The cooler months are a great time to visit coastal state parks for sandboarding, bird watching, fishing, Civil War re-enactments and aquariums.

Why waste the winter months hibernating indoors? Snow, ice and frosty temperatures provide plenty of fodder for outdoor adventure. When winter weather rolls into the Southeast, North Carolina’s wild spaces are briefly and beautifully transformed — with much more to offer beyond black diamond downhill runs.

Each fall, a wave of brilliant color starts in the North Carolina mountains, rolls across the central, urban landscapes of our state and eventually washes out at the coast. If you time it right, you can surf its entire length. Leaf-peeping season usually starts mid-September in the mountains and can last into November on the coast.

Forget crowds, relish cooler air and warm water, and get a little sand in your shoes on our beaches in the fall.

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.

Wilmington and its nearby beaches — Carolina, Kure and Wrightsville — shine bright in summer when visitors flock to this southern stretch of North Carolina’s coast for surf, cuisine, culture and history, some dating back nearly 300 years. But you’d be remiss if you didn’t consider planning a trip to this area outside of peak season. Autumn is a great time to experience all of Wilmington’s offerings with the bonus of milder weather, fewer crowds and seasonal rates at accommodations.

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?

Spend a day at farms in North Carolina, where fruits are ripe for picking, pumpkins inspire the season and corn mazes add to the fun.

The incredible number and variety of shipwrecks along the coast of North Carolina lures many scuba divers from around the world. It’s estimated there are thousands of wrecks, dating as far back as the Spanish fleets of the 1500s. The area truly earned the nickname “Graveyard of the Atlantic,” and it even boasts a museum of the same name in Hatteras.

The summer camp experience can lead to some of the most cherished memories. From making new friends to learning a new skill, spending time at a summer camp or school will enrich the kids’ vacation in North Carolina. These aren’t the send-the-kids-away-to-camp offerings, but experiences that will fill their days with exciting activities while you all are on a family trip.