When you think of fall, you probably think of New England: The scarves, sweaters, pumpkins, and fallen leaves. But there are multiple different incarnations of fall across the U.S.A., each of which is worth celebrating and enjoying. From hot air balloon traditions to off-season surfing, we’ve compiled the 12 best fall activities across the U.S.A.
1: Leaf Peeping (Vermont)
(Photo provided by Katherine Parker-Magyar)
We’d be remiss not to acknowledge the truth within the aforementioned seasonal trope: Autumn in New England truly is spectacular. When it comes to leaf-peeping, Vermont just simply can’t be topped. Plus, the road trip to the mountaintops scattered across the state helps to illustrate that there is more to do up north than just hit the slopes. Smuggler’s Notch Pass, in particular, is famed for being a maze of multi-colored trees in the autumn—with leaves ranging from magenta to canary yellow, burnt orange to rose gold. Other popular options include the Kingdom Trails, Shelburne Farm & Orchards, and Mount Mansfield. Our runner-up destinations include the Berkshires, in Western Massachusetts, and the Million Dollar Highway, in Colorado.
2: Hot Air Ballooning (Nevada)
(Photo provided by Katherine Parker-Magyar)
Head to Reno, Nevada, for the Great Hot Air Balloon Race, which takes place every September and even puts the famed balloon capital of Cappadocia to shame. The Sierra Desert, after all, is best viewed from above. When you’re visiting for the Great Hot Air Balloon Race, you should make a trip out to Lake Tahoe—Incline Village, on the Nevada side of the lake, is only a 45-minute drive. The second runner-up is, perhaps unsurprisingly, located in the southwest, as well: Albuquerque, New Mexico. Finally, travelers should remember to pack warm clothing—just because you’re in the desert doesn’t mean the temperature is consistently sunny and hot. It becomes quite cold at night (and in the early morning, which you will experience when you rise at 5 a.m. for cocktails and the light show at the Great Hot Air Balloon Race in Reno.)
3: Surfing (Rhode Island)
(Photo provided by Katherine Parker-Magyar)
Newport may be known as the sailing capital of the world and Bannister’s Wharf indeed boasts its liveliest nightlife during July and August, but it’s a well-kept secret that fall is actually the best time to visit America’s First Resort Town in New England. This is also the time of year that boasts the best surfing for vacationers looking to best capitalize on the Ocean State and all it has to offer, as the beaches are less crowded than the summertime, the water remains warm, and the swells grow as winter approaches. Narragansett is another popular spot for surfing—just a quick drive over two bridges from Newport, which is on Aquidneck Island. Another plus? The cost of hotels at the resort towns drops incrementally, as the summer tourists have returned home. (And the real ocean lovers begin to arrive.)
4: Birding (Florida)
(Photo provided by Katherine Parker-Magyar)
Florida is one of the best birding destinations in the world, and there’s no better time to fly south than when the majority of the birds are flying too—October, of course. We suggest paying a visit to the Everglades as well while you’re there—it may not be the Amazon Rainforest, but it’s the closest one can get within America’s borders. The South Florida bird migration is particularly notable in October, as aficionados can expect to observe Rose-breasted grosbeak, Black-throated Green Warbler, Yellow-billed Cuckoos, and more—all of which are as colorful as they sound. Also colorful? The road trip to Miami from the Everglades on the way to the airport for your ride home. The sunset is a pastel dreamscape best observed driving down one of those empty, swampy roads that manage to be both beautiful and haunting at the same time.
5: City Tripping (New York)
(Photo provided by Katherine Parker-Magyar)
From bird-watching to people watching—we’re heading from one world-renowned destination to another as it pertains to their respective pastimes. The city that famously never sleeps is at its best in the autumn months. While the tulips in Central Park certainly make an argument for springtime, ultimately that season is too fleeting (and winter too long, and summer too hot) for there to be any true competition to our autumnal favorite. New York City is simply at its best in the fall—walk around the Upper West Side like you’re in a Meg Ryan film, or head downtown to explore the picturesque streets of the village. The temperature is not sweltering yet or freezing, the summer tourists have left and the Christmas visitors have yet to arrive. To paraphrase F. Scott Fitzgerald, the world starts all over again in the fall, and you feel that in the crisp air and the changing leaves dropping on the city sidewalks.
6: Whale Watching (Washington)
(Photo provided by Katherine Parker-Magyar)
The month of October is the best time of year for whale watching in the San Juan Islands, which are located off the coast of Seattle and are famously home to a pod of orcas. In October and November, you also have a chance of seeing the humpback whales swim through the area. Additionally, the Pacific Northwest landscape is breathtaking enough on land that if you happen not to see a whale (highly unlikely) you will have plenty to distract you with the wild beauty found along the coast.
7: Wine Tasting (California)
(Photo provided by Katherine Parker-Magyar)
It’s harvest time in Napa & Sonoma (as well as the underrated Central Coast)—need we say more? Recreate a scene out of Sideways and partake of the local fruit. If you are planning a visit to wine country, you may visit during the season’s peak. (And stomp on the grapes while you’re there, as well.) We recommend staying at the Sonoma Mission Inn when visiting Napa Valley—go ahead, treat yourself. Autumn is officially the season in Napa when travelers are encouraged to “Celebrate the Grape,” and there is no better place to do that than at the Cakebread Family Harvest Festival, which usually takes place in mid-October, and is reason enough to plan your first fall-flavored wine country visit. (Just don’t mix your Chardonnay with Pumpkin Spice—we speak from experience.)
8: Camping (Minnesota)
(Photo provided by Katherine Parker-Magyar)
Find out why the North Shore of the Midwest is just as enticing as the famed landmark in Oahu, Hawaii. The North Shore of Minnesota is famously beautiful and ideal for hiking and camping; we especially recommend the latter. And chasing the fall colors in Minnesota’s North Shore has become a pastime entirely its own—as mentioned earlier, New England isn’t the only place for foliage during leaf-peeping season (and Minnesota is far less crowded, as it’s more underrated.) Finally, travelers should prepare to pack warmly for the weather, as the North Country is famously cold in the winter, and you will begin to feel the temperatures drop in early autumn. Plus, the leaves change earlier in the season the further north you travel. For these reasons and more, we suggest visiting in September through early October to experience the all-American landscape at its peak. (Pun intended.)
9: Country Living (Texas)
(Photo provided by Katherine Parker-Magyar)
Similar to New York City, which finally hits its temperate stride in the fall, Texas is similarly gorgeous to visit at this time of year when it is not swelteringly hot. When you visit Texas, be sure to visit the ranches, go to the music festivals, buy cowboy boots in Dallas, go on a pub crawl in Houston, take a riverwalk in San Antonio, and explore the live music (and drinking) circuit of Austin. The options are truly endless. Everything is bigger in Texas, after all. Just don’t forget to order Tex-Mex and an accompanying margarita for every meal. If everything is bigger in the Republic of Texas, your waistline can surely accommodate the mandate in the name of Texas pride. Clear eyes, full heart, can’t lose.
10: Haunted Tours (South Carolina)
(Photo provided by Katherine Parker-Magyar)
Fall is also the perfect time to visit South Carolina, as the changing colors of the leaves perfectly complement the Southern architecture—especially in the pastel-perfect city of Charleston. But is everything as heavenly as it seems in the Holy City? Sign up for a Ghost Tour to find out why this is maybe not exactly the case. The historic walking tours in this gorgeous city are legendary, and there’s no better time to find out whether you’re really afraid of the dark than during the spooky season of Halloween.
11: Food Festivals (New Mexico)
(Photo provided by Katherine Parker-Magyar)
Fall is harvest, which, not coincidentally, lines up with some of our favorite wine and food festivals of the entire year. The decision was quite difficult to make for this selection, when contemplating the Nantucket Wine & Food Festival on its namesake island off the coast of Massachusetts, or the Harvest Festival in Portland, Maine. But, at the end of the day, there truly was only one clear winner: The Santa Fe Wine & Chili festival is so unique and distinct to its southwestern backdrop, it’s a must-do fall activity. Check out the art scene, learn more about the local culture, enjoy the perfectly temperate weather, and appreciate the desert’s changing seasons. People like to think the desert looks the same all year-round, but we’re here to tell you in fact it does not. And it's peaking in beauty during the fall.
12: Horseback Riding (Wyoming)
(Photo provided by Katherine Parker-Magyar)
From a place that people believe never changes from season to season to a destination famous for its drastic change in weather and temperature, all the better to prove a cowboy’s grit. We are talking, of course, about the Cowboy State of Wyoming, and we suggest reenacting these native traditions yourself by saddling up in the mountains of Grand Teton National Park and the desert valleys of Jackson Hole. Be sure to visit in the fall, however, as the summer is too smoky to have any good vision due to the forest fires from the Mountain West and as far away as California. Winter is no time to ride a horse (especially when the snowfall is too deep to back your car out of the drive), and spring in Jackson Hole is blissfully sweet—but lasts about a week or two. (And it still snows in June out there, so fall truly is your best bet.)
