7 terrific Bay Area things to do this weekend, March 22-24

Spring has sprung, which makes this a great weekend for … doing what we always do. And some great weekend trips, shows, concerts and other fun stuff await.

As always, be sure to double check event and venue websites for any last-minute changes in health guidelines. Meanwhile, if you’d like to have this Weekender lineup delivered to your inbox every Thursday morning for free, just sign up at www.mercurynews.com/newsletters or www.eastbaytimes.com/newsletters.

1 SEE & HEAR: Great shows are all over

From basketball-themed plays to an exhibit honoring women rock concert poster artists, there are a lot of cool things to see and do this weekend.

2 PLAY: Say yes to Yountville

For a relatively small community, Napa County’s Yountville has a lot of cool places to eat, sip and play. Here’s an itinerary to fill your weekend.

3 READ: The art of common-sense cooking

Ina Garten protege Lidey Heuck just dropped a new cookbook, “Cooking in Real Life: Delicious & Doable Recipes for Every Day,” and shared with us some of her no-nonsense tips and recipes for home chefs.

4 COOK & EAT: Mmmm … minestrone

The best thing about minestrone soup — besides its hearty flavor — is how you can adjust it to fit any kind of meal or season.

5 SEE & HEAR: Living paintings on display

Once a year, a Walnut Creek church revives a centuries-old art form of re-creating religious paintings using live actors and artists. Here’s how you can see it.

6 SEE & HEAR: The Plastics are back

“Mean Girls,” the stage musical adapted from the iconic movie, is in San Jose for a short run, and we have a hunch your Gen Z daughters will get a kick out of it.

7 WATCH: ‘Road House’ returns …

… And, yes, it’s every bit as dumb, good, violent and FUN as the original. It tops our roundup of new movies and shows you should know about.