It may not feel like it yet, but “summer, summer, summertime” will morph into fall before you know it, and fall foliage drives will be back again. Here’s a look at some fun options for your clients to enjoy when the temps start heading down…
Fall Foliage Around the World
Boyne Mountain Resort: Unrivaled Views
The Midwest puts on quite the spectacle in the fall, and one of the best places to leaf-peep is from SkyBridge Michigan, located at Boyne Mountain Resort in Boyne Falls, MI. Tucked away between the McLouth and Disciples Ridge peaks, it’s the world’s longest timber-towered suspension bridge. This means the Insta shots will come from 118 feet in the air, and the views are endless. For clients who prefer to be under cover, there’s a special glass-covered section where they’ll immerse themselves in nature with 360-degree views. Book them on a stay in the property, where they have fun fall programs that include live music, fire pits and lots of good eats.
For more information, visit boynemountainresort.com.
Hyatt Regency Salt Lake City: Home Base for Leaf Peeping in Utah
Not even a year old, the 700-room Hyatt Regency Salt Lake City is a sleek downtown option with views of the Wasatch Mountains that’s the perfect pied-a-terre for fall foliage peeps with an urban edge. Book clients on an unforgettable weekend stay that starts out with a visit to Memory Grove Park on Saturday in the heart of the city for the vibrant foliage, followed by a Sunday hike in City Creek Canyon, a 6.5-mile trail where they will fill their Insta with jaw-dropping shots of the autumn leaves against the canyon walls. After the fun in the cool Utah sun, they’ll have their choice of dining venues back at the Hyatt: Mar | Muntanya for small plates in the style of Northern Spain served with a side of mountain views, The Salt Republic with its open-concept kitchen and fresh, local ingredients, or the Contribution Cocktail Lounge for apres hike libations and dramatic floor-to-ceiling views.
For more information, visit hyatt.com.
Autumn Activity Pass at Gleneagles
If Scotland isn’t on your list for fall foliage trips, allow us to add it—and Gleneagles has an entire program, the Autumn Activity Pass, that will keep clients busy and enjoying the great temps when they visit anytime from September through November. Think field archery lessons, a family-friendly Moor & Woodland walk, an evening Star Gazing class under dark skies or an up close and personal visit with the local owls. And, of course, all of this is topped off by an evening by the fire sipping on good whiskey with a nice cigar or roasting s’mores. The activities are available weekly from Sunday to Thursday.
Beyond the Autumn Adventure & Activity Pass package, your clients can extend their fun at the 232-guestroom luxury hotel by picking from over 50 activities that include cycling through the countryside, horseback riding, fly-fishing at Laich Loch and more. Of course, there’s always the option of pampering at The Spa at Gleneagles, where they’ll find treatments created with healing botanicals from the local landscape. For dining, clients can choose from Restaurant Andrew Fairlie (Scotland’s only two Michelin Star restaurant), The Strathearn, the 1920s-inspired American Bar and the Century Bar.
The Autumn Adventure & Activity Pass is available from Sept. 3 – Nov. 30, 2023, excluding Oct. 5-31, and includes access to the Inglenook, three dedicated outdoor experiences, a complimentary room upgrade, the Gleneagles Scottish breakfast daily and access to Gleneagles’ state-of-the-art wellness facilities.
For more information, visit gleneagles.com.
Beaufort Hotel: Small Town Fall Fun
Southern-style fall fun is on tap at the Beaufort Hotel in North Carolina. The 133-room boutique hotel is set on the banks of Taylor’s Creek, meaning clients will have unrivaled views of the fall foliage set to the sound of running water. Beaufort is a town of tree-lined streets, beautiful buildings and paths waiting to be explored. Send your clients on a fall getaway here, and they’ll have a chance to participate in the town’s oyster roasts—plus chili, hotdogs and beer for the price of one ticket—as well as the Annual Beaufort Pirate Invasion, the 36th Annual North Carolina Seafood Festival and the Core Sound Waterfowl Weekend, where they can pick up hand-crafted pieces of art from dozens of artists that gather there.
For more information, visit beauforthotelnc.com.
Jack O’Lanterns in Louisville
The new AC Hotel by Marriott Louisville Downtown, located in the trendy East Market District of Downtown, is right in the heart of all the funky fun art galleries, specialty stores, antique shops and eateries—and close to popular attractions like the quintessential Kentucky bucket-list item, Churchill Downs, and the University of Louisville. All October long, it can also be your client’s home base to join in the city’s Jack O’Lantern Spectacular, which is the state’s signature Halloween event, and the 6-week-long Ultimate Halloween Fest, with entertainment for the entire family. Speaking of Churchill Downs, there’s the Fall Meet during this season, plus it’s the perfect time to follow the famous Urban Bourbon Trail.
For more information, visit marriott.com.
Fall Views in New York
New York City in the fall is all about Central Park and its fall foliage set against the dramatic skyline of the “City That Never Sleeps” and landmarks like the Flatiron Building near the changing colors of the trees in Madison Square Park. One of the best ways to catch the changing of the seasons, though, is from the water on one of the Fall Foliage cruises from Hornblower Group’s CityExperiences, where clients will tool past the George Washington Bridge and the NYC skyline on the Hudson River. Concord Hospitality has several hotels in different locations in the city that will appeal to different segments on your client list, including Cambria Hotel New York – Chelsea, where they can enjoy the art galleries and small shops that line the streets in Chelsea to the downtown, big-city vibe of AC Hotel New York Downtown in Manhattan’s Financial District.
For more information, visit cambrianycchelsea.com or marriott.com.
Scottsdale: Fall Desert Happenings
Scottsdale, Arizona’s Sonoran Desert is one of the loveliest on the planet, and there is a slew of activities during the fall when the temps start to inch their way down (note: evenings are way cooler than days—it’s the desert, after all!)
On the last day of September, the Arizona Boardwalk, home to Butterfly Wonderland and OdySea Aquarium, among others, will host the free Action & Adventure Festival which will feature cameos by action figures, zip-lining, face painting, live entertainment and more. Mid-October (14), clients in the city should head out to Salt River Fields to take the state’s largest outdoor yoga class, Yoga in the Outfield, where they’ll stretch with a view of the McDowell Mountain range. Another must: a visit to the Desert Botanical Garden, which will host the Majestic Mariposas exhibit from Sept. 23 – Nov. 12—a living exhibit of over a thousand Southwester butterflies that will flit around with visitors who can learn all about these gorgeous creatures and how to protect them.
November kicks off with a new Dreamy Draw Music Festival (3-4) at the newly renovated Scottsdale Civic Center in Old Town Scottsdale. From Nov. 3-12, the city’s annual, large-scale public art festival will once again take over the Scottsdale Waterfront area: Canal Convergence is focused on “The Power of Play” this year and will present interactive art, augmented reality, music, dance and fire shows for all.
For more information, visit experiencescottsdale.org.
