While adults can marvel for hours at the beauties of hillsides covered in brilliant red and orange leaves, sitting in the back seat and looking at trees gets old pretty fast for kids. But there are ways to make everybody happy on a fall foliage trip.
Choose a route that combines leafy scenery with stops for things kids like to do. These don’t need to be the usual day-long forays to theme parks; fall brings its own kid-pleasing attractions perfect for a stop of an hour or two. By planning routes around these, you can break the day into segments that please different ages.
Feeding the baby goats, Ramsay Farm, Wilmington. Photo: Stillman Rogers
Look for farms that have special fall events and attractions, such as corn mazes, hayrides, pick-your-own pumpkins or apples. Some of these, such as Moulton Farm in Meredith, in New Hampshire’s Lakes Region, have multiple harvest activities on fall weekends. In addition to the corn maze and a pick-your-own pumpkin patch, there are hay-bale hurdles, a free pumpkin decorating station with paints and child-friendly tools, free tractor and horse-drawn carriage rides around the farm, cider doughnuts and special entertainment events on weekends.
Pumpkins on the farm. Photo: Stillman Rogers
While foliage viewing in the beautiful Brandywine Valley in Delaware and Pennsylvania, stop in North Wilmington for the seven-acre corn maze at Ramsey’s Farm; stay to explore it after dark with flashlights, when there are evening hayrides and a bonfire. Younger kids may be more comfortable in the sorghum maze, which has a storybook theme. The whole family can tour the farm on a hayride, ending up at the hilltop pumpkin patch where kids can choose just the right one for a Jack-o-lantern.
Along with farms, many popular attractions have special events during foliage season you can incorporate into your leaf-peeping trip. Tourist trains, such as the Conway Scenic Railroad in New Hampshire’s White Mountains, often have special foliage season excursions, and many ski areas open chairlifts and gondolas for mountaintop foliage viewing. On a fall tour of Vermont’s Green Mountains, you can stop at family-friendly Okemo Mountain Resort for quick thrills on the Timber Ripper Mountain Coaster or scenic rides on the Sunburst Six chairlift for panoramic views of the leaf-painted countryside.
Wagon rides, Ramsay Farm, Wilmington. Photo: Stillman Rogers
You don’t need an organized activity to break up a day’s driving for kids. Look for trails to hike through the colorful woods, especially those with a reward at the end. Mountain regions are sure to have trails to waterfalls and scenic viewpoints. Natural attractions such as Virginia’s Natural Bridge, at the end of the colorful Shenandoah Valley, usually have trails where kids can run off some steam as families explore together and breathe fresh autumn air.
Read This Next
#WhereverFamily
Insta FeedDestinations / North America
Sep 21, 2023Spooky Haunts to Visit in Cayuga County, New York, This Halloween
Halloween is right around the corner, which means its time to start making plans for spooky and scary stops for having fun with the family this fall. New York’s Cayuga County is always a fun visit for family travelers, but if you plan on being in the area this October, you will definitely want to explore its haunted history with some choice spots along New York’s Haunted History Trail. This curated list of haunted and spooky stops throughout New York features incredible locations showcasing the perfect combination of the state’s beautiful charm and fascinating history.
Sponsored Content
Interior Upgrades Begin Rolling Out Across United Fleet
United Airlines is in the midst of a major initiative to modernize its fleet over the next several years. After first announcing the plan in 2021, planes fitted with United’s signature interior are finally beginning to appear across the airline’s narrowbody fleet of Boeing and Airbus planes. United flyers are sure to notice these enhancements from the moment they step on board: Each new or updated plane sports remodeled seats, seatback entertainment screens for everyone, Bluetooth connectivity and more, all adding up to a better experience on every journey.
Slideshow
Sep 21, 20236 Tirana, Albania, Destinations for Family Travel
It’s time to start dreaming of your next family trip. Here’s some destination inspiration for you. Take a visual journey through Tirana, Albania, with us.
Destinations / North America
Sep 21, 20234 Reasons to Head to Franklin, Tennessee, This Fall and Winter
The next two seasons see Franklin, Tennessee, come alive with festive events, fun pop-ups and colorful lights. Family travelers planning a trip to Tennessee this fall or winter must make time for Franklin, a city just south of Nashville with plenty of history and festivities awaiting.
Sponsored Content
United Airlines Celebrates its First Class of United Aviate Graduates
As the only major U.S. airline to own a flight school, United Airlines already hit a major milestone, and now the carrier celebrates another important — and historic — step as the inaugural class of United Aviate Academy pilots graduates, leading the next generation of aviators. The 51 students in the graduating class were majority, at 80 percent, women and people of color — another stride toward United’s goal of training 5,000 new pilots by 2030 with half women or POC.
Destinations / North America
Sep 20, 2023Where Can You Find Both Bioluminescence and Rockets in Florida?
Mysterious glowing seas? Yes, actually! Through October, Florida’s Space Coast waters within Mosquito Lagoon, Banana River and Indian River Lagoon glow with blue-green bioluminescence — a phenomenon resulting from the presence of comb jellies and dinoflagellates (tiny, single-celled marine plankton that exist in some freshwater locations).
ShareThis