The following information was disseminated by the Travel Berkeley Springs office:

Yellow is the color of Easter in Berkeley Springs this year -- yellow daffodils, yellow forsythia -- with splatterings of pink, white and red tree blossoms as accents.

The Smithsonian Institution arrives in Berkeley Springs this weekend bringing its impressive "New Harmonies" exhibition tracing the rhythm of America's soul through roots music. Housed at the Ice House for the next six weeks, the exhibit has a gala public opening celebration on Saturday at 7:30pm. It is open for touring and listening from 11am to 5pm on Saturday and Sunday.

The exhibit includes seven kiosks and spreads through two major rooms in the Ice House. It includes everything from hundreds of photographs and artifacts to instruments and recordings. Roots music runs the gamut from gospel and country to blues and zydeco.

While at the Ice House, stop in the Gallery and see the spectacular show of handmade books and paper art -- a stunning array of what artists can do.

Experience real, live local roots music at the Troubadour on Saturday and Sunday when owner Jim McCoy celebrates his 80th birthday by showcasing the Country Majestics at a dancing party Saturday night from 9pm to midnight and a Sunday afternoon jam with many other musicians on Sunday beginning at 1pm. There's more local music on Thursday nights at Tari's Cafe where the weekly jam nite is this week hosted by Mike Clement. Music starts at 8pm but great food begins at lunch. Thursdays bring horseradish and garlic encrusted prime rib specials and Chef Devin's special jam nite appetizers.

Easter Sunday is a favorite dining out day and we recommend that you make reservations. Panorama at the Peak offers their brunch and dinner menu from 10am to 5pm on Sunday featuring everything from WV trout to farm-fresh eggs benedict and vegetarian meals. The Country Inn features an outstanding Easter Brunch from noon to 5pm on Sunday featuring both honey-rum glazed ham and leg of lamb. Tari's Cafe is also serving Easter special dinners from 11am to 5pm only. Check our other fine restaurants from the exquisite Lot 12 to family-friendly Cacapon State Park for buffets and other Easter weekend specials. If you are staying in a vacation home and planning to cook your own dinner, check out Easter holiday hams that can be cooked and cut to your specifications at Tony's Butcher Block.

Saturday is an Easter Egg hunt at 2pm in Great Cacapon, just over Cacapon Mountain. The Egg Hunt is put on by the Great Cacapon Fire Company. Your teens will want to take you to the Star Theatre this weekend for the funny and exuberant "Fired Up" movie on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights at 8pm. It's the entertaining story of how two high school football stars decide they'd rather spend their time surrounded by girls at cheerleading camp than sweat through one more football camp. You can always drop off your kids and slip upstairs to La Luna Wine Bar where you can watch the lights and catch them as they come out after the movie.

For our outdoor sports fans, Saturday is the opening of both sporting clays and handgun ranges at Sleepy Creek Sports. Other outdoor fun this weekend includes the exceptional 18-hole golf course at Cacapon State Park as well as several top-rated hiking trails including a 12 mile trail along the top spine of Cacapon Mountain, accessed through to the park, the easy C&O Canal towpath with the Paw Paw Tunnel at its western end, and the challenging Tuscarora Trail along Sleepy Creek Mountain accessed at Spruce Pine Hollow. For bikers, both motorized and pedal, check our handy selection of seven mapped rides through the region. The roads are great for both bikes and motorcycles.

To capture that sense of renewal that is the essence of Easter, we suggest you mark out several hours at least for enjoying Berkeley Springs' health-giving spas. You can start with the historic Roman Baths in Berkeley Springs State park then move on to a long list of other bodywork treatments by certified therapists, many of them world class. Try facials, pedicures that include full foot massages, acupuncture and more than twenty different massage techniques. All this bodywork is available from spas, health centers and individual practitioners all listed on our spa pages. For an affordable spa package, try the Country Inn and its Five Senses Spa or book at Highlawn Inn where Sandy takes care of arranging whatever treatments you choose.

There is also plenty of shopping in town from antiques to homeopathic medicine's spring tonics. You cannot resist taking home a treasure.
Check out our lodging pages to discover where there are vacancies available, what special deals places have to offer and to find the ideal pillow for your head. Whether its an isolated cabin along the Cacapon River or atop a mountain, or a pampering B&B or historic inn -- we have a place for you in historic Berkeley Springs, closer than anywhere.