Shenandoah’s color season runs late September through November. That means within two weeks, we’ll start seeing the leaves transform. These are the mistakes tourists make planning a first Shenandoah trip in Virginia. 1. Skipping the Old Rag Ticket Shenandoah National Park charges $30 for a vehicle pass that covers seven days, and many first-time visitors…
Labor Day was a week and a half ago. Seven Springs already cut its Alpine Slide and lake paddleboats to weekends only, and it isn’t the only place up there running a shorter week now. These are the things that close or cost more in Pennsylvania’s Pocono and Laurel Highlands towns after Labor Day. 1….
Pennsylvania’s Amish Country holds the largest Amish settlement in the country, with an estimated 44,765 people across 267 church districts, per Elizabethtown College’s Young Center. Needless to say, it doesn’t run on a tourist’s calendar. These are the mistakes tourists make planning a first trip to Pennsylvania Amish Country. 1. Building the Trip Around a…
The last tube pushed off at Ausable Chasm on September 7, the Monday of Labor Day weekend. Peak foliage in the Adirondacks doesn’t arrive until late September at the earliest, by the state tourism office’s count. These are the things that close early in Adirondack and Catskill towns before New York’s fall foliage season. 1….
The sand dunes look the same in September as they did in July. The road in front of them doesn’t. These are the things that change in North Carolina’s beach towns once school starts back. Note: This is general information, not legal advice. Traffic fines and school-zone rules are subject to change, so confirm current…
The Adirondack Balloon Festival’s 2026 schedule opens this Thursday near Lake George, building toward the weekend mass ascension when up to 80 hot air balloons lift off together. Some people pop in just to see the balloons. But that’s a mistake, if you ask us. These are the New York drives made for travelers who…
The Great Smoky Mountains is America’s most-visited national park, and Tennessee’s first properly cool weekend often feels like when that entire crowd shows up at once. These are the mistakes visitors make when they plan a trip to the Smokies during Tennessee’s first cool weekend. 1. Getting Too Close During the Elk Rut Great Smoky…
As of late August, the National Park Service still listed roughly 31 miles of the Blue Ridge Parkway near Linville Falls and Mount Mitchell as closed for Hurricane Helene repairs. Full reopening in North Carolina isn’t targeted until the end of this year, and the map keeps shifting between now and then. A map from…
Grandfather Mountain runs its guided fall-color walks from October 3 through 11, right at the mountain’s color peak. Showing up at the gate without checking the calendar first can mean a longer wait than a traveler planned on. These are the North Carolina mountain trips that turn into a mistake once leaf season arrives. 1….
Maroon Creek Road closes to unreserved private vehicles for almost five months every year. A driver in Colorado who doesn’t plan around it can lose the best part of an aspen drive before it starts. That’s just one clock running this fall. These are the mistakes that turn a September aspen drive into a wasted…
