Fall is one of my favorite times to travel, and not for one of the most popular reasons: leaf peeping.
Sure, foliage is beautiful, but it can also bring crowds and traffic, and there’s no guarantee you’ll even see the peak moment.
Instead, I travel in fall to appreciate cooler temperatures that make it easier to spend a day outside exploring nature, wandering around small towns, and enjoying seasonal festivals. Without any pressure to time a visit perfectly to changing leaf colors, I can feel more relaxed and be in the moment.
While colorful landscapes are certainly part of fall’s appeal, they’re hardly the only draw, especially in the following towns. Here’s where you’ll find everything from apple orchards to elk bugles, scenic train rides, ghost tours, and even a Bigfoot museum.
In this article
Ellijay, Georgia
Less than 2 hours from Atlanta, Ellijay is a laid-back alternative to Georgia's more crowded mountain escapes.
Known as the state's "apple capital," the town comes alive each fall with U-pick orchards, cider, baked goods, and the Georgia Apple Festival that's held every October. The festival brings more than 250 artisan vendors, live music, and plenty of apple-centric treats to town.
Beyond the orchards, Ellijay has an unexpectedly adventurous side. Mountain bikers can tackle the trails around Bear Creek, while wine lovers can spend an afternoon at one of the area's wineries, including Roo Mountain Vineyards.
And for a little Halloween-season weirdness, I can definitely get behind the Expedition: Bigfoot! Museum, which explores the legend of the elusive creature.
Santa Rosa, California
In the heart of Sonoma County, Santa Rosa is a fall destination where harvest season means far more than wine.
The surrounding countryside comes alive with grapes, apples, pumpkins, and other farm-fresh produce, making autumn a great time to explore the region's agricultural side.
At the Shone Farm Fall Festival, visitors can pick apples, pumpkins, and sweet potatoes, meet farm animals, and enjoy wine and food. The season's big celebration though is the Sonoma County Harvest Fair, featuring wine, food, competitions, and the KZST World Championship Grape Stomp.
For an apple-focused outing, head into nearby Sebastopol where longtime growers such as Walker Apples sell heritage and heirloom varieties. When you're ready for wine, fall is harvest time at Sonoma's vineyards, with special tastings and alfresco winemaker dinners.
With the temps starting to dip, you'll also want to explore the area's many outdoor recreation options, from walking the easy trails around Lake Ralphine in Howarth Park or heading into Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve, just a short drive away.
And when you're ready to slow down and recharge, Osmosis Day Spa has meditation and sound healing gardens.
Eureka Springs, Arkansas
Eureka Springs has plenty of classic fall appeal, like Ozark foliage and small-town streets lined with independent shops and cafés. But autumn here comes with an unusually eclectic calendar.
The Original Ozark Folk Festival fills the town with roots music, crafts, and storytelling, while the GGs Fans Weekend celebrates all things “Gilmore Girls” with coffee crawls, scavenger hunts, and a formal Daughters of the American Revolution tea.
Later in the season, Voices from Eureka's Silent City bring historic residents to life during lantern-guided cemetery tours, and the late October Zombie Crawl turns downtown into a parade of the undead.
Between events, visitors can ride the Eureka Springs & Northwest Arkansas Railway, take a ghost tour at the famously haunted Crescent Hotel, or retreat to Forest Springs Resort and Spa.
Estes Park, Colorado
Fall in Estes Park is about much more than colorful aspen trees changing colors. September and early October bring "Elktober," when hundreds of elk descend on the valley for their annual rut. Their bugling calls echo through town, and the October Elk Fest celebrates the spectacle with wildlife education, Indigenous culture, local food and drink, and mountain traditions.
After dark, the town takes on a spookier mood. At The Stanley Hotel, the property that inspired Stephen King's “The Shining,” visitors can take a spirit tour, explore underground tunnels, or even book Room 217.
Fall also brings harvest-inspired events, from the Autumn Gold Festival with live music, craft beer, and bratwursts to October's Pumpkins & Pilsners. For a more active autumn, trade the scenic drive for hiking through the aspens as they turn a golden shade of yellow, fly-fishing, or rock climbing before warming up with a drink at a local winery or distillery.
Galena, Illinois
With its steep hills, deep valleys, and winding roads, Galena feels surprisingly mountainous for a Midwest town. The Driftless Area escaped the glaciers that flattened much of the surrounding region, leaving behind terrain that's ideal for hiking, biking, and paddling.
In town, more than 1,000 historic buildings give Galena's downtown its distinctive character, while over 100 boutiques, galleries, and restaurants line Main Street.
Fall brings plenty of reasons to get outside, too. That’s when you can pick pumpkins and apples at Dittmar Farms, sip locally made hard cider at Orchard Landing & Galena Cider Co., or take an unconventional hike with a herd of friendly goats through Hoof It Galena.
The Galena County Fair also brings more than 100 artisans to Grant Park, while Galena Cellars hosts its Fall Harvest Festival annually in September. The season wraps up with the city's lively Halloween Parade and Festival.
Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania
Set in Pennsylvania's Pocono Mountains, Jim Thorpe is tailor-made for an autumn getaway, with a historic downtown, mountain scenery, and one of the region's best ways to see fall color: by train.
The Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway departs from the town's historic station for a narrated ride along the Lehigh River, passing through Glen Onoko and into Lehigh Gorge State Park. During the fall foliage season, special 45-minute leaf-peeping trains offer views of the gorge's cliffs and forests from vintage rail cars.
The town itself gets into the season as well during the Jim Thorpe Fall Foliage Festival, held the first three weekends of October, with craft and food vendors, live music, and seasonal specials. Between excursions, stroll the Victorian-era downtown, browse its independent shops and galleries, or take a ghost tour for a little Halloween-season atmosphere.
The Shortcut
Ellijay is Georgia's apple capital, with U-pick orchards and a October festival built around the fruit.
Santa Rosa's harvest season includes a grape stomp that crowns an actual world champion.
Estes Park fills with hundreds of elk every fall, bugling loud enough to hear from town.
