Regional events for now and later.

• GO TODAY. The Seldom Scene and the Dry Branch Fire Squad light things up today at the Gettysburg (Pa.) Bluegrass Festival, just as they have every year since 1979 . Also , see how the four-day Gettysburg Bluegrass Academy for Kids pays off when the young pickers take the main stage after lunch. If inspiration strikes, strum your own banjo as instrument vendors will be at the festival, which takes place at a campground just outside of town.

10 a.m.-5 p.m. $25 (cash only), golf/lake activities extra. Lawn seating only. About 90 minutes from the Beltway at Granite Hill Campground near Gettysburg, Pa. 800-642-8368, www.gettysburgbluegrass.com.

• GO THIS WEEK. The Big Apple gets shipshape as the USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7), cruisers and destroyers invade New York City for Fleet Week, May 26-June 2. More than 3,500 crisp uniforms on parade, bomb dog demos, flyovers and public ship tours are hallmarks of the annual celebration of the Navy and Marine Corps.

Free. Times and venues vary. About four hours from the Beltway in New York City. 212-784-0130, www.fleetweek.navy.mil.

• PLAN AHEAD. No small wonder: They Might Be Giants headline Touch Wonder Weekend as Baltimore's Maryland Science Center celebrates its renovation and expansion. On May 29-30, catch a nighttime laser light show; pick up nutrition tips from the character who knows best, Slim Goodbody; and see what you shouldn't try at home as demo'd by the Red Bull Air Force jumpers. And that's before you get inside.

Times vary. Outdoor activities free, admission $14. 40 minutes from the Beltway at 601 Light St., Baltimore. 410-685-5225, www.marylandsciencecenter.org.

-- Anne McDonough

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