Traveler's Advisory

It's a picnic, it's a party, it's summertime, and the hills -- valleys and city streets too -- are alive with the sound of music, of drama, of good times. The pageants go on all across the land; all you have to do is get there.

Summer festivals are an American rite, as varied and delightful as a dazzling July 4 fireworks. They can be elaborate affairs with star performers who draw throngs. Or they can be simple: a series of concerts or readings in the park for listeners lolling on the grass. Leading dance companies and symphony orchestras emerge from their winter homes to blossom in dells or along breezy lakeshores. Opera companies and rep theaters haunt the deserts at night. Cultural traditions and folkways are everywhere on display. This year is the bicentennial of Mozart's death. New England mountain greenery will echo with his works; a traveler can head westward, enjoying the composer's pieces in big towns and small and, in late August, take in a grand Amadeus finale in the vastness of the Hollywood Bowl.

As usual, all the country's a summer stage, and Shakespeare is a frequent player on it. But just around the next curve, or beyond the highway bypass, are dramas that pay tribute to homespun heroes and celebrations that honor a bit of local lore. The stage is set. Take your pick. Herewith a sampling of the best, the most unusual, the most down-home, the most moving and the most fun that the country has to offer itself in this festive season.