By Karen Rubin, Travel Features Syndicate, goingplacesfarandnear.com

Post-Labor day, the weather has cooled, crowds have thinned, airfares and hotel rates have dropped precipitously, and tour companies offer discounts, especially on near-term departures. On top of that, Mother Nature puts on a show of autumn colors. Fall can be the best travel time of the year.

Fall is Ideal for Biking

Discovery Bicycle Tours:  Cycle over 200 miles from the tip of Manhattan to through the Hudson River Valley to Albany on its six-day day  Empire State Trail bike tour, along New York State’s network of rail trails, bike paths and bikeways; cycle the Appalachian Rail Trails between Virginia and West Virginia, one of its newest tours; or the six-day P’tit Train du Nord, one of the most scenic rail-trails in Quebec; or for a shorter tour, pedal for 4 days on the GAP Trail Getaway or spend 3 days riding the Vermont Lamoille Valley Rail Trail (discoverybicycletours.com, [email protected], 800-257-2226, 802-457-3553)

Wilderness Voyageurs: Fall is a great time to travel and experience the season’s beauty around the country. Take advantage of its flash sale on the Sept. 29 departure of the Virginia Shenandoah & Skyline Drive Bike Tour – $150 off and free bike rental. Fall bike trips Include: five-day Kentucky bike & Bourbon; four-day Cycling Chattanooga, six-day Ohio-Cycling Cincinnati to Cleveland; four-day Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay; Colonial Williamsburg; six-day Mickelson Trail & the Badlands; four-day Georgia Gold Coast; and Missouri’s Katy Trail (https://wilderness-voyageurs.com/fantastic-fall-bike-tours/, 800-272-4141)

Butterfield & Robinson: Nothing quite says adventure like last-minute plans to get away. The impromptu decision to travel, the excitement of meeting new faces in new places that just weeks ago weren’t even a consideration. Fall is the perfect time to escape from it all, whether you’re headed to the Morocco, riding along famous ancient caravan routes; striding along the Path of the Gods, hiking mountain and coastal trails and then unwinding in luxurious accommodations on the Amalfi Coast on this walking and hiking trip; or immersing in Portugal’s culinary and cultural heartland of Alentejo—biking from historic castles and villages across a farmland landscape of cork trees and olive groves to the gorgeous Atlantic coast.(butterfield.com)

Fall Rafting, Glamping on the Gauley River 

Adventures on the Gorge offers two-day Deluxe Gauley River Overnight package offered throughout Gauley Season in September and October, when the Gauley River is transformed with some 100 rapids – including several Class Vs – within a 25-mile stretch of river. The adventure includes two days of rafting, one night of camping at the resort’s permanent Canyon Doors Campground and gourmet meals prepped fresh by a chef. The campground features hot showers, bathrooms and hot tubs, as well as a huge sandy beach with room for games and story-telling beneath the stars.

The Upper Gauley starts just below Summersville Dam and drops more than 335 feet in fewer than 13 miles, creating the most intense whitewater on the river and one of the most challenging whitewater experiences in the world. The 12-mile Lower Gauley is slightly less intense, but still extremely challenging, with 70 rapids.

On Gauley Season days, water is released from the Summersville Dam into the river below by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The release is controlled at 2,800 cubic feet per second (CFS), ensuring that the resulting rapids are predictably wild.

As a result of a long-time agreement between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and resorts like Adventures on the Gorge, the releases are scheduled for Fridays through Mondays so rafters can plan for long weekends of adventure. Release dates this year are Sept. 6-9, 12-16, 20-23, 27-30 and Oct. 4-6, 12-13 and 19-20.

The minimum age to experience the Deluxe Gauley River Overnight is 16. Pricing of the two-day adventure starts at $439 per person.

The conclusion of Gauley Season coincides with the region’s annual Bridge Day celebration on the third Saturday of October. That’s when the New River Gorge Bridge is closed to traffic and BASE jumpers and rappelers jump from the bridge into the New River below while hundreds of pedestrian celebrants watch the fun.

Adventures on the Gore offers several options for rafters, including the Upper Gauley, Lower Gauley and Gauley Reverse 2-Day. Additionally, some rafters run both stretches as part of the Gauley Marathon while others take on the Upper Gauley twice in one day as part of the Double Upper Gauley 1-Day 2-Night package.

Other adventures include rafting on the New River, TreeTops Zipline Canopy Tour, Bridge Walk, rock climbing, and TimberTrek Adventure Park.

One of AOTG’s more popular options is a two-day Upper and Lower Gauley rafting experience broken up by camping at Canyon Doors, a permanent campground on the river featuring a wood-fired hot tub, hot showers, bathrooms and gourmet meals prepared by an expedition chef.

Adventures on the Gorge offers glamping tents, RV sites, tent platforms and a variety of cabins, such as multi-bedroom Cabins on the Gorge, with kitchens, furnished living areas and private hot tubs; bunkhouse style Sportsman Cabins, ideal for families and friend groups; and hotel-style Sunnysides.

Adventures on the Gorge is an adventure resort located on more than 350 acres along the rim of New River Gorge near Fayetteville, West Virginia, in a region with three national parks units including the newest national park in the U.S., New River Gorge National Park and Preserve.

(https://adventuresonthegorge.com/, 1-855-379-8738)

Spacious Skies Campgrounds Along the Fall Color Trail

Spacious Skies Campgrounds has launched a two-week sale on stays during its Fall Color Trail. Guests who book RV sites, lodging and glamping accommodations and tent sites through September 12 will receive a 25 percent discount between now and October 14, 2024 at any of the company’s 15 campgrounds located from Maine to Georgia, which also are staging Themed Weekends throughout the season.

For RVers with time and a love for natural beauty, there’s the Fall Color Trail, a 2,500-mile route that connects the campgrounds from Spacious Skies Balsam Woods in north central Maine to Spacious Skies Savannah Oaks in Georgia and showcases the brilliant progression of fall color over a 2 ½-month period, from early September through mid-November. Along the way there are wide-ranging adventures such as apple-picking farms, golf courses, historic sites, charming towns, national and state parks, museums, shopping and outdoor adventures. 

Many of the campgrounds offer alternative accommodations for travelers who don’t own RVs, including cabins, yurts, tent sites and in select locations, retro trailers. Spacious Skies has also partnered with RV Share so would-be campers and glampers can rent RVs in each location or rent RVs that they can drive from place to place.

Among them:

Lakeside: Cosmos Cottage at Spacious Skies Woodland Hills in Upstate New York’s Taconic and Berkshire Mountain Ranges. The cabin can sleep up to six people – and canine campers too – and it includes two bedrooms, kitchen area stocked with cookware and dishes, coffee machine, two televisions, fire pit, picnic table and private deck overlooking the campground lake. 

Cosmic retro vibe: Also at Spacious Skies Woodland Hills, there are three Riverside Retro Campers that sleep between two or four guests. These glamping faves are great for getaways with a retro vibe but all the modern stuff. Riverside Retro Trailers are also available at Spacious Skies Country Oaks in Dorothy, N.J., Spacious Skies French Pond in Henniker N.H. and Spacious Skies Walnut Grove in Alfred, Maine.

A place for you and 13 of your besties: The Zodiac Lodge at Spacious Skies Adirondack Peaks is just the place for girlfriend getaways, multi-family fun or even corporate retreats. Filled with fittingly lodge-y furniture, a fully equipped kitchen, four bedrooms and two bathrooms, this sprawling cabin in the Adirondacks – open May through October – is just the place for a woodsy getaway.

Moonlight, big sky…and a must-visit place for history nerds: The Quarter Moon at Spacious Skies Shenandoah Views is a four-person yurt at with a private deck and patio, kitchen and bathroom and big-sky views of the Virginia skies and surrounding Blue Ridge Mountains. Located within minutes of Shenandoah National Park, wineries, rafting and ziplines, historic sites and the darling town of Luray, the campground is a go-to place for fans of fall color and outdoor adventure. Nearby attractions include Patsy Cline’s hometown as well as the point a young surveyor named George Washington used as a reference to map the vast land holdings of Lord Fairfax in the 1700s.

A tiny home called Hercules: This quaint little cabin Spacious Skies Walnut Grove in Alfred, Maine, called Hercules is an impressively designed, compact cabin that sleeps six with two full beds and twin bunk beds. Explore the nearby Old Orchard Beach Pier or the landmark L.L. Bean store.

A place to reconnect with your inner compass: The North Star Guesthouse at Spacious Skies Belle Ridge in Monterey, Tenn. between Nashville and Knoxville is a three-bedroom, two-bath retreat that can sleep up to 12 people. Open year-round, guests can explore the 500-acre campground’s trails, backcountry waterfalls, fishing pond and natural spring-fed rock pond for swimming. It’s also the place to be for fall color, with abundant oaks, maples, dogwoods and poplars turning vibrant shades of red, orange and yellow well into mid-November.

To receive the discount, campers can book online and use the promo code FALLTRAIL. The sale ends September 12 and is limited to one usage per customer. For more information, visit www.spaciousskiescampgrounds.com.

Maine Fall Vacation

Crisp beach walks; apple orchards; and brilliant crimson, gold and orange foliage are just a few of the things that make fall a glorious time to visit Maine. Maine’s Tourism office has created helpful lists to facilitate your visit:

Outdoor Recreation opportunities include Hiking & Climbing (see Maine Trail Finder for hikes for all abilities). On the Water: take a leisurely sail aboard a historic  Maine Windjammer  or a sea kayaking trip; visit a beach (my favorite, Old Orchard Beach has access to a beachfront amusement park, Palace Playland, with rides and Maine’s largest arcade). Biking (pedal through tunnels of vibrant colors or bike to a breathtaking overlook along Maine’s scenic trails and picturesque routes). Camping. Fall Festivities and Fairs.

Leaf-peeping Opportunities: Peak foliage season varies across the state, but it is typically from the last week of September to the first two weeks of October. Maine has a foliage tracker that starts up in September to help you plan your trip.

Stunning Drives: Maine’s foliage is accessible via the state’s seven National Scenic Byways. These historic drives are designated by the federal government as some of the most beautiful and enjoyable across the country.

Fall Meandering: The newly enhanced Maine Oyster Trail will help you experience Maine’s acclaimed bivalve from the farmer to the raw bar. Get off the beaten path and link to Farms & Fiber Arts Trip Ideas to enjoy a getaway visiting farms, farm stands and specialty shops, or try a workshop where you can learn a variety of skills, like knitting a sweater from Maine wool. Maine Craft Weekend, the first weekend October, is the chance to see private artist studios and meet the artists, visit craft-based schools and craft beer breweries collaborating with artists, and purchase Maine-made goods at pop-up shops.

Arts & Culture: The Maine Art Museum Trail features nine museums and more than 80,000 works of art, (my favorite is the Farnsworth Museum, Rockland, with a fabulous collection of Wyeths). Check out the Art & Ales Trip Ideas for tips on where to find art in Maine in many shapes and forms, from gigantic sculptures to live performances, and sample the art of handcrafted local brews.

Where To Stay: The choices are endless: Campgrounds, Sporting Camps & Wilderness Lodges,  Inns / Bed & Breakfasts, Resorts, Hotels & Motels

More info at VisitMaine.com

Fall in Tennessee

Vivid autumn leaves burst through the trees, new experiences await the fall bucket list, the aroma of apple and pumpkin treats waft through the air and echoes of ghost stories whisper with haunted happenings. Here’s what’s new and trending this fall in Tennessee.

​Chattanooga – Rock City’s Fall Colors is an autumn splendor of pumpkins, haybale vignettes and seasonal decorations and live music.

​​Pigeon Forge (Sept. 9-Oct. 28) –. Dollywood’s Great Pumpkin LumiNights illuminates the evening with the whimsical glow of over 12,000 pumpkins.

Nashville (Sept. 14-Oct. 27) – Cheekwood Harvest is a fall wonderland with 75,000 pumpkins and 4,000 chrysanthemums; stroll through the Community Scarecrow Trail, iconic Pumpkin Village, live music in the beer garden.

Nashville –Ghost Tours: Tragedy and Mystery at The Hermitage presents stories of unusual experiences of Andrew Jackson’s family and unexplained incidents on the site, a rare opportunity to see the mansion, grounds and cemetery by lantern light.

​Memphis – Each October, visitors can take special tours and attend Soul of the Cemetery to hear stories of Elmwood Cemetery. BackBeat Tours shares more historically spooky tales with walking ghost tours through some of the most haunted places in Memphis.

Rugby – Historic Rugby After Dark tours guide guests through original buildings and structures of the Victorian village founded in 1880s..

​​Adams – Experience October at one of the most haunted locations in the country. Hear the folklore at Bell Witch Cave, which offers paranormal tours, cabin tours, daytime hayrides, nighttime haunted hayrides.

McMinnville – The Discovery Walking Tour is an all-new immersive experience surrounded by video, light and sound deep within the cave.

​Morgan County – Hike MoCo kicks off the Fall Frenzy Hiking Series Sept. 22. Explore and soak in the scenery along trails of Big South Fork, Frozen Head, Obed, Cumberland Trail.

Visit TNvacation.com

California Colors

Fall is harvest season in California wine country so while the wine is flowing, the vineyards have turned orange, maroon and crimson. Sonoma Valley, a 17-mile-long valley within Sonoma County that encompasses the city of Sonoma and the villages of Carneros, The Springs, Glen Ellen, and Kenwood, is the ideal drive to take in stunning rolling hills, gorgeous hotels and resorts, historic attractions and, breathtaking vineyards.

From its dramatic waterfalls, giant sequoias and unbelievably tall, sheer granite towers, Yosemite National Park is one of the most breathtaking places on earth and during the fall, its full of life and colors. Dogwoods, Big Leaf Maples, and the Black Oaks are but just a few that put on a showy display of autumnal color. Fall colors can usually be seen throughout the month of October but have been known to start in September at higher elevations and run into November. 

In El Dorado County, Historic Hwy 49 (which runs the length of historic Gold Country) offers an array of colorful foliage – dogwood, aspen and maple light up the Mother Lode with orange, red and yellow. In Coloma, the  Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park affords spectacular views along the American River as well as many stands of colorful trees.

More info at www.visitcalifornia.com.

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