Best Places to Visit in the Southern United States in the Fall
The south, beautiful throughout the year, is resplendent in the fall. It receives its falltime attire later than its northern counterpart, after the summer greens surrender the stage to glittering yellow poplars, scarlet dogwoods, orange maples, and golden hickories. With blanked mountains and sparkling rivers, lakes, and waterfalls, it is a patchwork quilt through state parks and national forests. These nine destinations engulf you in a daze of colors, among family-friendly attractions and world-famous events like the Tallulah Gorge whitewater release in Georgia and base jumping at the New Gorge Bridge in West Virginia. The small towns welcome with real celebrations of the season, opening a world of possibilities on Mother Nature's immense doorstep.
DeSoto State Park, Alabama
Studded with fall-blooming wildflowers, the North Alabama highlands become a patchwork of yellow poplars, scarlet dogwoods, orange maples, and golden hickories, with lakes and waterfalls stark against the foliage. In the northeast, Desoto State Park reflects golden, crimson, and pumpkin orange foliage under the clear skies in blue waters, as if admiring its own autumn attire. With log and rustic cabins, chalets, and campsites, you can lose yourself in the sea of gold from late October to early November over family-friendly hikes like the moderate, 2.3-mile Laurel Falls and Lost Falls Trails near Fort Payne.
Starting counter-clockwise on the orange-blazed trail southwest, the total elevation gain to Lost Falls is 196 feet before turning left and back northeast on the blue-blazed trail to the parking lot. The 1.9-mile Desoto Falls Bottom and Bluff Overlook near Mentone, Alabama, features a gain of 233 feet in elevation and cool spots like Icebox Cave, the Desoto Falls River View, and the view of the Desoto Falls and Basin from the riverside. Before looping back from the Desoto Falls Bluff View, you can still appreciate the falls from the bluffs in solitude with your four-legged friend, despite being a popular trail.
Savannah, Georgia
Savannah is one of the best autumn destinations in the South, engulfed in foliage that highlights the best of the southern charm in the state amid a ton of seasonal events and attractions. Under the perfect 70 to 86 degrees Fahrenheit, you can spend memorable autumn days in the walkable city with picturesque streets. From rich history to new allure in the food scene, the cobblestone paths will eventually lead you to lush parks and gardens to experience fall colors to the fullest.
The Savannah Jazz Festival takes place in September, followed by Oktoberfest and Wag-O-Ween. Come November, the Savannah Food and Wine Festival takes over the town with delicious offerings and a boozy buzz at each corner. Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport is under 20 minutes from downtown's Chippewa Square, which was the filming location of Forrest Gump. Visit the Bonaventure Cemetery for a tour to see why it was voted one of the world's ten most beautiful graveyards, while Leopold’s Ice Cream is a must-stop—rain, snow, or shine!
Tallulah Gorge, Georgia
For the peachiest falltime views in Georgia, Tallulah Gorge State Park in the north of the Peach State is easy to explore on a scenic drive and various hiking trails. The two-mile trek along the rim of the gorge envelops you in a warm haze of colors, feeling like a sweet Georgia brown. Get hyped over the views with your pet, but don't get too nutty along the steep drop! The beautiful apex, with striking Tallulah Falls, is one of the state's most sought-after sites, calling you for a post-hike celebratory picnic by the stark falls against the reds, yellows, and oranges.
Straddling the two-mile-long, 1,000-foot canyon, the park also hosts the biannual whitewater release on the first three weekends of November. Whitewater kayakers paddle through Class IV and V rapids in the gorge, a sight to see amid the spectacular colors! So iconic, Tallulah Gorge is a star in movies like "Deliverance" and "Grizzly," as well as the place for Karl Wallenda's legendary high-wire walk—if you know, you know, but the late October to early November foliage is just as heart-stopping!
Cumberland Falls, Kentucky
This 1,657-acre State Resort Park reigns supreme in Kentucky with pure Bluegrass beauty and experiences in the shimmering landscape. Its miles upon miles of hiking trails, accessible to every level, reveal some of the most majestic views, including active wildlife, a resplendent river, and rock formations among waterfalls. The crown jewel "Niagara of the South" turns extraordinary from mid-September through late October, stark against the golden, orange, and scarlet hues.
The 1.8-mile Eagle Falls Trail loops around the two most stunning Cumberland Falls and Eagle Falls for a moderate hike. The park is an amazing weekend escape to experience Mother Nature's bold colors under the cooling temperatures, and even camping through October 31! Over 50 campsites are hooked up to electricity and water, with a central bath house, showers, and restrooms. Don't miss the historic man-made icon of the enchanted Dupont Lodge—the finest in the state and charming as a postcard.
Cumberland, Maryland
Maryland's landscape is ablaze with golden, bronze, and scarlet hues peaking in mid- and late October. Autumn alights the skyline of the town in the spotlight with its energetic lineup of events and enigmatic tree species. Cumberland is abuzz in the fall, whose church steeples peak yearly through foliage since the 1800s. The evergreen pines set a stark canvas for the deciduous white oak, chestnut oak, black oak, northern red oak, red maple, sugar maple, and silver maple. The tree-lined arts community feels one with the autumn season under the blanketed mountainsides of Allegany County—the Mountain Side of Maryland.
Historic Cumberland, the state's second-largest town, boasts many perusable knickknacks to discover against the colorful Appalachian background, none better than the C&O Canal trail. The 60,000 acres of public land with forests turn into a playground, while the 150-mile Great Allegheny Passage was called by the National Geographic "Top Fall Trips in the World." Connecting to the historic 184.5-mile C&O Canal Towpath, the international trails delight active outdoor fans. You can unwind over views aboard the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad, a picturesque heritage trail ride, and seek entertainment in the town's food scene, arts, and cultural and historical attractions.
Bryson City/The Appalachian Trail, North Carolina
The non-touristy town at the southern entryway into the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a laid-back getaway for quiet scenery-seekers. With some 1,500 locals and boundless, colorful nature, you can explore over 800 miles of trails via hiking and biking. The aptly named "Road to Nowhere" is an 8-mile path into the national park, rugged just enough to have fun, ending at the mouth of a scenic tunnel. The colorful Great Smokies and the by-running Appalachian Trail, one of the country's longest, are a real playground for outdoor fans to enjoy under the dusky mountains.
Amid wide open spaces for nature from the doorstep, Bryson City is perfect to hit the refresh button with amenities at hand in an off-the-radar location for a peaceful sojourn with your loved ones. Find enticing family-friendly fun like spectacular train excursions, a vibrant downtown, and the 29-mile-long, emerald Fontana Lake, featuring pristine waters and over 240 miles of remote shoreline next to the park. For thrills, you can bike to the Fontana Dam, hit the whitewater on the Nantahala River, or enjoy one-hour access east to Asheville on a day trip.
Nantahala National Forest, North Carolina
Macon County in North Carolina is your getaway to the cascading waterfalls within stunning forest foliage of reds, yellows, oranges, and even purples. Feeding into the Cullasaja River through the Nantahala National Forest, the 65-foot Dry Falls features stone steps for a unique perspective from below the roaring waters. You can snatch a stay at the pet-friendly, uncrowded Engadine and Cabins on the forest's north edge and wake up to stunning mountain views. There is also the North Carolina Arboretum and the Southern Porch just a few miles away for outdoor dining and live entertainment, while Asheville is just 20 miles east.
Autumn's pageantry through Western North Carolina is resplendent to capture via a scenic drive along the kaleidoscopic tree line of the mixed Nantahala National Forest. Active leaf peepers can enjoy hikes with colorful views of the Blue Ridge Mountains, including Pisgah, for the ardorous climbers. The pitch pine and rhododendron provide a verdant backdrop to the deciduous turning brilliant colors, like the yellow tulip poplar, red hickory and flowering dogwood, scarlett black gum, and oaks displaying the whole spectrum.
Shenandoah National Park/Valley, Virginia
Shenandoah National Park, strategically created to highlight Skyline Drive, rivals in fall finery for the South's best foliage. Equipped with four entrances, the two northern ones are most crowded to access the hiking trails for vibrant fall colors in mid-October. Its unique crest section of the Blue Ridge Mountains, where the ridge "blushes" first before it creeps down the mountain sides, extends the fall season. Skyline Drive runs the entire length of the ridge with mile markers and 75 overlooks onto Shenandoah Valley to the west and Virginia on the east.
You can cover the drive in three hours and explore the best of the park on a weekend, so book a stay at Big Meadows Lodge or Skyland with cabins and motel-style rooms. The most gorgeous fall foliage is accessible over top hikes like the Stony Man Trail and Hawksbill Summit. The heart of Shenandoah Valley is home to Showalter's Orchard, with 40 acres for strolls overlooking the valley and picking over 20 varieties of apples at the orchard. You can stay nearby in Luray at the Mimslyn Inn and stock up on some fresh, sweet apple cider or a stronger bottle of Old Hill Hard Cider.
New River Gorge Bridge, West Virginia
Completed in 1977, the 3,030-foot (924-meter) New River Gorge Bridge cut down a 40-minute narrow mountain road drive to a minute across an ancient river as the longest steel span in the western hemisphere. A real work of structural art, the third-highest bridge in the United States and one of the most photographed places in West Virginia, is ridden with fall foliage and panoramic views for 360. On the National Register of Historic Places since 2013, it also represents West Virginia on the state commemorative quarter as of 2006! While a drive is rarely enough to appreciate the truly breathtaking beauty, a guided walk across the 3,030-foot bridge will do it!
You can enjoy a leisurely stroll with landscape views from the famous bridge, open to pedestrians one day a year, imminently on October 21, 2023. From more than 875 feet over the New River, you will see Fayetteville, West Virginia, adorned in deep reds and sunny yellows. Bridge Day is also the largest extreme sports event in the world since 1980, when two parachutists jumped from a plane onto the bridge and five jumped from the bridge into the gorge. Family-friendly events include vendors, base jumping, rappelling, and live music, while jumpers from around the globe come for "Building, Antenna, Span, and Earth" here.
While the beaches captivate in the summer, you can finally forgo the oceanside for these gems, shining brightest in the south as its top falltime places to visit! The autumn turns the south into a real colorful playground that keeps you chasing for sights under the milder weather and low chance of getting rained on.Strewn across the south, these destinations are the best for shareable moments to cherish with your loved ones. Hunt for waterfalls, covered bridges, and those scenic shots on a rugged cliff facing the foliage-ridden mountainous landscape backdrop with a four-legged f riend—you know what we are talking about!
