in Wyoming.

The world's greatest aviation celebration — for one week Oshkosh has the busiest airport on earth.

A high-altitude weekend of celebrity chefs and grand tastings.

Tampa's giant pirate invasion and parade along Bayshore Boulevard.

Thousands of American beers under one roof in Denver.

The largest free hot-air balloon event in the world, at dawn in Reno.

The world's largest livestock show and rodeo — plus huge headliner concerts.

The quintessential American state fair — butter cow, corn dogs, and everything on a stick.

Four days of music in Chicago's Grant Park, skyline and all.

Five days of fresh lobster on the Rockland waterfront.

A 16th-century English village of jousting, ale, and revelry near Annapolis.

"The Super Bowl of Swine" — the world's biggest pork barbecue contest.

"The Great Minnesota Get-Together" — one of the largest state fairs in the U.S.

A Labor Day weekend of a million-plus wings in the city that invented them.

A week of cherries, air shows, and lakeside fun in Traverse City.

Two weekends of music, food, and culture at the Fair Grounds.

The East Coast's biggest pop-culture convention, at the Javits Center.

The world's largest Halloween parade, marching up Sixth Avenue in the Village.

The legendary seaside jazz festival at Fort Adams in Rhode Island.

America's largest Oktoberfest, in Cincinnati's German-rooted riverfront.

The largest overlanding gathering — rigs, gear, and skills in the high country.

Portland's century-old civic celebration — the Grand Floral Parade and waterfront fun.

One of the world's largest Pride celebrations — a massive parade down Market Street.

The world's largest cycling festival — races, demos, and a huge expo at Laguna Seca.

Blue Angels overhead and hydroplanes on Lake Washington all summer.

Big Tex, fried everything, and 24 days of Texas-sized fair at Fair Park.

The legendary Black Hills motorcycle rally — hundreds of thousands of riders.

Spring's big aviation gathering — airshows and thousands of aircraft in Florida.

America's premier independent film festival, in snowy Park City.

The largest Renaissance faire in the U.S. — nine themed weekends in the piney woods.

The New Year's Day parade of flower-covered floats in Pasadena.

The world's largest one-day classic-car cruise, on Detroit's Woodward Avenue.