10 Unforgettable Fall Getaways From Baltimore

Fall is the perfect time to get away if you want a quick weekend escape from the busy streets of Baltimore. Picturesque areas offering stunning scenery and fun seasonal activities are only a drive of three hours or less away. Whether you decide to travel within the state of Maryland, to West Virginia, to Pennsylvania, to Virginia, or Delaware, you will be sure to experience plenty of changing leaves, vibrant colors, and crisp, cool air. Destinations along the East Coast are adorned with pumpkins, cozy farm stands, and harvest displays offering apple cider and fresh baked goods, capturing the essence of fall.

Garrett County, Maryland

Just over a three-hour drive from Baltimore, in the far western part of the state, Garrett County may be the most scenic place to visit in Maryland in autumn. It boasts nine state parks, seven lakes, and elevations ranging from 900 feet to 3,360 feet above sea level. Changing leaves that will delight and inspire you are from the county's many oak, sugar maple, red maple, black cherry, basswood, ash, and birch trees.

One of the most popular attractions in Garrett County is Deep Creek Lake, the state's largest freshwater lake, covering almost 4,000 acres. Deep Creek Lake State Park is the perfect place to view the mountains, the lake, and the changing of the leaves. Deep Creek Lake lies within the towns of McHenry and Oakland. Every October, the Autumn Glory Festival is held in Oakland. Local foliage is celebrated through art exhibits, corn mazes, concerts, parades, food, and more.

If you want to experience the utmost in fall foliage, consider taking a self-guided Fall Foliage Heritage Driving Tour. Two routes have been identified - one that is 33 miles long and takes about an hour, winding through Southern Garrett County, and the other, which is 61 miles, takes about an hour and 40 minutes and covers Northern Garrett County. These tours take you to some of the highlights of the county, such as Historic Mountain Lake Park, Casselman River Bridge State Park, Spruce Forest Artisan Village, and Maryland Scenic Byways. The beauty of this county is so breathtaking that once you experience autumn in Garrett County, you will want to return again and again to re-experience it each year.

Laurel Highlands, Pennsylvania

The Laurel Highlands are an extension of the Central Appalachian Mountains, including parts of the Allegheny Mountains as well as the Youghiogheny River in Pennsylvania's Fayette, Somerset, Westmoreland, and Cambria Counties, located in Pennsylvania's southwestern corner. It is about a three-and-a-half-hour drive from Baltimore, but the stunning autumn scenery makes this area well worth the trip.

Staggering beauty surrounds you in the Laurel Highlands, so named after the mountain laurel, the state flower that thrives in the area's higher elevations. Although it blooms in late spring and early summer, its evergreen-colored leaves are seen year-round, including in the fall.

Bear Run Nature Preserve spans 5,080 acres of hemlock forest that offers recreational opportunities all year long. Hike its 28 miles of trails and explore the more than 500 plant species and 53 bird species that call the preserve home. Fishing and hunting are also permitted on the preserve.

Located in the preserve along Route 381 in the village of Mill Run is Fallingwater, a historical landmark that you cannot miss when you travel to the Laurel Highlands. Tours of this architectural marvel designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, as well as its gardens, are available year-round. The gardens are a particular highlight for many, as they feature an apple orchard and native wildflowers.

On the southern part of the Laurel Highlands, you will find Ohiopyle State Park. This park covers 20,500 acres and features the Youghiogheny River Gorge, offering some of the East Coast's best whitewater rafting. The scenery in the park includes Cucumber Falls, a 30-foot waterfall, and Ohiopyle Falls, a low, wider waterfall in the park's center. Hiking on the Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail, which heads 70 miles north to Johnstown, PA, is also a popular pastime.

Lancaster County, Pennsylvania

The peacefulness and serenity of Amish Country can be felt as soon as you set foot (or vehicle) in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Within an hour and a half, Baltimoreans experience the tranquility and sheer beauty of Lancaster County's fall scenery.

Lancaster County is home to eight county parks, totaling over 2,00 acres. Each of these parks contains hiking trails, and trees including bunchberry, oak, and maple. Chickies Rock Park has an overlook where visitors can gape at the Susquehanna River, and Money Rocks Park offers one viewing the twin valleys of the eastern part of Lancaster County.

If pumpkins, corn mazes, and apples skew more to your idea of autumn, Lancaster County will not disappoint. Corn mazes can be found at Cherry Crest Adventure Farm in Ronks, Corn Cob Acres in Mountville, and Oregon Dairy in Lititz. You can pick apples and enjoy pumpkins, apple cider, baked goods, and more at Cherry Hill Orchards in Lancaster and Kauffman Orchards in Bird-in-Hand.

Fall in Lancaster County would not be the same without festivals, such as the New Holland Farmers Fair in early October and the West Lampeter Community Fair at the end of September. Both festivals showcase the beauty of Lancaster County by celebrating the county's agricultural heritage and the unique feeling of community found within these small towns.

Sussex County, Delaware

Just a two hour and 10-minute drive from Baltimore, Sussex County, Delaware is a popular destination with Baltimoreans in the summertime. If you choose to escape to Sussex County in the autumn, however, you will discover an entirely different side of what many think of as "the beach."

If you follow Route 1, the Delaware Scenic Coastal Highway, you will discover some of the best fall foliage in Delaware. Sand and surf will be on one side, and lush orange, brown, and red fall foliage on the other as you drive past the towns of Fenwick Island, Bethany Beach, Dewey Beach, and Lewes. Since these beach towns are much less crowded during the fall months, you could even make a few stops and enjoy the ocean air of the Atlantic Ocean and the Delaware Bay.

Cape Henlopen State Park, near Lewes, holds free fall bird walks on weekends. Wagon rides on the beach are also offered at the park on weekend evenings. The Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge in Milton, stretching along the western marshes of the Delaware Bay, protects 10,000 acres of wildlife habitat. Visitors can hike on 7.5 miles of trails and see not only spectacular fall foliage but also over 245 species of birds.

As for fall festivals, there are many from which to choose. Bridgeville holds its Apple-Scrapple Festival each October, featuring farm markets, raffles, and, of course, apples, and scrapples. Do not miss the Sea Witch Festival in Rehoboth Beach in late October, with parades, magic shows, contests, trick-or-treating, and much more.

Shenandoah Valley, Virginia and West Virginia

Extending in a southwesterly direction from Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, into northern Virginia, the Shenandoah Valley is just a three-hour drive from Baltimore. The valley, drained by the Shenandoah River, lies between the Blue Ridge and Allegheny Mountains. Its unique location provides travelers with some beautiful fall scenery.

Starting in West Virginia, the Shenandoah Valley includes Berkeley, Morgan, and Jefferson Counties. Be sure to check out Sleepy Creek Wildlife Management Area, covering 23,000 acres of Berkeley and Morgan Counties, with beautiful oak and hickory trees, mountain ridges, and deer, turkey, bear, bobcat, and more roaming its enclave. Hunting and fishing are both popular here in the fall.

A little over an hour to the south, Shenandoah National Park, Virginia's first national park, has elevations ranging from 550 to 4,049 feet and is home to stately oak trees, rocky vistas, deep canyons, and waterfalls. There are plenty of trails for hikers throughout the park, ranging from 1.2 miles in length to seven miles long. Visitors will enjoy the variety of flora and fauna found throughout the park, as well as over 50 mammal species, 190 bird species, 40 fish species, and 20 reptile and amphibian species.

The largest cavern on the East Coast, Luray Caverns, is a popular destination for travelers in the Shenandoah Valley, and with good reason. The caverns can be viewed at any time of the year, but their surroundings are especially beautiful in fall, with red, orange, and golden leaves. Touring the caverns will give you vistas of 10-story-high ceilings, cathedral-sized rooms, stalactites and stalagmites, and the beautiful Dream Lake located inside the caverns.

Leesburg, Virginia

Just over an hour and a half's drive from Baltimore via I-70 West, you will find the small historic town of Leesburg, Virginia. The county seat of Loudon County, Leesburg is a picturesque town with beautiful scenery all around.

Morven Park, on Leesburg's northern border, was the home of former Virginia governor Westmoreland Davis. Covering 1,000 acres, this park includes historic buildings, which can be toured, as well as its lush grounds. Willow oaks, dawn redwoods, osage orange trees, an apple orchard, and formal gardens are just a few of the outdoor attractions that are popular here in the fall months.

Civil War buffs will enjoy visiting Ball's Bluff Battlefield Regional Park, the site of one of the largest Civil War engagements in the county. Weekend guided tours of the park are available through November. The bluff overlooks the majestic Potomac River, and the park is filled with five species of hickories, oaks, tulip poplar, and beech trees.

The 400 acres of Oatlands Historic House and Gardens in Leesburg consist of cultivated acreage, gardens, and 28 buildings from the 19th and 20th centuries. A former plantation, today, the buildings and grounds are available to tour, hike, and enjoy. Oatlands includes four-and-a-half acres of walled gardens, which are ticketed, but much of the grounds may be roamed for free.

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

While many only associate Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, with its rich Civil War heritage, this town in Adams County has much more than history to celebrate in autumn. An hour and 20-minute drive from Baltimore, Gettysburg contains its share of farms, orchards, and vineyards that may be toured during the fall.

The fourth largest apple-producing county in the US, Adams County offers a Crop Hop, Farm, and Market Trail in Gettysburg. This trail takes visitors to many working farms and farm markets along the way, celebrating vegetables and fruits, including apples and pumpkins, in the fall.

Just 10 minutes up PA-34 N is the town of Biglerville, which holds its renowned National Apple Harvest Festival the first two weekends in October. The festival features steam engine displays, antique cars, orchard tours, pony rides, tastings, crafts, live music, and more. Displays of chainsaw carving (known as Appalachian art) and Celtic wood and wires are also a part of the festival.

If wine is more to your liking than apples, you can tour the many vineyards and wineries located on the Adams County wine trail. Over half a dozen wineries are included in Gettysburg, New Oxford, Biglerville, and Orrtanna. Scenic views of the beautiful Adams County countryside can be enjoyed while sipping a glass of wine.

Easton, Maryland

About a two-hour and 15-minute drive from Baltimore, you will find the town of Easton on the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay. There is much to do in this town, the capital of Talbot County, during the fall months, so much that many who visit at that time keep coming back every year.

Every Friday evening, Easton offers free music in various locations around town. Carriage rides, art galleries and walks, and live pumpkin carving are also featured during fall weekends in Easton.

One of the main highlights of Easton each November is the Waterfowl Festival. This festival draws collectors, artists, hunters, and visitors from all over the world to the historic town. Wildlife art, decoys, Chesapeake Bay retriever demonstrations, and duck and goose calls are all on display. The festival celebrates the Eastern Shore's tradition of conservation.

Scenic hiking and biking trails are also found in Easton and Talbot County. Ambitious bikers will enjoy the 38.2-mile Chesapeake Views loop, offering unobstructed water views. Hiking trails where you can enjoy the best scenery include the 5.1-mile Easton Rail Trail and the shorter 0.6-mile North Easton Park Loop. You will see silver maple, white oak, hickory, and other trees as you stroll through the Easton countryside.

Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania

The Pocono Mountains are gorgeous any time of the year, but maybe more so in autumn. Jim Thorpe, also called the "Little Switzerland of America," was voted one of the best places to experience fall foliage by two publications. It is an easy three-hour car ride up I-83 N and I-81 N.

One great way to experience all that fall has to offer in this area is to hop onto a passenger car from the 1900s at Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway. Special autumn leaf train rides that run 45 minutes in length from Jim Thorpe to Lehigh Gorge State Park, following the length of the Lehigh River. You will see mountain scenery, high cliffs, and wildlife as you ride along the river. These rides are available from early October through early November.

The 6,107 acres of Lehigh Gorge State Park follow the Lehigh River from Jim Thorpe in the south to the Francis E. Walter Dam in the north. Whitewater boating and biking are popular fall activities. You could opt to hike the Lehigh Gorge Trail, which follows over 20 miles of the Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor. The trail, which is closed to vehicles, runs along an abandoned railroad grade along the river, and offers visitors awesome autumn scenery while they hike, bike, or just sightsee.

The Jim Thorpe Fall Foliage Festival runs for the first three weekends of October at various locations in the Jim Thorpe area, including Susquehanna Street and Josiah White Park. It is a great way to see all of the attractions mentioned above, plus experience whitewater rafting in the Lehigh River Gorge, as well as artwork and crafts on the streets of Jim Thorpe. Free live music takes place all three weekends.

Brandywine Valley, Delaware, and Pennsylvania

The Brandywine Creek flows from southeastern Chester County, Pennsylvania into northern New Castle County, Delaware. It creates the magnificent Brandywine Valley, beautiful in all seasons but especially in autumn. From Baltimore, the Brandywine Valley is just an hour and a half's drive up I-95.

Take the Brandywine Valley National Scenic Byway, beginning in Wilmington, 12.5 miles to the Pennsylvania state line, where the byway continues into Chester and Delaware Counties for another 25 miles. The scenery along this route is breathtaking in the fall, with the leaves of native trees such as sycamore, black walnut, silver maple, and box elder changing colors.

Along the way, be sure to stop at Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, PA. One of the greatest horticultural displays in the world, this 1,100-acre collection of gardens, fountains, meadows, and woodlands was once the farm of Pierre DuPont. In the fall, chrysanthemums, goldenrods, and asters will be in bloom. Indoor and outdoor displays of plants, flowers, and trees are available. The Festival of Fountains runs through the end of October and includes both daytime fountain displays and illuminated nighttime fountain performances. It is a sight you have likely never seen anywhere else.

A bit further up the BVNSB in West Chester, PA, is the Stroud Preserve, 571 acres of grasslands, working farmlands, and woodlands serving as a site for nature, recreation, and research. With 10 miles of hiking trails, you can experience the beauty of autumn up close as you see the changing leaves of the sycamore trees, hackberries, oaks, sugar maples, and river birches.

Plan a Perfect Fall Escape from Baltimore

Gas up your vehicle and get ready to leave Charm City for one of these nearby weekend getaways. Whether you choose to head west to the mountains of Garrett County, east to the Chesapeake Bay town of Easton, south to the valleys of Virginia, or north to mountainous Pennsylvania, you will find relaxing yet fun fall experiences waiting for you. Leaving the hustle and bustle of the city behind, you will be sure to return refreshed, renewed, and recharged after a short escape to one of these destinations.