Tag Archives: autumn

Autumn in New England: What to see & do

By RENAISSANCE ALLIANCE

colorful fall trees with leaves carpeting the ground

If leaf peeping is on your agenda this holiday weekend, here’s the latest weather and foliage reports from NECN. Overall, the foliage season is always enjoyable here in New England, but meteorologists say that this year will not be among the most spectacular displays. Our recent mild temperatures have slowed things down a bit and erratic weather patters and drought have taken a toll:

“All told, this autumn’s colors in New England will feature a notable absence of some maple oranges and reds. This makes our 2017 dominant colors yellow from birch and poplar, bronze from hickories and red/brown from oak. All of this, taken together, combines for a lovely display … just not the dazzling explosion of colors we’re used to – instead, a display heavily weighted toward yellow and brown.”

Don’t let that stop you — our local fall foliage is one of the wonders of nature and always puts on a show, even in the “off’ years. Here are some ideas for planning things to do over the holiday weekend and the next few weeks. If your wanderings take you north, be alert for wildlife since it’s peak season for human-animal collisions. It’s always a god idea to have your local independent insurance agent’s phone number or app handy on your mobile phone just in case.

Yankee Magazine is a great source of info on seasonal activities. Download their free foliage app, Leaf Peepr, as well as a free Ultimate Guide to Autumn in New England, available at the same link. They also offer:

Live Fall Foliage Map – Where’s the best New England fall foliage right now? The live fall foliage map lets fall-foliage fans report and track the evolution of autumn color in New England.

Peak foliage Map – This is a fun map: “To see how the color rolls through New England, click on the “play” button to the right. As the map changes, so will the calendar as it highlights the approximate peak dates for different parts of the region. Happy leaf-peeping!”

For ideas on where to go and what to do, see the articles listed under each map on the above links. The articles include:

  • 10 Places to Visit in New England in Fall
  • Favorite Fall Foliage Drives in New England
  • The best corn mazes in New England from Maine to Rhode Island.
  • Best Apple Orchards in New England
  • Fall Foliage Train Tours
  • 5 Best Pumpkin Festivals in New England
  • 12 New England Fairs to Visit This Fall

Discover New England also offers many great autumnal suggestions. They offer a brief explanation of what autumn colors are all about. Be sure to check out the Guide to New England in Fall, with a state-by-state breakdown, and information on

  • New England fall events
  • New England fall food festivals
  • New England fall scenic drives
  • New England fall foliage maps

Your New England Fall Foliage Toolkit

By RENAISSANCE ALLIANCE

fall foliage at Saco River Covered Bridge in Conway, New Hampshire.With the fall season upon us, our brilliant foliage is the envy of the nation. People from all over the world travel here, but we can just hop in our cars and travel an hour or two in any direction to see the full glory of the season. We have a Live New England foliage map  for you, as well as links to great ideas for drives, destinations and things to do. And if you decide to venture north, we’re also including tips for avoiding collisions with wildlife since it’s peak season for those type of accidents. You don’t want your car to be in a battle with a deer or worse, a moose. It’s always a god idea to have your independent agent’s phone number or app handy on your mobile phone just in case.

Get free guides to the Best of New England Fall Travel, which includes best places to see foliage, best fall drives, things to do, places to stay, and more.

The foliage network offers local foliage reports with maps showing peak color locations, scenic drives and places to stay – and if you can’t find the time to drive to peak foliage locations or want to check out current conditions, check out the webcams.

Here are some great articles and guides for places to go and things to do:

deer-in-highwayAs you’re out on the roads leaf-peeping, visiting apple orchards or commuting to-and-from work this autumn, keep a sharp eye out: The likelihood of striking a deer more than doubles in the fall. Your normal odds of a ruminant-related collision claim is about 1 in 169, but the likelihood more than doubles during October, November and December. See our post: Watch the roads: Autumn is peak deer-vehicle collision season

Fall foliage extravaganza: ideas for your weekend

By RENAISSANCE ALLIANCE

winding road in foliageThe upcoming weekend forecast is for warm and glorious weather here in New England, a perfect time for getting out to enjoy the foliage. There’s leaf peeping, apple picking, corn mazes, pumpkin festivals, country fairs and more – we’ve gathered some resources to help you make the most of the nice weather.

Yankee Foliage offers an excellent live foliage map and an extensive selection of suggested foliage drives. They also suggest the 5 Best Pumpkin Festivals in New England.

New England Destinations is a good local guide, offering many ideas for the fall season, including a list of activities for September and October. They also offer their own selection for foliage drives, as well as foliage maps and hotlines.

For more ideas, here are the official state tourism bureaus

If you want current tracking of the weather in this or any other season, Twitter can be a very fun way to do that. Meteorologists have a strong and active presence — many issue updated foliage reports and photos along with the weather. We have a list of New England Weather Resources on Twitter that you can follow.

If you’re heading out for drives, we issue our seasonal caution to be alert for deer and moose. The Insurance Information Institute reminds us that fall is peak season for deer and auto collisions. “Deer migration and mating season generally runs from October through December, and causes a dramatic spike in the movement of deer population. As a result, more deer-vehicle collisions occur in this period than at any other time of year.” Plus, in northern New England, you need to be on the lookout for moose.