5 U.S. Destinations That Are Even Better in the Fall

Cooler weather, fall festivals, changing leaves—and a few good reasons to save some vacation days for after summer.

Some trips are simply better with a sweater.

Think brilliant New England foliage against a rocky coastline. Apple cider donuts after picking apples in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Ghost stories after dark in New Orleans. A train winding through the Smokies. Or hundreds of hot-air balloons rising over the New Mexico desert.

We've experienced four of these destinations ourselves, although not always during fall. The fifth is still on my wish list. Together, they show just how different fall can look across the country—from classic New England foliage to hot-air balloons over the New Mexico desert.

So if you've got a few vacation days left after summer, here are five places that may convince you to use them.

1. Southern Maine & the New Hampshire Seacoast

Come for: Rocky coastline, New England foliage and an optional dose of Halloween

We didn't choose Maine because we were looking for a fall vacation. My niece chose it for us when she got married in South Berwick in early October. We stayed just across the state line in New Hampshire, and the wedding schedule left us enough free time to explore both sides of the border.

The foliage was beautiful, but what I particularly loved was the combination of fall color and coastline. There's something different about seeing all those reds, oranges and yellows with the Atlantic Ocean in the background.

A scenic drive worth saving. If you're staying around southern Maine or the New Hampshire Seacoast, you don't need to devote an entire day to a complicated driving route. New Hampshire's American Independence Byway is a 21-mile loop through Exeter, Hampton Falls, Hampton and Kensington, passing colonial towns, old homes, farmland and orchards before bringing you toward the coast.

From there, I'd pick up Route 1A along the New Hampshire coast, where the scenery shifts from quintessential New England countryside to beaches and Atlantic views. If you want to stretch your legs, Mount Agamenticus in York, Maine, is another worthwhile fall stop, with trails through a large conservation area and views from the summit.

Time it with York Harvestfest. If your trip falls in mid-October, check the schedule for York Harvestfest & Kidsfest near Short Sands Beach.The annual festival brings together local food, artisans and entertainment, along with hands-on activities for children. It's the kind of festival I like finding on a trip: enough to make the day feel special without requiring the entire vacation to revolve around it.

Add Salem if Halloween is your thing. Some of our extended family used their free time during the wedding weekend to visit Salem, Massachusetts. If you're already in this part of New England and enjoy Halloween, it's certainly tempting. Salem’s Haunted Happenings fills October with parades, markets, performances, ghost tours, costume events and other Halloween activities. Just don't expect a quiet stroll through an empty historic town—the crowds grow substantially as Halloween approaches.

Why I’d go back in fall: Southern Maine and the New Hampshire Seacost give you two versions of New England autumn in one trip—the classic foliage, orchards and small towns inland, and rocky coastline and Atlantic views just a short drive away.

2. Shenandoah, Virginia

Come for: Apple picking, Blue Ridge foliage and American history

This is the destination that feels most like fall to me.

We used to live in Fredericksburg when our kids were young, and fall in Virginia was something we looked forward to every year. We went to pumpkin patches and corn mazes, picked apples and took drives just to enjoy the foliage.

If I were returning now for a fall getaway, I'd base myself in Charlottesville, with one day in the countryside and another in Shenandoah National Park.

Start at Monticello. Spend the morning at Monticello, Thomas Jefferson's mountaintop home outside Charlottesville. There's plenty to see inside the house, but in fall the setting becomes part of the experience. The surrounding countryside and Blue Ridge Mountains make this an especially beautiful time of year to visit.

Lunch at Michie Tavern. Just down the road from Monticello is Michie Tavern, which dates to 1784. The midday meal includes traditional Southern dishes such as fried chicken, black-eyed peas, stewed tomatoes and buttermilk biscuits. During cooler weather, you may even find hot mulled apple cider. It's touristy, certainly, but in this case I think that's part of the appeal.

Pick apples at Carter Mountain. A few minutes away, Carter Mountain Orchard combines apple picking with sweeping views over the Charlottesville countryside. There's also fresh cider, pumpkins, a country store and apple cider donuts, with hard cider for the adults. Fall weekends can get particularly busy, so I’d check current admission requirements before going rather than assuming you can simply show up.

Apple picking became one of our family's fall traditions when we lived in Virginia. One year, we used our haul to make my grandmother's apple pie recipe from scratch. It involved plenty of peeling, rolling and flour, but it was worth it. I can’t recall a single store-bought pie I’ve ever eaten, but I remember the one I made with my children.

Give Skyline Drive its own day. I wouldn't squeeze Shenandoah National Park into the end of the Monticello day. Skyline Drive follows the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains through the park, with overlooks and trailheads along the way. You don't need to drive the entire route. Choose a section, stop when a view catches your attention and add a hike if you have the time. In fall, simply driving it is part of the experience.

Why I’d go back in fall: This is the Virginia I remember most vividly—mountains turning red and gold, apples coming home by the bag and the first excuse to order hot apple cider. Charlottesville gives you the history and food, while Shenandoah gives you the big fall scenery. Together, they make an easy two-day fall getaway I’d happily repeat.

3. New Orleans, Louisiana

Come for: Cooler weather, Halloween and food that doesn't need a seasonal makeover

One of the best reasons to visit New Orleans in the fall has nothing to do with foliage. Fall is festival season.

From September through November, it can feel as though there’s something happening somewhere in the city almost every weekend.

Depending on when you visit, you might find a festival devoted to fried chicken, blues and barbecue, German food and beer, funk music, film, Caribbean culture—or even beignets and po-boys.

Families have plenty of options, too. Gentilly Fest includes a children’s area alongside food and live music, Beignet Fest celebrates one of the city’s most famous treats, and October brings Krewe of BOO!, New Orleans’ annual Halloween parade, with elaborate floats, marching bands, and loads of beads and candy thrown to the cheering crowds. Check the city’s fall calendar before booking. Shifting your trip by a weekend could put you in town for an event you’d especially enjoy.

Stick with the classics. I wouldn't go searching for pumpkin-spice treats simply because it's October. Go to Café du Monde, order beignets and café au lait, and call it a fall treat if you need to. The beignets arrive under a mountain of powdered sugar, much of which will probably end up somewhere other than your mouth. Some things don't need to be seasonal.

Take a ghost tour after dark. We've done a family ghost tour through the French Quarter. Ours wasn't especially scary, but hearing the city's haunted lore and darker stories while walking through the Quarter at night was interesting—and ghost stories feel considerably more appropriate in October than they do in July. For families with teenagers or older kids, it's a fun evening alternative to traditional sightseeing.

Why I'd go back in fall: New Orleans doesn't suddenly become an autumn postcard, and that's part of what I like about it. The food, music and neighborhoods are the same things I'd come for any time of year. Fall simply makes it easier to enjoy them—with cooler evenings, festivals filling the calendar and just enough Halloween weirdness to suit the city.

4. Great Smoky Mountains, Tennessee

Come for: Mountain foliage and enough activities to keep the non-leaf-peepers happy

We've traveled to the Smokies three times—when our kids were young, again as teenagers and most recently as young adults. We’ve never managed to hit peak fall color, which gives me a pretty good reason to go back.

For a family trip, I'd use Gatlinburg or Pigeon Forge as a home base. The Great Smoky Mountains have a relatively long foliage season because of their range in elevation, with colors generally beginning higher in the mountains and working their way down as temperatures cool.

What makes this area particularly good for families is that the scenery doesn't have to carry the entire vacation. There are only so many hours some family members are willing to admire trees. You can hike in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, ride up to Anakeesta, spend a day at Dollywood, try a mountain coaster or simply rent a cabin with a mountain view. We've done this area with kids at three very different ages, and the challenge has never been finding something everyone wants to do. It's deciding what we have time to fit in.

Look for a fall festival. Ober Mountain's Oktoberfest typically runs from late September into the fall, combining the mountain setting with German food, beer, live music and Oktoberfest traditions. Apple strudel with Smoky Mountain views seems like a perfectly reasonable way to spend an afternoon.

I'd also stop at The Apple Barn & Cider Mill in Sevierville. Apple cider, apple butter, fried apple pies and other apple treats feel particularly appropriate in fall, and it's an easy stop if you're staying around Pigeon Forge.

Consider the train from Bryson City. For a different way to see the fall scenery, the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad offers scenic excursions through the North Carolina side of the Smokies. The train leaves from Bryson City—not Gatlinburg—so I'd give it a substantial part of the day rather than trying to squeeze it between other attractions. It's also a nice way for everyone in the family to enjoy the scenery without assigning someone to watch the road.

Why I'd go back in fall: We've seen the Smokies with young children, teenagers and young adults, but we've never seen them at peak color. I'd go back for the version we've missed: crisp weather, mountains covered in fall foliage and a cabin with a view—while still having plenty to do when everyone has had enough of looking at leaves.

5. Albuquerque, New Mexico

Come for: Hot-air balloons, high-desert scenery and a completely different version of fall

If your idea of fall requires covered bridges and maple trees, Albuquerque may not be the first place that comes to mind. That's exactly why it belongs on this list. Fall in New Mexico looks completely different: brilliant blue skies, golden cottonwoods lining the Rio Grande, chile roasting around town and the Sandia Mountains rising beyond the city.

Start with the Balloon Fiesta. Of course, the showstopper is the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, when hundreds of hot-air balloons fill the sky in early October. It's one of those events that looks impressive in photographs and considerably more impressive when you realize just how many balloons are actually up there. I’d plan on experiencing both a morning mass ascension and an evening Balloon Glow—they’re completely different experiences.

Check the fall festival calendar. Balloons aren’t the only reason to visit in autumn. Depending on your dates, you may find celebrations devoted to the harvest, prickly pears, arts and crafts, music and Día de los Muertos. Events change from year to year, so check Albuquerque's fall calendar before choosing your weekend. 

Look for Albuquerque’s version of fall color. Head toward the Rio Grande bosque, where the cottonwoods turn shades of yellow and gold, or venture toward the surrounding mountains for more color. It's not New England fall — and that's rather the point. 

Leave time for Albuquerque itself. Explore Old Town, try New Mexican food and ride the Sandia Peak Tramway for views across the Rio Grande Valley. The high-desert landscape, adobe architecture and Native American and Hispanic cultural influences make this feel entirely different from the other destinations on this list.

Why I’d like to go in the fall: The Balloon Fiesta may be what first puts Albuquerque on the list, but it’s the combination that makes me want to stay longer: balloons overhead, golden cottonwoods along the Rio Grande, cool desert morning an New Mexican food afterward. Albuquerque doesn’t look like a traditional fall destination—and that’s exactly why I’d like to experience it.

When Should You Plan a Fall Trip?

One of the challenges of planning a fall vacation is that there isn't one perfect week for all five destinations.

If foliage is the priority, New England generally changes earlier than Virginia and the Southern Appalachians. Elevation matters too, particularly in the Smokies, where color moves gradually from higher to lower elevations. Rather than planning around a predicted “peak” months in advance, check local foliage reports as the trip approaches and leave some flexibility in your itinerary.

For New Orleans and Albuquerque, timing is more about events than leaves. If Krewe of BOO! or the Balloon Fiesta is important to you, be sure to check festival dates before booking.

And if what you really want is apple picking, cider donuts and the sort of fall that looks like fall decorations have come to life, Virginia and New England are difficult to beat.

Five Places, Five Very Different Falls

When I started thinking about this article, I assumed it would mostly be about foliage. But the more I thought about the places I love in fall—and the one still on my list—the more I realized that fall travel isn’t really about finding the prettiest leaves.

It’s about experiencing a place at a particularly good moment. Sometimes that’s the scenery. Sometimes it’s cooler weather, a festival or a tradition that only comes around once a year.

These five destinations couldn’t look much more different from one another in fall. That’s exactly what makes each of them worth considering.

And sometimes, of course, it's simply a good excuse to eat an apple cider donut.