Spring is officially here, and the Bay Area is buzzing with everything from tulip gardens to dad punk bands. This week, we’re diving into some of the most interesting happenings around the region, from quirky cultural moments to deeper explorations of history and activism.

Let’s start with something beautiful. Queen Wilhelmina Tulip Garden in Golden Gate Park is hitting peak bloom this month, with thousands of tulips creating those Instagram-worthy rows of color near the historic Dutch Windmill. If you’re looking for an easy walk that doesn’t require leaving the city, this is your moment.

Now, if you want to explore some hidden botanical gems, there’s a handy map of rare and historic trees scattered throughout San Francisco. It’s mobile-friendly, so you can pull it up while walking around your neighborhood and discover unusual specimens you’ve probably passed a hundred times without noticing.

On the more introspective side, the San Francisco Columbarium in the Richmond District remains one of the last surviving pieces of the city’s old cemetery system. Built in 1898, this copper-domed building holds thousands of niches with urns and personal mementos, creating this surreal museum of lives once lived. It’s open daily from sunrise to sunset if you want to experience something genuinely haunting in the best way possible.

Marin is getting weird with a punk band called Le Minivans, formed by five local dads who write songs during school pickup lines. Frontman Matt Swanson, who previously played in Oakland dream-pop band Minipop, channels the chaos of parenting into fast, cathartic riffs. They call it “dad punk,” and honestly, the concept rules.

If you’ve got broken stuff lying around, Repair Café Silicon Valley is offering free pop-up repair events at various Bay Area locations. Volunteers fix everything from hair dryers to torn clothing in about thirty minutes. Upcoming events are scheduled for March 14 in San Jose, March 29 in Mountain View, and April 26 in Palo Alto.

On a more serious note, Kate Schatz, author of the “Rad Women” series, just released a novel called “Where the Girls Were” that explores reproductive justice and women’s rights in 1960s San Francisco. The story follows a high school senior whose unplanned pregnancy leads to exile at a private maternity home, drawing from Schatz’s own family history and the thousands of young women who faced similar situations before Roe v. Wade and accessible birth control.

Finally, Bay Area siblings Kristin Vartan and Sean Ansari Vartan created a fashion and film project called Style Speaks that explores how clothing tells personal stories. Their work is rooted in their mother’s experience fleeing Iran after the revolution, carrying forward a legacy of freedom and creative expression that feels especially urgent right now.