Spring is just around the corner and it’s a time to get outside and enjoy the great outdoors. Here is a selection of festivals around the country that are a great excuse to get back in the spring sunshine.

Dana Point Festival of the Whales

Dana Point, California

March 7 to 8 and 14 to 15,2010

Each year, over two sunny weekends in March the town of Dana Point, California celebrates the return of migratory California Gray whales to this part of the Pacific Ocean. Festivities include whale-watching, an arts festival and educational hands-on activities for the entire family. Prices start at $ 29 per adult and $ 19 for children. For more information, visit www.dpfestivalofwhales.com.

Chandler Ostrich Festival

Chandler, Arizona

March 13 to 15, 2010

Chandler is the center of Ostrich(舵鸟) ranching in the U.S. You can see jockeys ride these feathered around the ostrich track at Tubleweed Park. General admission is $9 for adults, $8 for seniors, $7 for children aged five to 12 and kids four and under are free. For more information visit www.ostrichfestival.com.

Festival of Houses and Gardens

Charleston, South Carolina

March 19 to April 18, 2010

The Historic Charleston Foundation gives curious travelers the opportunity to explore gardens of some of the finest private residences in America. Each three hour tour (afternoons from 2 to 5pm and evenings from 6 to 9 pm) lets you visit eight to ten properties dating from the American colonial period. Prices range from $25 to $45. For more information, visit www.historiccharleston.org.

Tulip Time Festival

Holland, Michigan

May 1 to 9, 2010

You don’t need to travel to the Netherlands this spring to see and smell some of the world’s finest tulips(郁金香). The town of Holland is home to millions of colorful bulbs. The 81stannual Tulip Time Festival, one of the largest flower festivals in America will kick off with fireworks on May 1. Admission fee ranges from $6 for the children’s area to $38 for theatre tickets. Tickets and more information are available at www.tuliptime.com.

Daniel Lamplugh remembers going shopping with his dad on Black Friday." Waking up at 6 a.m. the day after Thanksgiving is what I grew up doing," says the University of New Orleans film student.

A lot has changed since those childhood days. Online retailers(零售商)have forced many chains out of business. Consumers are increasingly shopping with their smart-phones. But a funny thing happened on the way to the future: Most shoppers are not going all-digital. Surveys show they're eager for good experiences at retail stores.

This November and December, for the first time ever retailer websites will get more traffic from mobile users than computer users, predicts Adobe Digital In sights." We live our lives with a combination of the physical and the digital." says Kit Yarrow, author of book Decoding the New Consumer Mind. Retailers have to understand it's not a question of either/or. It's a question of combining the two.

Heather Howe, an MBA student, said," Consumers like shopping on their phones and online because it's more convenient and because there are more options. I went to the Vans store to try on shoes and then I actually purchased them online while I was in the store.

While mobile sales are growing, the widest use smart-phones in stores is researching products or looking up product information(58 percent), closely followed checking or comparing prices(54 percent), according to a survey.

"My phone plays a huge role in online shopping, because I am on the email list for all of my favorite brand. so I get many emails daily informing me of sales, "s Rachel Lynch, who works at a Boston public-relation agency." Also, a store has an app that allows me to chat with other users about the products, and read reviews Online reviews are one of the first things I look at when I am about to buy a new product.”

“Electronics and kitchen equipment are definitely online purchases for me, since they're heavy to get home on the subway and often cheaper online," says Michael Miller-Ernest, a manager in Brooklyn,N.Y.

Do you love Beats headphones, True Religion jeans, and UGG shoes? These are some of the most popular brands (牌子) around. They are also expensive. But some experts say they are not much better than cheaper brands.

For example, Jim Wilcox works for Consumer Reports. He tested all kinds of headphones. He says that $80 Koss Pro headphones provide basically the same quality (质量) and comfort as Beats. So why do people pay twice or even 10 times as much for the hottest brands?

Experts say it’s because fashionable, expensive brands send a message. Brands say “I belong” or “I can afford it.”

Some people think that expensive brand names are worth the price. They say that some designer clothes really are top quality and that they last longer than cheaper brands. Some teenagers choose to wear popular brands because these brands make them feel good about themselves.

Alexandra Allam, 17, likes to buy brand-name products. “I’d rather spend the extra money to get something I know I’ll be satisfied with,” she says. Her friend Emmy Swan agrees, saying “As long as you can afford it, it seems reasonable to buy what you want.” But not all teenagers agree. “Spending hundreds of dollars for designer sunglasses is stupid and unreasonable,” says Daniel Steinbrecher, 16. “It’s fake (假的) happiness.”

People who are against wearing expensive brand names say that many designer brands aren’t any better. “It’s wasteful to buy things just because they are popular,” says Edmund Williams, 15. “You’ll feel better if you buy things because you like them. If you have extra money to spend, it would be better to give it to people in need.”