On Tuesday, March 17, Americans will paint their faces green and don their woolen sweaters to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. This year, why not make a last-minute road trip to one of these five U.S. cities to catch the big parade and throw back some Guinness with the locals? Considering how many great airline deals are out there, you may even luck out with a cheap flight!

Chicago: The Windy City has dyed its river bright green since 1962 (don’t worry, the dye used in the annual event is not harmful to the environment). Chicago’s parade is packed with floats, marching bands, Clydesdale horses, and, of course, Irish step dancers. See our Chicago Travel Guide

Four more seriously green St. Paddy’s Day cities after the jump. Read the rest of this post »

Keep your eyes on the sky: that’s neither a bird nor a plane flying above the Golden Gate Bridge, but rather a bona fide zeppelin! The $8 million German-made behemoth — measuring nearly 250 feet long with a capacity for 12 passengers — is the first zeppelin in the U.S. for over 70 years (it began operations in fall 2008), and offers “flightseeing” tours primarily over the San Francisco Bay area (similar operations have operated successfully in Germany and Japan since 2001). If all goes well with the Cali launch, Airship Ventures intends to spread airship operations to other U.S. locations. Tickets from $495; tours range from 30min to 2hrs.

Deals and Destination Advice: See our San Francisco Travel Guide