Fall trips to sneak in before the holidays

Fall is the most fleeting season — a brief, golden pause between the chaos of summer vacations and the frenzy of the holidays. As the weather cools, it feels natural to slow down: layer on a sweater, sip something warm and admire the scenery as the world turns amber. For many Americans, the best way to experience peak fall is to go find it.

Fortunately, it’s also one of the best windows to travel (unless, of course, you head to Salem, Massachusetts, or the most popular leaf peeping spots on TikTok).

"Traveling in October is what the thinking traveler does," said author and travel writer David Coggins. "The crowds go away, kids are in school."

Stacy H. Small, founder of the Elite Travel Club, appreciates the more casual nature of fall travel. Unlike big summer vacations that can take months of planning, her annual return to her hometown, Rochester, New York, is focused on simple pleasures such as pumpkin displays at Wegmans, football games and comfort food. "It’s a lot more relaxed," Small said.

Fall travel doesn’t have to feel like a task on your bucket list; it can feel like a treat — whether that’s a long weekend at a spa, a scenic road trip through a state park, or a cabin rental with no plans beyond cider. Here are 11 domestic destinations that deliver the full fall fantasy.

Rochester, New York

Since Small swapped New York for California, she says her old stamping grounds around Rochester and Syracuse have evolved into an "idyllic" destination for travelers year-round with chic new resorts, natural wineries and incredible restaurants.

"When I was growing up there, you didn’t have local wine," she said.

She’d send visitors to the Lake House on Canandaigua, a resort that runs fall specials to entice customers in the offseason, or Skaneateles Fields Resort & Spa, an 89-room retreat on 100 acres. Both offer guests easy access to lakeside activities and wellness programming, like yoga classes and sauna access. To get the most of the seasonal charm, "you really can’t go wrong from the month of October into early November," Small said.

Shenandoah steam train

The Norfolk & Western Class J steam locomotive is hitting the Virginia rails again. On loan from the Virginia Museum of Transportation, the Shenandoah Valley Limited is running round-trip weekend excursions from Goshen to Staunton through Oct. 26. Three seating categories are available, from $120 per person. (The dome class is sold out, but check back for last-minute cancellations.)

The 411 on train No. 611: It’s one of only five operating mainline steam engines in the country, and it has close ties to the region.

"It was built in the Roanoke shops of the Norfolk and Western Railroad, so a lot of people who ride our train have had family members who worked on building it," said Steve Powell, president of the Virginia Scenic Railway.

Back in the day, when it transported passengers between Norfolk and Cincinnati, the train could reach speeds of up to 110 miles per hour. For the 3 1/2-hour journey through mountain-framed pastures, farms and national forests, it will travel at a more languid pace, leaving a trail of billowing white smoke in its wake.

Harvest season in Sonoma

Jason Gariss, owner of Sonoma Wine Rides, said the county’s wine country is at its buzziest in harvest season from late August through October. Wineries host parties and special tastings, and the region holds events like the Sonoma County Harvest Fair, celebrating its 50th anniversary Saturday, Oct. 11.

The season is special for "finding the wineries where you see the grapes fermenting right on the crushpad, see them process the fruit right at the winery," Gariss said. "You can drink wine every time of the year, but when you can see them making it, that’s when it’s special."

During a wine tour this week, he spoke to The Post while taking in a view of vines turning red and brown. The daytime temperatures weren’t exactly crisp — highs in the high 80s early this week — but nights can make up for it in the high 40s.

"We tell everybody: layers," he said.

Halloweentown in Oregon

In the 1998 Disney Channel movie, "Halloweentown" teems with witches, goblins, monsters and other ghoulish citizens. St. Helens, Oregon, where much of the movie was shot, has a similar feel — at least on weekends in late September and October. That’s when the Spirit of Halloweentown festival takes over the town, turning it into a family-friendly holiday playground about 30 miles from Portland.

Old-fashioned cab with skeleton driver? Check. Celebrity appearances? Of course. Nightly pumpkin lighting? You bet your witchy britches. Speaking of which, dress to impress: Costume contests are held most days. There are also tours of filming sites, which aren’t limited to "Halloweentown." Parts of "Twilight" were filmed in St. Helens as well.

Oktoberfest in Washington state

Can’t make it to Munich? Get your fix of polka, lederhosen, brats and beer in the Bavarian-themed city of Leavenworth, Washington.

Held Fridays and Saturdays during the first three weeks of October this year, Leavenworth’s Oktoberfest includes multiple stages, a street fair and a children’s area with a Ferris wheel and root beer garden. Things can get competitive: Don’t miss the stein-holding competitions, pretzel toss or "mustache showdown."

Beyond the festival, Leavenworth offers a nutcracker museum, adventure park with Alpine coaster and museum that traces the history of this former timber town. The Cascade Mountains setting allows for hiking, rock climbing and mountain biking before ski (and Christmastown) season begins.

Chicago fall fests

Add dramatic city skylines and waterfront views to your fall foliage vistas along the 18 miles of Chicago’s Lakefront Trail. Or enjoy the changing colors reflected in the lagoon at the Japanese Garden in Jackson Park. For festivities and plenty of Halloween photo ops in the city, check out Jack’s Pumpkin Pop-Up on Goose Island. You’ll find a corn maze, seasonal cocktails, ax throwing, pumpkins and picturesque backdrops.

Chicago Botanic Garden, more than 20 miles away in Glencoe, showcases artsy carvings at Night of 1,000 Jack-o'-Lanterns for 15 days in October, along with caramel apples, cider, pumpkin bread and butternut squash soup.

Michigan sky bridge

For a treetop view of northern Michigan’s foliage, stroll Skybridge, advertised as the world’s longest timber-towered suspension bridge. Open since October 2022, the span at Boyne Mountain, a four-season resort, swings (lightly) 118 feet above a valley carpeted in ski-lift towers and aspen, birch and maple trees. Midway through the crossing, you will feel as if you are floating, as the floor changes from opaque decking to 36 feet of glass panels.

To access the bridge, hitch a ride on the two-person Hemlock chairlift, the world’s first of its kind (built at Sun Valley Resort in Idaho in 1936; moved to Michigan in 1947), or zip up via the Mountain Express six-pack. To experience the autumnal colors from the ground up, hike the mile-long trail from the mountain base or follow the paved pathway with the Skybridge as the centerpiece of the fall cornucopia.

Nebraska football game

The days of sweet summer corn may have passed, but in Lincoln, Nebraska, it’s peak season for Cornhuskers. This state capital, home to the flagship University of Nebraska campus, is as devoted as any college football town in the land.

Joel Brehm, a web developer who runs the Lincoln by Mouth blog, has lived there most of his life. He recommends starting off a game day in the Historic Haymarket district, named after a literal hay market from the 1800s, with plenty of options for shopping, eating and drinking. "My favorite thing is go somewhere downtown, go to a restaurant before, and walk to the game," Brehm said. For dinner he recommends Dish (modern American) downtown or taking a drive to Casa Bovina, a high-end Italian restaurant that serves beef from an Italian breed of Piedmontese cattle raised in Nebraska and South Dakota.

Located about a 15-minute walk from Memorial Stadium, the downtown neighborhood is also not far from campus. A sculpture collection from the Sheldon Museum of Art lines the school’s walking paths. The State Capitol building featuring a 400-foot domed tower has free guided tours. The Sunken Gardens are another popular, free attraction.

Dorset, Vermont

Vermont can either be a terrific or terrible idea for a fall trip. The state’s Agency of Commerce and Community Development has estimated that 19% of the state’s 13 million annual visitors come in a six-week span to catch the best of the foliage.

Some towns loathe the rush, which can bring inconsiderate tourists who trample through private property and clog traffic. Instead of piling on, head off the beaten path, preferably during the week.

Coggins, who spends a lot of time in the state, recommends Dorset, "an absolutely beautiful little town with an amazing central green," he said. "It’s gorgeous, and you can get to all sorts of beautiful places to eat, and see wildlife; you can go to the fly-fishing museum."

Save room in your itinerary for exploring. Coggins is a fan of investigating country roads, following his instincts in pursuit of quaint little towns around the state. "Vermont is perfect for that," he said. "The smaller the road, the better ... get off that map and out of reception."

Ghost town in Colorado

St. Elmo, Colorado, formerly known as Forest City, has more aspen trees than people.

Founded in 1880, the mining community in the Sawatch Range went from boomtown to ghost town about four decades later. After a string of tragedies including train wrecks, a deadly snowstorm and a fire, the railway ceased operations. The population of about 2,000 residents dwindled to one family, the Starks, who eventually left in 1958, though rumor has it Annabelle returned in spectral form.

Visitors can explore streets lined with roughly 40 well-preserved buildings, such as the Stark Brothers Store, the Home Comfort Hotel, a school and a jail. Scott Peterson, marketing director of the Chaffee County Visitors Bureau, said to look in the second-story window of the general store. The face peering out could belong to a mannequin — or Annabelle.

Chattanooga, Tennessee

Between the Great Smoky Mountains, Dollywood’s Harvest Festival and viewfinders designed for colorblind travelers scattered around the state, Tennessee is a no-brainer for foliage lovers. But for maximum charm, stay in Chattanooga. The riverfront city goes all out for fall, with leaf-peeping steam train rides, cruises through the Tennessee River and plenty of foliage-filled hikes.

When Shawanda Mason moved to Chattanooga from Atlanta, she found out why it was nicknamed "The Scenic City."

"There’s not a scene that isn’t beautiful," said Mason, the co-founder of The Chattery, a community class and events space.

To have a perfect fall-in-Chattanooga day, Mason says to start at The Book and Cover, an independent bookstore and coffee shop tucked inside of a bungalow in the Riverview neighborhood. "It is so dreamy," Mason said. After you make a dent in your new page-turner, head to dinner down the road to another converted cottage, The Rosecomb bar and restaurant, where they serve Appalachian dishes, fancy burgers and little gem wedge salads.

"They have a garden outside where you can enjoy the most delicious catfish and grits and a cocktail," Mason said.