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October 13, 2016
15 great late-fall getawaysIt's the mellowest time of the year, when hotel rates drop with the leaves.
Late fall — when crowds fade and hotel deals appear — is one of the best times to make a getaway. For hikers, it's the sweet spot between the fall-color rush and hunting season. For shoppers, it's the time to get a head start on the holidays, before the craziness starts. More often than not, the weather still is gorgeous, and stubborn oaks and willows offer color that lasts into the middle of November. The more popular a destination is in summer, the more likely you'll find great deals in late October and November. Here are 15 great places to go for a late-fall getaway. Best bets for the weekendGo down a green ski hill and catch colors in cities and studios.
We hope you're enjoying these golden days. There's still lots of glowing color, with tamaracks at peak in the north woods and everything else in the south. The only place that's still green is the new artificial snow — actually, a silicone mat — at Buck Hill south of Minneapolis, where Lindsey Vonn learned to race. Ski, board or tube, and if you're heading to Minnesota's North Shore on Fridays, ride the alpine coaster at Duluth's Spirit Mountain as many times as you want for $19. The Wisconsin Dells-Baraboo area is our pick for power tripping, with its Autumn Harvest Fest, Southwest Wisconsin Fall Art Tour and spectacular colors at Devil's Lake State Park. At the International Crane Foundation, you get free admission Saturday if you bring a food item to donate. Across the border in northern Illinois, drive from craft fair to corn maze on the annual Autumn Drive around Woodstock and Marengo. In St. Paul, there's a huge Art Crawl and also a Classical Music Crawl, with 24 well-known groups playing mini-concerts around Lowertown Saturday. In Chicago, buildings are the star of Open House Chicago, a free, behind-the-scenes peek at more than 200 historic mansions, theaters, clubs, churches and skyscrapers. And take advantage of discounts and special events during Chicago Museum Week, which starts today. Chicago also is a delightfully scary place this time of year; visit one of its spooky cemeteries or go on a ghost tour there or in other cities. We hate to mention it, but snow season is looming. Sign up now for snowshoe-making workshops in Minnesota's Afton State Park or Michigan's Ludington State Park, and make a weekend of it by staying in one of the parks' camper cabins. Actually, fall is a great time to nab a camper cabin anywhere — there are lots in Minnesota, Iowa, Michigan and Illinois. Next weekendSpit seeds and carve, roll and catapult pumpkins.
The Halloween Gathering in Chicago. A cultural festival around Millennium Park includes mask-making workshops, tarot readings, a disco line, improv comedy, a children's costume procession and a lighted parade along Columbus Avenue at 6 p.m. Oct. 22. BatFest in Batavia, Ill. This Fox River town hosts a pumpkin roll, hay rides, pumpkin-seed spitting contest, "Thriller'' dances, marshmallow shooting and a parade at 11:50 a.m. Oct. 22. Applefest in Alexandria, Minn. Enter a pie-eating contest, go on a horse-drawn wagon ride and watch a pumpkin-catapult contest. Oct. 22. BooFest in St. Paul. This family festival along Grand Avenue features a petting zoo, a children's karaoke contest and pony rides. Oct. 23. For more, see our Events Calendar.
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