Summary
- Enjoy the beautiful fall aesthetic of New England by picking apples, eating homemade pastries, and spending time outdoors with friends and family.
- Attend local harvest festivals to indulge in apple pie, barnyard animals, tractor rides, baked goods, and live music and get a taste of the local New England environment.
- Visit Salem to learn about the history of the infamous Salem Witch Trials and explore the town's beautiful scenery, museums, and shops while reflecting on the complicated history of humanity.
New England offers some of the best fall foliage in the United States, with its forested hills and adorable small towns. This region is one of the main reasons why the US is among the best places in the world to see fall foliage. This historic region of the country has a distinct flavor that pairs perfectly with the chilly weather.
Fall in New England means steaming cups of cinnamon cider, gnarly trees against a dark sky, the brightest red and orange leaves in the country, old 18th-century cemeteries, and warm handmade quilts. This New England aesthetic has long been associated with fall in popular media, such as Cartoon Network's hit TV miniseries, Over The Garden Wall, whose music and artwork reflect the historic Americana of this region, and in the 1994 version of Little Women, set in Concord, Massachusetts.
But how should fall be celebrated when visiting or staying in New England? Made up of six states (Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island), the New England area has more than enough to offer. In this list, readers will find ten ways to celebrate fall in this iconic US region, from pumpkin picking to wine-tasting. For both residents of New England and tourists visiting the area, this area of the country is the perfect place to celebrate the oncoming fall!
10 Go Apple Picking
For those who want to live out their cottage-core fantasies, apple picking in New England is the perfect September activity. There are dozens of orchards found throughout the six New England states, with most offering pick-your-own apples, homemade pastries like apple cider donuts, and seasonal activities.
Best of all, visitors will be able to spend time outdoors in a beautiful and aesthetic orchard amidst the hills of Massachusetts or the forests of Connecticut!
After bringing home a bag full of delicious and crisp red apples, visitors can use those to bake warm apple pies, make stuffing, or simply eat.
Some orchards visitors can visit include Rose Orchards and Wright's Orchard in Connecticut, Morrison Hill Apple Orchard in Maine, and Brookdale Fruit Farm in New Hampshire. Vermont locations include Happy Valley Orchard and Harlows Sugar House.
- What to do here: pick delicious apples, eat homemade pastries, spend time outside with friends and family
- Most farms pay by the pound, which usually ranges between $1.50-2. However, others may charge per bag, which ranges from $20-30 each
9 Attend A Harvest Festival
Throughout New England in the fall, visitors can find local harvest festivals. For instance, Autumnfest in Rhode Island or the Lenox Apple Squeeze in Massachusetts are great places to enjoy apple pie, barnyard animals, tractor rides, baked goods, and live music.
Another great festival to go to is the Garlic & Harvest Festival in Bethlehem, Connecticut. These events are perfect for visitors to get a feeling for the local environment while meeting new people and making new friends.
- What to do here: enjoy apple pie, barnyard animals, tractor rides, baked goods, and live music, visit Autumnfest in Rhode Island or the Lenox Apple Squeeze in Massachusetts
- Most of these festivals run in the months of September and October. For example, the Garlic & Harvest Festival in CT runs from October 7-8
8 Visit Salem To Learn About New England's History
Could a trip to New England in the fall be complete without a trip to the spellbinding Massachusetts town of Salem? This town, founded in 1626, is infamous for being the site of the Salem Witch Trials.
This horrific historical event saw the persecution of women and minorities as scapegoats while the 17th-century town residents struggled to contain their fears over local smallpox pandemics, warfare, and internal struggles.
Despite this event having horrific causes and results, it quickly became a staple event in American historical consciousness, with plays, novels, and even card games all covering the event. In modern times, this location has become a place for visitors to learn about and reflect on the often complicated and often horrific history of humanity.
The town itself is also a beautiful and aesthetic fall destination, with bookstores, candy shops, restaurants, psychic stores, and apparel shops. There are also plenty of museum and hiking opportunities here, too!
- What to do here: visit a museum, visit local shops, learn about history
7 Enjoy Pumpkin Picking
One of the most autumnal sights in America is a sprawling field dotted with orange pumpkins, their once green vines turned brown from the cold, with adorable Colonial-style houses and golden corn fields in the background. New England has some of the best patches for pumpkin picking in the country!
Tourists can experience this by spending a day at a local pumpkin patch. Like the apple orchards, there are many opportunities for this throughout the six states of New England. Some of these include Foster Family Farm and Harris Hill Farm in Connecticut, Harvest Hills Farm in Maine, and Boston Hill Farm in Massachusetts.
Pumpkins, once picked, can be taken home to be used as decoration, carved into Jack-o-lanterns, or made into soups, cakey bars, or pies for eating.
- What to do here: pick pumpkins, enjoy New England's fall aesthetic
- Pumpkin season in New England is during the entire month of October, typically ending after Halloween
- Prices for pumpkins can usually range from between $7-40 depending on size, weight, and type
6 Take Hike In A National Park To See The Changing Leaves
New England is home to some of the best hikes in the United States. Some of these include Quinnipiac River State Park, Mohawk Trail State Forest, Maine's Acadia National Park, Roger Williams National Memorial, and Gulf Hagas.
Known for the vibrance of its autumn colors, New England is the perfect place for a fall hike. Some of the trees that visitors should look out for include maple, birch, beech, oak, willow, and ash. Other local flora to look for on a hike include the wide variety of mushrooms New England boasts, wild blackberries, moss, and lichens.
Despite being a densely populated area of the country, New England still sports abundant wildlife. Some of these include weasels, hares, cottontail rabbits, bobcats, moose, chipmunks, bats, squirrels, beavers, porcupines, coyotes, foxes, wolves, and black bears.
- What to do here: see local wildlife and flora, see autumn colors, get exercise, spend time outside, visit the Quinnipiac River State Park, Mohawk Trail State Forest, Maine's Acadia National Park, Roger Williams National Memorial, and Gulf Hagas
5 Go For A Hay Ride
Many fond memories are made at New England's many orchards, pumpkin patches, and local farms. One of the best ways to make autumn memories is by taking those young and young at heart for a hay ride.
Sitting in a straw-filled wagon pulled by a tractor, visitors will be able to see the local apple trees, pumpkins, forests, and farmlands that make this area so iconic. Afterward, visitors can enjoy some of New England's seasonal fall foods.
Hayrides are found throughout New England, including at Buttonwood Farm in Connecticut, Charmingfare Farm in New Hampshire, and Cucumber Hill Farm in Rhode Island.
- What to do here: go on a hay ride, see New England scenery, make fun memories
- Hayride prices can range from $7-20 depending on location and length
4 Eat Seasonal Fall Foods
What better way is there to celebrate the autumn than with a well-cooked fall comfort dish, washed down with a glass of rich and tart apple cider? New England is famous for these recipes, many of which boast the robust flavors of cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and cardamom.
Visitors should look for New England apple cider donuts, rich pumpkin or apple pies, 18th-century chicken pot pie, pumpkin soup, oatmeal cookies, cranberry jam, ginger snap cookies, and pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting.
These delicious autumnal treats can be purchased at local shops and fairs (like the Big E Fair in Massachusetts) throughout New England. Many of the local apple orchards and farms also carry some of these products.
Notable places for cider donuts include Atkins Farm and Russell Orchards in Massachusetts, B. F. Clyde's Cider Mill in Connecticut, and Cold Hollow Cider Mill in Vermont.
Visitors can even try to make some of these recipes themselves with the pumpkins or apples they've picked themselves!
- What to do here: eat apple cider donuts, rich pumpkin or apple pies, 18th-century chicken pot pie, pumpkin soup, oatmeal cookies, cranberry jam, ginger snap cookies, and pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting
3 Visit The Big E Fair In West Springfield, MA
The Big E Fair, which runs from mid-September until the beginning of October, is an excellent way to get a taste of all six New England States. Even though this fair is set in West Springfield, Massachusetts, vendors from all across New England come to show off and sell their wares.
The fair offers live music, as well, and a classic American pastime: pig racing. There's also butter sculpting, livestock shows, sheep shearing, food contests, quilting competitions, and needlework displays. They even have a giant pumpkin display!
- What to do here: see butter sculpting, livestock shows, sheep shearing, food contests, quilting competitions, needlework displays, giant pumpkins, pig races, and live music
2 Spend Time At A Cranberry Bog
Cranberries are one of autumn's most eclectic and unique produce. Native to New England, these tart berries were eaten by the Native people of the Algonquian Nation for millennia.
These bogs are Massachusetts specialty and are found throughout the state. At these bogs, visitors can learn about cranberry cultivation, can take a tour, can learn about local beekeeping, and can buy a bag of delicious cranberries.
Some of the best places to go in Massachusetts for cranberries include Annie's Crannies, Cape Cod Cranberry Bog Tours, and Chamberlain Farm.
- What to do here: eat cranberries, take a farm tour, learn about beekeeping, buy cranberries
- Where to go: Annie's Crannies, Cape Cod Cranberry Bog Tours, and Chamberlain Farm
1 Participate In A Wine Tasting
Autumn around the world is the time when vineyards turn their delicious purple grapes into wines sharp, sweet, dry, and everything in-between. New England has no shortage of wineries. As the southernmost state of New England, Connecticut is a great location for viniculture.
There are many different wineries in this state, including the historically inspired Jonathan Edwards Winery, the seaside Sakonnet Vineyard, and the Saltwater Farm Vineyard.
- What to do here: taste delicious wine, spend time with friends and family
- Where to go: Skonnet Vineyard, Saltwater Farm Vineyard, Jonathan Edwards Winery
Autumn truly is the most magical time of the year in New England. The entire region comes alive with local craft fairs, delicious foods, harvesting opportunities, and historic charm. This truly is the best place in the world to celebrate fall!