Autumn is the most affordable time to vacation. Stay close to home for apple picking or sampling craft beers and ciders. Plan a weekend around festivals, museums or a football game. Treat yourself and loved ones to a last-minute European cruise or take the grandkids to a theme park after the crowds have gone.
Whether you’re excited about cooler weather, Halloween, and changing leaves, or aiming to avoid the noise around midterm elections, read on for some fun fall travel ideas.
CroisiEurope Cruises Promise Europe Without the Crowds
The family-owned CroisiEurope Cruises has been in business for 50 years, offering a wide variety of river cruises in Europe and around the world. This season, there are fall festival cruises along the Seine that focus on French cuisine or the art of Monet and Impressionism. Head west from Paris to Normandy. Experience a classic paddle steamer while immersing yourselves in Breton culture. Sail the romantic Rhine River between the great cities of Amsterdam and Basel, among many options. Expert talks on board and the cuisine can help you take a deep dive into the regions you are visiting.
Forget traipsing from city to city lugging suitcases. River cruising makes multi-city Europe trips a breeze – and affordable. These cruises are mostly all inclusive, featuring beer and wine with delicious meals that reflect the company’s gourmet heritage as well as local flavors from ports of call. You can get a sample from this video of life onboard a river cruiser during the holidays.
Some special itineraries over the next year celebrate CroisiEurope’s half-century anniversary in 2026. Besides MS Wayedelich, the paddlewheel boat on the Seine, there is a wine-tasting cruise on the Saône River celebrating the Beaujolais Route, holiday trips, and a redesigned river safari itinerary in Southern Africa.
Book now to experience the Christmas markets across Europe. For more than 400 years, the Strasbourg Christmas Market in Alsace has been welcoming visitors and is now the largest in Europe. Sail on the Elbe between Prague and Dresden to see very different Christmas traditions. Celebrate Spanish holiday traditions aboard a cruise from Seville to Cadiz, surrounded by magnificent nativity scenes and church decorations. Check out the latest deals now. Book by Sept. 30, 2026 for the top 2027 early booking deals.
Thrill to Peak Leaves or Linger Longer in the Mountains of Stowe and Lake Placid
Fall in Stowe, Vermont and Lake Placid, New York deliver on apple and pumpkin picking, scenic hiking and biking, cider mills and corn mazes as the leaves turn and the season hits its peak. Make the most of it at top resorts through Nov. 30.
The Stowe-liage Foliage Package at Topnotch Resort in Stowe, including a $100/N resort credit to use at the Topnotch Spa, Tennis Center, or the resort’s two restaurants. Rates start at $324/N including fees before tax. In Lake Placid, High Peaks’ Mountains & Maple Package includes 15% off the best available room rate plus two mugs and maple syrup, cotton candy, and popcorn from Bechard’s Sugar House. Rates start at $161/N including fees before tax.
The fun doesn’t end when the leaves do. As the trees lose their color, there are plenty of great reasons to stay through the quiet stretch that follows, when the crowds depart and the whole point of the trip shifts from sightseeing to simply staying longer. That makes November especially well-suited for couples, friend groups, or solo trips built around actual rest.
For those planning to stay after the peak fall foliage season has subsided, the Linger Longer Package at Topnotch turns a private 1-, 2-, or 3-bedroom Resort Home into the draw itself: stay four nights or longer and the 4th night is free, with enough space to spread out, work, or host friends (access to the resort’s amenities is included). The Stay More, Play More Package at High Peaks includes a 5th night free, ideal for travelers looking for adventure, relaxation, or both. Early color or late-season quiet — either way, the mountains are worth the trip.
Plan October in San Diego, Where Kids Play Free
Thinking about taking those young’uns out of school for a mid-autumn break? Keep ‘em learning in southern California during the 15th Annual Kids Free San Diego. Throughout October, take advantage of the deals, free admission and added perks offered to all under-12s by San Diego attractions and hotels, restaurants, tours, and transportation.
Get up close to bizarre sea creatures at Birch Aquarium, the public arm of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Enter the famous San Diego Zoo free, including to seasonal events like fun lightshows and dance parties at HalGLOWeen. Near the Safari Park, discover the Kit Carson park in Escondido which features several mosaic statues in Niki de Saint-Phalle’s last major work. Ride coasters and meet the panda pair, Yun Chuan and Xin Bao, at SeaWorld San Diego. Make time to drop into all 18 major museums in Balboa Park. They include something for everyone: model trains, hiking trails, interactive science exhibits, great artworks, and even dinosaurs.
Immerse Yourselves in the Arts and Culture Capital of New Mexico
Santa Fe’s 400 years of history make it a rich, multi-cultural destination for all ages. New Mexico cultural attractions for kids include the Museum of International Folk Art and the Georgia O’Keefe Museum, where a learning guide helps them engage with the art. Meow Wolf is an immersive stage set that welcomes visitors to shape their own story as they move through the space. Since opening in the state a decade ago, it has expanded to Las Vegas, Denver, and Grapevine and Houston, Texas. The creative team customize brightly painted ‘rooms’ full of characters, tunnels, stairs, local artworks and interactive experiences to each location.
Drop into the Native American market or the weekly arts market around the Santa Fe Plaza and explore the shops in classic adobe casitas. Author George R.R. Martin of The Game of Thrones fame oversees a local cultural empire, including the themed Sky Railway and the Jean Cocteau Cinema all in the Railyard District. The Kakawa Chocolate House produces authentic drinking chocolate elixirs that date back to ancient times plus some infused with chili. Our partners loved their casita at The Four Seasons Rancho Encantado, on a 57-acre property north of town.
Terror Travel Worth the Trip
Halloween frights are cheapest and least crowded the earlier you book. One of the top seasonal destinations is Salem, Massachusetts, known for its Witch Trials, costume parties, ghost tours and annual Zombie Walk. If you’re short on time, book the Salem in a Day from Boston: The Legacy of Witches tour.
Every Saturday throughout October, the Royal Gorge Route Railroad wants you to wear your best costume for an unforgettable evening train ride through Colorado’s most spectacular canyon. Not far away in Estes Park, enroll in The Stanley Hotel‘s evening ghost tour. This historic hotel, which inspired Stephen King’s terrifying novel “The Shining,” is, well, terrifying.
Jellystone Park Camp-Resort locations welcome fall and Halloween travelers. Book one of their tiny cabins for spooky evenings; try scarecrow dress up, witches’ broom relay races, haunted trails, trick-or-treating, costume contests, and campsite decorating.
Sleepy Hollow Country awakens from a deep sleep each fall as visitors march into Blaze at Van Cortlandt Manor, New York. Artists sculpt, paint, position and fasten more than 7,000 pumpkins into remarkable tableaus. Enjoy terror all night at the new Headless Horseman’s Hideaway bar. (America250 buffs will enjoy learning that Pierre Van Cortlandt was a leader in New York’s revolutionary government, supplying flour to General Washington’s troops.) From Washington Irving to Edgar Allan Poe, there are literary ghosts throughout the region.
City Experiences offers numerous spooky urban adventures around the globe. Out West, book the Alcatraz Night Tour to break out of jail in San Francisco. In Italy, explore the Crypts, Bones & Catacombs: An Underground Tour of Rome for an unforgettably ghoulish night.
College Towns for Fall Fun & Games
A recent study by Omio discovered that that 67% of families have taken kids out of school to travel. Another quarter are considering it because of the cheap fall travel deals. Make playing hooky a win-win by combining collegiate sports with campus tours. Hilton now accommodates the college-town bound with Graduate Hotels (a favorite brand that they purchased.) Undergraduate by Hilton, rising in smaller university towns, is set to open next year. Here are two options.
The University of Oregon recently joined the Big 10, giving college football fans a reason to visit Eugene. Bring the kids midweek to tour Willamette Valley’s wineries and go hiking past waterfalls. Braised, Eugene’s gluten-free food truck, is a must-stop for its mac n’ cheese. The playful Graduate by Hilton Eugene has lobby decor themed to UO’s colors. (The convenient, style-free University Inn & Suites may also have bargain rates at your visit.)
In Berkeley, fans are looking forward to the reopened Cal Athletics Hall of Fame. Stay at the Graduate by Hilton Berkeley. Since 1928, it has welcomed prospective students, families, and alumni. Enjoy team-inspired rooms, public spaces celebrating the Golden Bears, a 24-hour gym, pet amenities, loaner bikes and a great staff.
Beat Everyone to the Changing Leaves in Grand Lake, Colorado
If you can’t wait for the gold and crimson foliage of autumn, plan a fall trip to Grand Lake, a charming mountain town on the west side of Rocky Mountain National Park. Because of the region’s extended drought, leaves have already started changing in the High Rockies. The Old Farmer’s Almanac has an interactive Fall Foliage Timeline you can check, and locals forecast peak leaf peeping for mid-September. Also time to hear the elk bugle during their mating season. Colorado-based writer Eileen Ogintz prefers Grand Lake to Estes Park, because it’s less crowded and more laid back. Grand Lake Lodge has fun-with-kids cabins built in the 1920s from Sears & Roebuck kits. They can also kayak, canoe, paddleboard, or rent a motorboat or pontoon to explore Colorado’s largest and deepest natural lake.
Theme Park Thrills and Haunted House Frights
There are fall events and Halloween doings at all the Disney theme parks and most everywhere else. Howl-O-Scream rages select nights at both Busch Gardens Tampa Bay and Williamsburg, Virginia.
Halloween Horror Nights, one of the scariest events we know, takes over Universal Resorts in Orlando, Hollywood, Osaka and Singapore. Additionally, the Orlando park offers five super premium Universal Nights this fall granting after-dark access to Universal Epic Universe for special entertainment, character interactions, specialty snacks and beverages.
Heading West, dark forces come to life at Cedar Point with its HalloWeekends and Kings Dominion with the debut of DIABLO: The Infernal Path, an all-new haunted maze inspired by the iconic video game franchise. Outside Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, Silverwood theme park features Scarywood, the seasonal makeover for ages 12+ which has been voted one of “Halloween’s Scariest Thrills” by the Travel Channel. Learn more about Idaho’s family Halloween events here.
Route 66 Turns 100 This Fall!
You must have heard the fanfare surrounding the centennial of Route 66, which has gone on for a year although the road turns 100 on Nov. 4, 2026. When it opened, the mostly two-lane blacktop ran 2,448 miles across eight states from Chicago, Illinois to Santa Monica, California. We’ve already covered some of the fun commemorations and the next one – Tulsa’s Route 66 Centennial Celebration – takes over the Tulsa Arts District Nov. 11, 2026. Road-trippers should book ahead for one of many unique places to stay, including three in New Mexico: The Inn at Five Graces in Santa Fe, Blue Swallow Motel in Tucumcari and el Rancho in Gallup.
In Missouri, drop waypoints on Cuba for the ca. 1938 Wagon Wheel Motel and on Springfield for the Best Western Route 66 Rail Haven.
Other campy hotels that have retained and even enhanced their theming include the haunted Hotel Monte Vista on the main street of Flagstaff, Arizona. The two Wigwam, hotels with solid tipi style bungalows, are located in Arizona (from the 1930s) and in California (built in the 1950s).
Some of these seasonal travel ideas have been sponsored but all of the opinions are our own. Please check out more fall festival ideas from our partners in travel at TakingtheKids.com.
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