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Romantic Fall Foliage

© Amy Cunningham, Editor

As the weather cools and autumn rolls in, it's time to engage in one of the most romantic activities of the season, the colorful fall foliage.

Fall Foliage Dates

1. Pick a warmer day, rent a convertible, and take a drive through the country viewing the leaves.
2. Head to a local park or state park and take a hike amongst the natural beauty.
3. Make a weekend of it. Head to the New England area, check into a romantic B&B, and spend your days viewing the foliage and leisurely enjoying the area.

From north to south and coast to coast, fall foliage is speaking. Take time to enjoy the beauty of nature together and 'fall' in love all over again.

Fall Foliage Schedule

The season begins in early to mid September, in the state of Maine. Highlights include Maine's beautiful coastline, the Fish River scenic byway along route 11, the Old Canada road national scenic byway, and the Moosehead Lake region. For up-to-date viewing info in Maine, check out Maine's Foliage Report.

Heading into early to mid October, the brilliant colors peak throughout the New England area into Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island.

Autumn in New York is second-to-none. Check out the beauty in the Adirondacks with day trips on the scenic mountain roads. Start in the Lake Champlain area and drive the scenic roads to Lake Placid, then head south towards Lake George. Another New York favorite are the beautiful Catskills. If you're going to be in New York City, there are several tour groups that offer foliage tours from the city.

Heading south into New Jersey, you'll enjoy some of the most spectacular scenic drives on the east coast.

For more exquisite beauty, head into Pennsylvania's Pocono region. One of the most beautiful fall drives I've embarked on was outside of Pittsburgh with beautiful leaves full of color just floating through the air as we drove through them.

Moving down into Deleware, Maryland, and the more southern states, you'll find beautiful scenery as it peaks in late October and early November.

In Virginia, visit Shenandoah National Park and in North Carolina, take a drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway, a 105-mile drive through the Blue Ridge and Smoky mountains with spectacular views filled with changing colors. In Tennessee, plan a drive through the Great Smoky Mountains. One of the most popular and most beautiful viewing spots in the park is Cades Cove. If you want to avoid the crowds, check out Cataloochee, on the eastern side of the Park. It's technically in NC, but because it's further from the most traveled routes, there are less people and more opportunities for private viewing.

In the Midwest, we start in Minnesota, travel the state's "Rainbow Route" for a beautiful rainbow of colors. Particularly beautiful is the drive along the north shores of Lake Superior near Duluth.

In Wisconsin, popular viewing locations include Door County, Cranberry highway, St. Croix national scenic riverway, and the Great River Road scenic byway.

Going deeper into the midwest, you may want to visit the northeast corner of Iowa with the hills of color and majestic bluffs along the mighty Mississippi river. Another popular location for viewing is Madison county with the backdrop of the famous covered bridges.

Further south, the Ozarks in Missouri feature a blaze of reds, oranges, and yellows. There are several companies that offer viewing tours or you can grab a map and head out on your own.

Out in the West, start in Seattle for fall colors set against the backdrop of mountains and the pacific. Popular viewing areas in Washington include the breath-taking Cascade Loop scenic highway, Mount Baker, and Mount Rainier. Moving south into Oregon, drive along the historic Columbia River highway. Featured on the Travel Channel, this scenic route offers spectacular views of fall foliage. In California, head straight to Yosemite National Park for beautiful drives and spectacular colors.