Summer is far from over, and we’re not wishing it away anytime soon. But if you’re the type who likes to plan ahead—or perhaps you’re tired of being hot and prefer sweater weather—this roundup is for you. One of our favorite ways to revel in the glories of autumn is by visiting a charming small town, one with a big festival calendar, cute B&Bs, independent shops and restaurants, and extraordinary access to the great outdoors. What follows are suggestions for eight small towns across the United States where you can eye fall foliage, visit a whiskey saloon, see rescue lions, and learn Viking cookery.
MASS MoCA in North Adams is the country’s largest all-contemporary art museum
Photo by T photography/Shutterstock
North Adams, Massachusetts
Art meets brick warehouses in this Berkshires town near the Vermont state line. Across North Adams (and the adjoining college town of Williamstown), streets are peppered with casual eateries, thrift stores, and independent shops selling outdoor gear, all surrounded by verdant hills. The town’s biggest destination is Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA), a 19th-century factory mill complex turned the country’s largest contemporary art museum. For a fall foliage activity, take the Cascades Trail, a fairly gentle 2.1-mile walk close to North Adams’s picturesque downtown. And if you’re up for more of a trip, head to nearby Mount Greylock for trails that lead to the highest point in Massachusetts. The summit, which you can also reach by car, has a 12,500-acre preserve bursting with red, orange, and golden leaves.
Where to stay
Book now: Tourists
Tourists was opened in 2018 by a group that includes John Stirratt, the bassist with the Chicago alt-rock group Wilco. It’s a contemporary, rustic-minimalist motel whose 46 rooms have big picture windows and cabin vibes from plenty of blonde wood. Hang around at the backyard pool, take an outdoor yoga class, or join one of the hotel’s scavenger hunts.
Related: The Most Charming Small Town in Every U.S. State
Grand Marais perches on Lake Superior’s northern shore.
Photo by Kjersti Vick/Visit Cook County MN
Grand Marais, Minnesota
The crown jewel of Lake Superior’s North Shore, this 1,340-person town is the ultimate fall cornucopia—overflowing with delicious things to eat. Try the cinnamon-sugar rings at the cheekily named World’s Best Donuts, open since 1969, or puffy fry bread tacos at Hungry Hippie Tacos. There’s also lots to see (the striking art deco–meets–Cree Indian dining room at Naniboujou Lodge), buy (teak spoons and handsome made-in-Minnesota canoe paddles at Upstate MN), and do (take a printmaking or beginner photography class at the long-running Grand Marais Art Colony).
The artistically inclined can pop by open studios and galleries during the area’s annual Art Along the Lake Fall Studio Tour, held in 2025 from September 26 through October 5. Grand Marais is also home to the storied North House Folk School, where visitors sign up for intensive multi-day workshops in timber framing, sweetgrass basketry, open-fire Viking cooking, and more.
The lung-busting hike to Devil’s Kettle Falls at Judge C.R. Magney State Park will take you the better part of a morning, but the payoff is a mysterious “waterfall to nowhere.” (It is actually not mysterious anymore; scientists cracked the case in 2017.) At Grand Portage State Park, just shy of the Canadian border, you’ll find the highest waterfall (70 feet) in Minnesota—only this one is far easier to reach. Another must: Make the 30-mile drive out to Poplar Haus, a rustic restaurant, lodge, and craft liquor store off the scenic Gunflint Trail.
Where to stay
Book now: Agua Norte
A five-minute drive from town, Agua Norte‘s two cabins and a loft overlook Lake Superior. You can walk or snowshoe across the property’s 20 acres of woods, or relax in the cedar sauna (especially after a bracing swim in Lake Superior) that’s redolent of eucalyptus. Each of the accommodations has light wood paneling, large plate glass windows with lake views, and a deck; the loft comes with a propane fireplace.
Park City is popular in the winter, but it shines just as brightly in the fall.
Photo by Sean Pavone/Shutterstock
Park City, Utah
Less than 40 minutes from Salt Lake City is a ski town (pop. 8,254) that is agreeable even when there isn’t snow on the ground—or movies screening with Sundance. Catch Park City in the fall shoulder season for lower room rates and a fraction of the crowds. Start off with a hike or walk in Round Valley, a 700-acre nature area with more than 30 miles of mountain-biking trails. If you prefer viewing fall foliage by car, try the seven-mile Guardsman Pass route. It is steep and unpaved, cutting through forests of evergreens and oaks in the Wasatch Mountains. The dense stand of aspens lining Pine Canyon Drive, in particular, is one of the prettiest you’ll ever see.
Back in Park City’s historic old town, walk Main Street, which is packed with independently owned shops, cafés, and galleries. After coffee at the minimalist-chic Pink Elephant Coffee Roasters, continue down Main to galleries like Bret Webster Gallery (specializing in photos) or Susan Swartz Studios, where you can see the artist’s own vibrant abstract paintings. Visit the High West Distillery & Saloon, located on nearby Park Avenue, to try an aged whiskey tipple. In mid-September, the annual Mountain Beer Festival sets up just outside of Park City, at the top of Snow Park Lodge’s chairlift. The Park City Wine Festival takes place the first weekend in October with lunches, dinners, and tastings.
For something to eat in between hiking and drinking, we recommend the generously portioned tacos, sopas, tortas, and tamales from Mexican grocery Anaya’s Market. New American restaurant Twisted Fern serves seasonal dishes such as cardamom and orange-poached figs with whipped goat cheese and zingy crispy brussels sprouts with kimchi and chili crisp.
Where to stay
Book now: The Lodge at Blue Sky
Spread across 4,000 acres in the picturesque Wasatch Mountains, about 30 minutes outside of Park City, the Lodge at Blue Sky, Auberge Resorts Collection is a collection of 46 minimalist one- and two-bedroom rooms and suites with terraces (and some have private pools). The hotel offers autumnal activities, such as fly-fishing, horseback riding, stargazing, and outdoor yoga classes.
New Hope and Lambertville sit on either side of the Delaware River.
Photo by EQRoy / Shutterstock
Lambertville, New Jersey
Visiting Lambertville (pop. 4,141) is like getting two sweet towns in one, as it sits across the Delaware River from the equally charming New Hope, Pennsylvania (pop. 2,600). Most visitors glide back and forth throughout their stay. (The towns are three miles apart, and you can walk across the bridge between the two.) Stay in Lambertville to see an indie flick at the nearby Acme Screening Room (which hosts a Halloween film festival in mid-October), get lost among the rare and out-of-print tomes at Panoply Books, or go for the full diner experience at Liv & Charlie’s.
Dozens of quirky art galleries and packed-to-the-rafters antiques shops line the streets of Lambertville and New Hope, but more discerning shoppers should beeline for Rago, an arts and auction center. The auction house was founded by expert appraiser and Antiques Roadshow star David Rago. Its lineup for fall dabbles in jewelry, from antique to art deco, as well as modern American furniture and contemporary glass art.
If you want to immerse yourself in nature, visit Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park on the Jersey side; here you can canoe, picnic, bicycle, hike, ride horses, or fish for perch and pickerel. On the New Hope side of the river, Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve is flush with colorful fall foliage. In October, the beech trees, black oaks, and maples turn yellow, red, and purple; come November, you can see wild senna, witch hazel, and juniper berries on Eastern red cedars.
Where to stay
Book now: Lambertville House
Travelers have been sleeping in Lambertville House‘s 26 rooms since 1812. With their carved wooden beds, armchairs, and floral-print window valences, the rooms are inviting and homey. It’s a comfortable base for exploring both Lambertville and New Hope, especially in October, when the in-room fireplaces are turned on, and you can warm up after a day of crisscrossing the bridge.
The whole of downtown Eureka Springs is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
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Eureka Springs, Arkansas
The entire downtown of Eureka Springs is part of the National Register of Historic Places: Admire the preserved Victorian architecture and make special note of Hatchet Hall, the former clapboard home of hatchet-wielding temperance movement leader Carry A. Nation. Peruse the unusual looking St. Elizabeth of Hungary Catholic Church, which is all stone with a terra-cotta roof; visitors enter through the bell tower. Or head to the Palace Hotel and Bath House Spa, which harkens back to Eureka’s glory days as a 19th-century hot springs boomtown, and which has a hot tub, sauna, and massage services.
The town’s agenda is packed throughout fall. Beyond the many outdoor concerts are events like the Ozark Folk Festival the first weekend of September, followed by a classic car show that same weekend, then the annual Corvette weekend, Oktoberfest, and a craft fair.
Less than 20 minutes from downtown is the Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge, which provides a forever home to abandoned, abused, and neglected big cats. Another draw just north of the town is the Thorncrown Chapel, a 48-foot-high, wood-and-glass sanctuary designed by architect E. Fay Jones. What’s more: The excellent Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, founded by a Walmart heiress, is an hour’s drive away.
Where to stay
Book now: 5 Ojo Inn
An early 1900s mansion turned nine-room bed-and-breakfast, 5 Ojo Inn is delightfully homey. Expect handsome carved wood furniture, gas fireplaces, and an ample breakfast served in the airy dining room (don’t miss the scones).
During fall in Alaska’s Talkeetna Mountains, the changing leaves near Hatcher Pass offer appealing photo opportunities for visitors.
Photo by Uwe Bergwitz / Shutterstock
Talkeetna, Alaska
From March through August, itty-bitty Talkeetna (pop. <1,000) is positively swarmed with visitors. First come the climbers, trying to summit majestic Denali in Denali National Park. Then come the cruise ship tourists, disembarking in Seward and taking packed sightseeing trains up to Fairbanks, stopping at the Talkeetna depot en route. Most of the chaos wraps up by mid-September, which makes early fall a brilliant time to check out this laid-back mountain town.
Although some businesses here operate seasonally, you’ll always find a cold beer and a hot sandwich at the Denali Brewpub. Order the Aleutian with blackened Alaskan cod and melted cheddar on a brioche bun; the regular menu item deserves an A+. If you’re there on a Sunday at noon, consider the brewery tour and tasting ($15).
Stop by the Talkeetna Historical Society Museum, open on weekends only from mid-September, to learn about the town’s trapping, gold-mining, and homesteading past—and its original Native inhabitants. Even the building—the Territory of Alaska schoolhouse, opened in 1936—has a story to tell. Nearby, the Dancing Leaf Gallery is a solid spot for picking up Alaskan-made art and souvenirs such as birch-and-antler keepsake boxes and local birch syrup. The focus is on artisans in the Upper Susitna Valley, although you’ll find handmade pieces from throughout Alaska.
Photographers will love ambling along Talkeetna’s rutted dirt roads lined with cabins, but for a closer look at a rambling old homestead, sign up for an ATV tour with Alaska Wilderness Adventurer. Dennis DeVore leads you five miles up the road to a homestead his family built in 1959, followed by sandwiches at his cabin on Wiggle Creek. This is followed by gold panning, target practice, or berry picking, depending on your interests and what’s in season.
Lastly, splurge on an extraordinary flightseeing tour of Denali National Park with K2 Aviation (from $305), a company that has been plumbing the Alaskan backcountry since the 1960s. K2’s high-altitude summit tour circles Denali, Mounts Foraker and Hunter, plus two glaciers (Ruth and Kahiltna), the Great Gorge, Denali Pass, and the treacherous Harper Icefall. The glacier landing is optional, but you should definitely say yes.
Where to stay
Book now: Denali Fireside Cabins & Suites
Talkeetna has limited lodging, but it’s easier to book in the off-season. The family-owned Denali Fireside Cabins & Suites is walking distance from the town, and each rustic log cabin has a gas fireplace and private covered deck. On a clear day, you might even catch a glimpse of Denali from your porch.
Beaufort, the third-oldest town in North Carolina, is full of maritime history.
Photo by David Louis Econopouly / Shutterstock
Beaufort, North Carolina
This sleepy little pearl on the southern Outer Banks—not to be confused with the South Carolina city of the same name—is home to fewer than 4,600 people. It’s the third-oldest town in North Carolina, on the Crystal Coast halfway between Virginia Beach and Myrtle Beach.
Here you can wander the crumbling tombstones in Beaufort’s oldest cemetery or go seashell hunting at the 2,315-acre Rachel Carson Coastal Estuarine Reserve, separated from downtown Beaufort by Taylor’s Creek. There are two hiking trails within the reserve, but you can only walk the 1.1-mile Outer Loop trail at low tide; follow the markers from Town Marsh and look for piping plover, herons, and egrets. For food, the weekly Olde Beaufort Farmers’ Market, set up in front of the Carteret County Courthouse, runs through November 29.
To explore farther afield, the Island Express Ferry Service drops passengers off at the uninhabited Shackleford Banks, the southernmost barrier island in Cape Lookout National Seashore, known for its wild horses (more than 100 at last count). Although its interior is currently closed, the Cape Lookout Light Station, with its unique black-and-white diamond-patterned exterior, is a popular photo op.
Where to stay
Book now: Pecan Tree Inn
A peaceful B&B with seven rooms in an 1866 house, the Pecan Tree Inn truly feels like a home. Each room is different—some have four-poster beds, others porches—but all have comfortable queen or king beds and ceiling fans. The included breakfast changes daily and can be enjoyed in the dining room, on the porch, or in the back garden. In the afternoons, expect a spread of treats, including house-made maple butter pecan cookies. The hotel is half a block from the boardwalk and yacht harbor, and it’s directly across the street from two popular new American restaurants, Beaufort Grocery and Blue Moon Bistro.
With unrivaled foliage, Vermont is a favorite New England fall getaway.
Courtesy of Anthony Quintano/Flickr
Manchester, Vermont
No fall roundup would be complete without a shout-out to the nation’s most autumnal state. From Dorset to Grafton to Montpelier to Stowe, Vermont truly dazzles in the fall. And Manchester, a roughly 4,400-person town hugged by southern Vermont’s Taconic and Green mountains, has a bounty of seasonal diversions.
Start by making the art rounds (Tilting at Windmills Gallery, Southern Vermont Arts Center); go pumpkin-picking and hay-riding with a side of cider doughnuts at Equinox Valley Nursery; visit Hildene, the mansion of Robert Todd Lincoln and one of the state’s grandest examples of Georgian revival architecture; or shop for birch hexagon coasters, wood slab lazy Susans, and other made-in-Vermont souvenirs at the 75-year-old Manchester Woodcraft.
Cast a fly in the Battenkill or Mettawee rivers, or just learn about it in the American Museum of Fly Fishing. (Manchester is the HQ of Orvis and home to the gear retailer’s flagship emporium and outlet store.) Work up an appetite on the popular 4.6-mile Lye Brook Falls trail; its capstone is a 125-foot-high waterfall. Or summit the 3,848-foot Mount Equinox, the highest peak in the Taconic range. The latter is 5.8 miles round-trip and takes about five hours to conquer—or you can drive it. Take a sandwich from Zoey’s Deli for a picnic, then go for dinner on the porch at the Copper Grouse, where you can enjoy a local cheese plate, farm-to-table salad, or grilled Island Creek oysters with fennel and leek relish.
If you’re cobbling together your own hamlet-hopping itinerary, be sure to build in stops at some famous covered bridges: The 117-foot Chiselville Bridge, spanning Roaring Branch brook in Sunderland, and the oft-painted, 173-year-old Bridge at the Green in West Arlington, are not to be missed.
Where to stay
Book now: Inn at Manchester
Drop your bags in one of 21 guest rooms at the family-run Inn at Manchester. The four-acre property dates to 1890 but wasn’t converted into a guesthouse until 1978. Today’s visitors rave about the homemade cottage cakes with apricot preserves, luxurious bedding, including lovely eyelet covers, and extensive grounds.
This article was originally published in 2018 and most recently updated on August 1, 2025, with current information.
