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There's a lot to be said for spontaneity - weekends where you roll out of bed and hit the road without much forethought into where you'll wind up or what you'll be doing.
But don't discount the value of planning. Some of Chattanooga's signature events are worth penciling in. We've picked 10 for your must-do list.
* April 12: Lookouts home opener - Opening night for the Chattanooga Lookouts will offer the first of 14 fireworks shows this season at AT&T Field. Fans also can expect seven entertainment acts and three bobblehead giveaways during the home season, which continues through August. www.lookouts.com
* April 16-17: 4 Bridges Arts Festival - Art Fair Sourcebook has named this annual juried show one of the Prime 50 Fine Art Fairs in the U.S. for 2016. Serious and casual art buyers will find stellar works from 156 artists throughout the United States. A preview party on the 15th offers early access to limited editions. The Association for Visual Arts pulls it all together. www.4bridgesartsfestival.org
* April 23-24: Chattanooga Market - For many area residents, Sunday wouldn't be complete without a visit to the open-air arts, crafts and farmers market at First Tennessee Pavilion. On opening weekend, you can check out the goods on Saturday, too. The market lasts through November, and themes will change each week to support worthy causes or spotlight whatever produce is in season. chattanoogamarket.com
* May 6: Nightfall - Music rings out from the heart of downtown each Friday night for this summer series at Miller Plaza. It's a chance to hear a diverse lineup of world-class musicians free of charge. The weekly series continues through Aug. 26. nightfallchattanooga.com
* May 21: Jfest - Folktronica musician Crowder is set to headline the area's largest contemporary Christian festival, which falls a month earlier on the calendar this year. Presented by radio station J103, the event will offer music all day at Camp Jordan, plus a Kidsworld for children under 10. jfest.com
* June 10-18: Riverbend Festival - Big names in multiple genres are already on the list for this summer music vacation on the riverfront - Thomas Rhett, Heart, Trampled by Turtles, For King & Country, Brett Eldredge, Salt-N-Pepa and REO Speedwagon to name a few. There are plenty more to come. Some 100 acts take multiple stages during the nine-day festival. www.riverbendfestival.com.
* Aug. 20: Southern Brewers Festival - More than 100 breweries travel from near and far for this one-day festival on the river. Bands will play all day. www.southernbrewersfestival.com
* Sept. 24-25: Hamilton County Fair - For some, this annual event is a competition for blue ribbons and bragging rights in a multitude of make, bake, sew and grow categories. For others, it's simply a chance to stroll Chester Frost Park to hear the bands, watch a blacksmith or pet a cow. www.hamiltontn.gov/fair
* Oct. 1: Wine Over Water - This premiere wine-tasting event takes over the Walnut Street Bridge for samples of wines from more than 100 wineries from around the world and food from area restaurants. www.wineoverwater.org
* Oct. 28: Cirque de la Symphonie with CSO - As a special event for the 2016-17 season, the Chattanooga Symphony & Opera will host a troupe of aerial flyers, acrobats, contortionists, dancers, jugglers and strongmen, whose acts will be choreographed to classical masterpieces. Stay tuned later for "Madame Butterfly," the CSO's first fully produced opera since 2009, to be presented in two performances in March 2017. www.chattanoogasymphony.org.