Longtime natives of the Asheville area in the Blue Ridge Mountains, known for its extended fall foliage sea­son, will tell you that the best color dis­plays come later — toward the end of October. Celebrating the 75th anniver­saries of Smoky Mountains National Park in 2009 and Blue Ridge Parkway in 2010, moun­tain fam­i­lies like Steve Woody’s were moved from their home­steads in the 1930s for the cre­ation of the park and are proud of the nat­ural legacy they have left to us all.

You know there might be some­thing unusual about a hotel when you see an image of a lum­ber­jack hang­ing by the neck from a rope that appears to be tied from the rafters of the lounge.

Fall is a glo­ri­ous time to visit Virginia as 15 mil­lion acres of foliage burst into color, pump­kins start to glow and winer­ies cel­e­brate the har­vest. To make fall escapes eas­ier and more afford­able, Virginia has launched new 48-Hour Guilt-Free Getaways.

Ten ideas for $30-$70/night lodg­ing and activ­i­ties $10 and under from Mt Washington Valley, NH. View vibrant fall foliage in the White Mountains of New Hampshire with­out spend­ing a lot of green.

American sto­ry­teller Garrison Keillor recently opined that, “the joys of a state fair are plea­sures that Google and Facebook and a com­puter in a cubi­cle can­not pro­vide, and that’s why some­thing deep in us still wants and needs a state fair.” Keillor describes the rit­ual of a state fair as a fes­ti­val of the senses, a feast of foods on a stick and a plunge into self-indulgence.