What a perfect pair: Today, celebrate National Chili Day,and visit your favorite local spot and grab a bowl of hot goodness. We’re divided into camps of beans-no beans, meat-no meat, and the strangest one of all: Toppings-no toppings. No matter how you enjoy chili, Today’s the day.

A large number of restaurants have figured out a marketing plan for the day to help drive traffic inside. A free bowl of chili is the way to go! A Washington DC area spot, Hard Times Cafe, has the perfect enticement: Free Chili all day long! Your choice: Texas, Cincinnati, Veggie.

Hard to be a Washingtonian and not think of Ben’s Chili Bowl. No holiday necessary to pop in for their famous half smoke topped with chili or just a big bowl of the hot stuff. Tradition.

If you’re in Cincinnati, a city that has its own food trend, Cincinnati Chili, then head over to one of the Gold Star Chili locations (in Cincinnati and in neighboring states) as they get ready to join the festivities. Cincinnati chili lovers have a sweet flavor profile in their ingredient mix and often just shout-out Chili 5-ways, the works.

Texas chili, on the other hand, skips the beans and adds the firepower with some form of chili pepper.

If you’re snowed in and under, then there are plenty of basic recipes worth making. Have your at-home celebration with a cold brewski and watch the 7,000 hours of the Olympics you taped! Make it your way.

Chili today; spring a’comin’.