It's that time again. Weekend road trips top the priority list and everyone's itching to get out and explore some new haunts. Keep an eye out for suggestions in this series to get your vacation on.

--Jessica Jones

Arts & Entertainment editor

features@gulfcoastnewspapers.com

In cooperation with Birmingham Zoo and McWane Science Center, Birmingham Botanical Gardens presents Birmingham’s Butterfly Education and Awareness Day on June 15. Each year, the Association for Butterflies, a non-profit organization dedicated to the welfare of butterflies through conservation, research and promotion of butterfly gardening and butterfly farmers, celebrates Butterfly Education Awareness Day on the first Saturday of June.

This year, three of Birmingham’s most recognizable cultural institutions have chosen Father’s Day weekend to bring the same celebration to the Magic City as part of The Gardens’ “Get Into The Gardens” series. The event will be held at The Gardens from 10a .m. to 2 p.m.; admission is free.

Birmingham Zoo will host children’s activities with butterfly releases scheduled for 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. McWane Science Center will also hold a drawing for free tickets to its latest feature, “Flight of the Butterflies.” Fresh Air Family will host “Hikes for Tykes,” a walk led by Verna Gates focusing on butterfly lore, legend and stories based on Monarch butterflies. The hike, designed for pre-school children and their parents, will begin at 10 a.m. Arnie Rutkis from Stoneshovel Landscaping will discuss ideas for creating butterfly and pollinator gardens. There will also be plants available for purchase.

For more information, call 205-414-3959.

About Birmingham Botanical Gardens

Birmingham Botanical Gardens is Alabama's largest living museum with more than 12,000 different plants in its living collections. The Gardens' 67.5 acres contains more than 25 unique gardens, 30-plus works of original outdoor sculpture and miles of serene paths. The Gardens features the largest public horticulture library in the U.S., conservatories, a wildflower garden, two rose gardens, the Southern Living garden and Japanese Gardens with a traditionally-crafted tea house. Education programs run year round and more than 10,000 school children enjoy free science-curriculum based field trips annually. The Gardens is open daily, offering free admission to more than 350,000 yearly visitors.