Hello readers!! I hope you are all well and are planning a Fall get away. I just received the article below, and I thought you would enjoy it and get some ideas. Happy Traveling!!!
On the road again: Many autumn vacations tied to leaf-watching…
Published: 9/22/07, 4:39 PM EDT
By Joy Campbell
Sure, some vacationers already are sighing at the slipping away of summertime, but others are glad to see the calendar signal the closeness of colorful fall foliage and cool temperatures.
Fall vacations — whether they’re long weekends or extended days — are popular. And some are tied to leaf-watching, travel coordinators say.
“Most of the calls for fall travel this year have been for the Smoky Mountain area,” said Stacy Allen, auto travel counselor at AAA Kentucky Travel Agency. “We’ve had a lot more fall travel in recent years because of (schools’) fall breaks.”
Vacationers usually start planning their fall trips at the start of September. For foliage fans who are visiting the Northeast, the vacations likely start at the end of September or early October. “We’ve always had retirees who travel to the Northeast — to Maine, Massachusetts and even Cape Cod,” Allen said. “Those are usually two- or three-week vacations.”
Owensboro Medical Health System’s Golden Partners group took about 90 people to Gatlinburg, Tenn., for its Smoky Mountain Autumn trip this month.
“Fall travel is a major part of our programming; seniors love to travel,” said Jean Julius, one of Golden Partners’ two coordinators. “As a matter of fact, we have a group in Gatlinburg now.”
Melinda Cornell, the organization’s other coordinator, was with the seniors’ group this year. The trip includes lodging at The Christmas Place and a scenic route called Top of the Mountain.
Golden Partners also has had autumn trips to Brown County, Ind., and New England.
“The New England trip was lovely,” Julius said. “We traveled along the coast.”
Another fall vacation the group has featured was a Twilight River Cruise on the Mississippi River that spotlighted nature.
The vacations combine beautiful scenery with activities and history of the destination points, Julius said.
Golden Partners takes about 12 trips per year that may also include international travel.
