Sensational Ways to Savor and Save on Colorado’s Brilliant Fall Foliage
Experience Colorado during one of the state’s best kept secrets - autumn - when the mountains shimmer with golden aspen tree leaves. There’s a variety of fun festivals, harvest celebrations and great vacation packages to be had. Below are a few ideas to inspire ‘leaf peepers’ looking for a picture perfect, affordable Colorado vacation. For a complete list of hot deals, visit www.hotdealscolorado.com
- Wine Away the Weekend. Celebrate Colorado wine and food at the annual Colorado Mountain Winefest. Enjoy wine maker’s dinners, wine pairingcourses, a variety of seminars and tastings and much more. One of the highlights of the weekend is sure to be the 16th Annual Tour deVineyards, a scenic bike ride through Colorado’s wine countrybeginning in Grand Junction, September 19th, 2009.www.coloradowinefest.com
- Your Way or the Byway. Hit the road on one of Colorado’s 25 Scenic and Historic Byways. Try the West Elk Loop, where you can soak in the brilliant foliage over Kebler Pass, enjoy farm fresh cherries and apples in Hotchkiss and explore the quaint Victorian-era mountain town of Crested Butte. Or, cruise along the Collegiate Peaks Byway and check out Colorado’s highest concentration of towering “fourteeners” (14,000-foot peaks). www.coloradobyways.org
- Zip the Day Away! Head to Durango in Southwest Colorado and delight in the fall colors while soaring through the forest canopy on a zip line with Soaring Treetop Adventures. Your guided adventure includes first-class train transportation in new private luxury cars aboard the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, a full day of Soaring , a four-course lunch served on an elevated platform overlooking the surrounding scenery. Price just $399. www.soaringtreetopadventures.com
- Flaunt Aspen’s Gold. The hip Sky Hotel in Aspen is offering the Aspen Gold foliage package, which includes a 15 percent discount on accommodations, complimentary valet parking, and a $25 gas card. This package is available from September 12 - October 31, 2009. www.theskyhotel.com
- Once Upon a Llama. Enjoy majestic Rocky Mountain National Park with llama pack trips with Kirk’s Fly Shop in Estes Park. Check out the foliage and cool Colorado wildlife while taking a guided llama ride. Day trips, including lunch, start at $175 for a party of two. http://www.kirksflyshop.com/llama-pack-trips-I-3.html
- Enjoy the Gold, Save Some Green in Breckenridge. Groups of four can stay in Breckenridge for four nights, enjoy a two-hour ATV tour to view the colors of the Ten Mile Range, ride through the fall foliage during a 1.5 hour horseback ride, or on a bike ride down Vail Pass. The price is only $79 per person per night. www.gobreck.com
- Haute Air Balloon Ride Over the Rockies. Treat yourself and someone special to a spectacular flight in a hot air balloon, a great way to enjoy the changing of the leaves. The Millennium Harvest House in Boulder’s Hot Air Balloon over the Rockies package includes overnight accommodations for two adults, breakfast for two adults at Thyme on the Creek Restaurant, transportation to and from the launch site and a 1-hour Sunrise Flight with champagne toast. Packages start at $539. www.millenniumhotels.com/boulder
Source: Colorado Tourism Office
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
Before we move into the hectic holiday season, now is a good time to take advantage of autumn in America. Clear cool days and nights of the fall season lead to the radiant spectacle of crimson, gold and orange leaves throughout most of the United States.
Here’s a few colorful and affordable destinations from Hotwire.com’s leading travel expert Clem Bason.
Clem recommends the following three fall foliage destinations from Hotwire that will make travelers “ooh and ah”, not just for the eye-popping colors but also the amazing value of the hotel rooms starting under $75 per room per night:
Philadelphia: $59 / 3-star hotel in Philadelphia, Pa.
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
Autumn in Massachusetts is a time like no other—warm sunny afternoons and starlit cool, crisp evenings. The landscape is dotted with fairs and festivals celebrating the brilliant array of colors that embraces the state. Each year thousands of tourists travel to Massachusetts from destinations throughout the world to witness the natural phenomenon of Massachusetts’ colorful fall foliage.
In order to cater to the needs of the state’s fall visitors, the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism (MOTT) has gathered the most up-to-date information on the best driving routes, most exciting events and best lodging deals throughout the Bay State. Whether travelers are seeking quaint B&B’s with picturesque views or modern facilities located on a scenic highway, Massachusetts has something to offer everyone!
DRIVING ROUTES IN MASSACHUSETTS
MOTT has partnered with the Department of Conservation and Recreation to provide reports from state foresters that are posted two times each week on massvacation.com and are also available by calling the Fall Foliage Hot Line: 800-227-MASS. The web site includes a list of scenic drives as well as a fall foliage timetable map that will help visitors plan their trip.
MASSACHUSETTS FALL FAIRS AND FESTIVALS
The autumn season is perfect for attending fairs and festivals, browsing through farm stands, hiking, taking peaceful canoe rides and peddling along bicycle trails. Following is a sampling of upcoming events, but be sure and log onto massvacation.com for hundreds of listings:
- Topsfield Fair: Spend the day at one of the oldest fairs in the country featuring agricultural exhibits and fall flower shows; horse, oxen, and tractor pulls; arts and crafts; the world famous Giant Pumpkin contest; entertainment; and midway. Topsfield Fairgrounds. October 3 - 13, 2008. 978-887-5000. www.topsfieldfair.org
- 5th Annual Cranberry Harvest Festival: A Plymouth county tradition, the festival features demonstrations of cranberry harvesting, cooking with cranberries, children’s entertainment, live music, a craft fair, and rides.
- October 11 & 12. 508-759-1041 x.13. www.cranberries.org/festival/festival.html
- 25th Annual Applefest: Visit central Massachusetts’ highest peak and enjoy the sounds of live entertainment, 70 craft exhibits, and autumn crafts for kids. Wachusett Mountain Ski Area, Princeton. October 18-19, 25-26. 978-464-2300. www.wachusett.com
- Bluegrass and Brews Festival at Nashoba Valley Winery: Bring your blankets and lawn chairs for a fun filled fall day of bluegrass music featuring “Southern Rail.”. Great views, great foliage, great food, great brews and great wine. Nashoba Valley Winery, Bolton. October 26. 978-779-5521. www.nashobawinery.com
- 44th Head of the Charles Regatta: If you haven’t experienced one of the world’s largest rowing events, you don’t know what you’re missing. Spend the day along the banks of the Charles River as you view championship events and races for youths, veterans and lightweights. Charles River, Cambridge/Boston. October 18-19. 617-868-6200. www.hocr.org
- Davis’ Farmland Mega Maze: New England’s first and only world-class corn maze. Created for adults but enjoyed by all ages, this 3D twister will turn you inside out, stir your senses and blow your mind! Weekends through October. 978-422-8888. www.davisfarmland.com
- The Big E: There is no better place to enjoy the sights, sounds and aromas of the fall season than at the Eastern States Exposition, New England’s autumn tradition and the largest fairgrounds in the Northeast! Enjoy The Super Circus, Avenue of States, a Mardi Gras parade, Storrowtown Village, live entertainment and agricultural exhibitions all while sampling food from around the world. September 12-28. 413-737-2443. www.thebige.com
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".