Experience fall color like never before

Before booking your getaway in North Carolina for the fall season, you have a decision to make. Do you want to soak up the warm temperatures and summer-like appeal (but without the summer crowds) that usually continue through September or early October? Or would you rather witness colorful changing leaves during crisp weather as the calendar flips through October and November?

With fall in full swing, so is oyster festival season in the Tar Heel State. Though each oyster-oriented festival has its own character, they all typically offer music, contests involving oysters, food and beverage vendors, and lots of oysters for sale in various forms. Steaming buckets of the tasty bivalves are the most typical festival fare, but the oyster is often celebrated raw, fried and in rich stews, as well.

With more than 200 tree species under the bluest of skies, North Carolina puts on a kaleidoscopic show in the fall. But our state’s exceptional color comes from more than maples and sourwoods. Experience the full glory in myriad ways from the Blue Ridge Parkway to Atlantic Ocean piers.

There’s something around North Carolina perhaps best described as a “brew-spirit” that occurs when willing taste buds collide with lovingly created craft brews coming from more than 400 breweries here. Some of the best places to experience this spirit are the beer festivals that dot the Tar Heel landscape in the fall — and with October being NC Beer Month, there's even more of a reason to toast to the season.

Some farm vacations let you roll up your sleeves and do farm chores. At others, you can just breathe the fresh air, relax, and enjoy serene pastures and rural views.

From first-time festivals to annual favorites, lively events fill the fall calendar in North Carolina. Show-stopping foliage, spirited music and irresistible fare add color and texture to celebrations from the mountains to the coast.