Go online to find the best St. Patrick’s Day parties nationwide

Whether you’re Irish or just wish you were, St. Patrick’s Day on March 17 is a fine reason to travel to a place that celebrates Celtic history and tradition — and provides a good party.

It wouldn’t be Irish without shamrocks. Get an unexpected slant on the holiday at Shamrock, Texas — www.shamrocktx.net — where they observe St. Patrick’s Day with a country fair and a rodeo.

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The Boston Police Gaelic Column marches in the South Boston St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

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William B. Plowman/AP

Members of the Mellow Galways band, from Galway, Ireland, carry bagpipes as they march in the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade in South Boston.

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If that’s too untraditional for you, there’s lots of green, including the park fountains, in Savannah. The city claims the nation’s second-largest St. Patrick’s Day parade — www.savannahsaintpatricksday.com — and one of the oldest. There’s no rodeo, but in addition to a parade, there’s the Celtic Cross ceremony and the Greening of the Fountain ceremony.

While you’re there, enjoy the Savannah Music Festival, which starts a day later. The Convention & Visitors Bureau — www.savannah-visit.com — is a good source of information on places to stay and other things to see and do.

Across the winding waterways from Savannah, Tybee Island stages its Fifth Annual Tybee Island Irish Heritage Celebration Parade on March 14 at 3 p.m.

One of the highlights of the 90-unit parade is, ironically, a Bahamian junkanoo group called Barabbas and the Tribe. Shuttles will run between Tybee Island and downtown Savannah March 13-17. Find details at www.tybeevisit.com/.

From Savannah and Tybee, move up to the greening of the river at Chicago — www.chicagostpatsparade.com — and enjoy the city’s annual St. Pat’s parade. The city’s CVB — www.choosechicago.com — has what you need to know about nightlife for post-parade relaxation, plus shopping in Chicago’s many boutiques, galleries and specialty shops.

Don’t forget Boston, where there’s a complete Boston Irish Tourism Association — www.irishmassachusetts.com/index.php — with a list of the area’s parades, including the one through South Boston. There’s also a directory of Irish bars and restaurants such as the Last Hurrah, a politicians’ hangout that has been around for almost 150 years.

But, of course, this country’s best known celebration is New York City’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade — www.saintpatricksdayparade.com/nyc/newyorkcity.htm — up Fifth Avenue. Check out the parade history — the first one on record was in Lower Manhattan in 1762 — and look for suggestions for best viewing spots. For other parades around New York and the rest of the country, click on Home in the upper left corner.

The parade has to be on Fifth Avenue because that’s where St. Patrick’s Cathedral sits. Visit the Archdiocese — ny-archdiocese.org/pastoral — and click on the Cathedral link to learn about its history. By the way, this isn’t the original; New York Architecture Images can show you the first St. Pat’s — www.nyc-architecture.com/SOH/SOH038.htm — still in use in Little Italy.

After the parade, if you’re not focused on partying in one of the city’s many Irish bars, click on Visitors at the city’s NYC & Co. — www.nycvisit.com — to learn about shopping, places to stay and Broadway shows. Check out Things to Do for television productions you can watch live, including “Saturday Night Live” and “Late Show With David Letterman,” then scan Maps & Neighborhoods to see where things are and explore Itineraries.

• Read more about St. Patrick’s Day in Savannah

• Savannah travel guide

• Photos: Savannah’s 2008 St. Patrick’s parade

• Photos: Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day worldwide