County Line Orchard

Grab some fall family fun with a day of apple picking at County Line Orchard in Hobart, Indiana. Apple picking is a Midwest fall tradition, with orchards offering sweet delights in Michigan, Wisconsin and Indiana. For Chicago families like mine, County Line Orchard in charming Hobart, Indiana, supplies the closest orchard, at about a 40 minute drive from the city. What I love most about County Line is that it’s located in a small farming community that draws families from both Indiana and Illinois. Pick up trucks, corn fields and livestock surround the area for a quick country escape for city slickers.

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Who can argue that autumn is one of the most colorful times of year?

That was a rhetorical question.

Fall is pretty, mostly because of the glorious displays put on by the fall leaves changing color.  This phenomenon occurs all over the United States, but some spots offer better views than others.  Grab your camera and a road atlas and take a day trip to one of the 11 best fall foliage sites in America.

11 Places To See Fall Leaves

Fall Leaves on Carriage Road at Acadia National Park

1.  Acadia National Park – Maine

Of course anywhere in the North East is going to boast spectacular fall foliage.  The Acadia National Park offers gorgeous views and extensive Ranger-led educational programs so that you can learn more about what you’re staring at.  Make sure to head to Bar Harbor Maine before the end of October to take full advantage of the sights and services available.

Fall Leaves at Oak Mountain State Park

2.  Oak Mountain State Park – Alabama

Oak Mountain State Park is Alabama’s largest state park.  This nearly 10,000 acre forest is featured on several sight seeing lists.  Admission is only $3 for adults on weekends and holidays.  You can visit the park for fall foliage viewing from 7am to sundown.

Fall Foliage in New Hampshire

3.  Mt. Washington – New Hampshire

While it’s typical to see fall foliage while you’re driving, the Mount offers guided cruises on the M/S Mount Washington.  Starting Sunday, September 27, the Mount will offer Fall Foliage Dinner Cruises from 4:30 to 7 p.m. each Sunday through mid-October. The cruise departs from Weirs Beach, boarding at 4 p.m. Cost for adults is$43. Visit Cruise Mount Washington for more information.

Fall Color in Colorado

4.  Aspen – Colorado

It’s no surprise that Aspen, Colorado is the perfect place to watch the Aspen trees change colors with the seasons.  San Isabel National Forest offers extensive trails for viewing of some of the most fabulous aspen trees in Colorado.

New York Fall Foliage

5.  The Catskills – New York

The Catskills and Hudson Valley region is about a two hour drive from New York City.  One of the unique features of this area is that the color changing season lasts about six weeks, with colors rivaling those of its North Eastern neighbors, Vermont and Massachusetts.

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Just because money is tight does not mean that you have to sit at home and stare at the walls. There are plenty of free activities to keep you and your family busy. Why not challenge yourself to find the most interesting free activity? Here are some suggestions to get you started on your path of Free and Exciting Things to Do in the Midwest.

In Kansas, try the Fashion Museum, a museum that covers 100 years of style, from 1870-1970. Or visit one of the many free activities in Amelia Earhart’s birthplace of Atchison. Click on the Other Attractions option on Amelia’s Birthplace Museum for a listing of free and/or inexpensive activities.

In Omaha, visit a replica garden of Mt. Vernon Gardens, that half-size replica of George Washington’s Mount Vernon estate. The estate sits on top a bluff overlooking the Missouri River and is said to be reminiscent of the view from the original Mount Vernon of the Potomac. Or visit the Mormon Trail Center at Historic Winter Quarters, a museum and visitor’s center that showcases the Mormon Trail from Illinois to Salt Lake City, with a Mormon temple and cemetery adjacent to the Center.

In Illinois, you can see a cube made from 1 million dollars and learn how to properly identify fake bills at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago Money Museum. Of course, there are plenty of opportunities for history buffs in Illinois, as it is the birthplace of Abe Lincoln. For a list of free Abraham Lincoln sites, visit the Springfield Visitors Center web site. If a more rural take on Midwestern history interests you, then check out the Deere and Company World Headquarters.

In Michigan, honor those who fought, lived, and died during the Holocaust by visiting the Holocaust Memorial Center. For more history specific to the state, try the Michigan Historical Museum, where you can get a sample of arts and culture, research your family’s history, and discover much about Michigan’s past.

In North Dakota, the Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site features exhibits, trails and a film that explore the culture and history of the villages where Sacagawea once lived. Or stop by the North Dakota Heritage Center, where a giant marine lizard greets visitors at this kid-friendly history museum.

Clearly there are plenty of options for those of us who are trying to tighten the belt and watch our budget. If you want to continue entertaining yourself and your family, you can pinch pennies at the same time by enjoying so much of what the beautiful Midwest has to offer. So load up the kids and head on out!

Sam Barrett has lived in Detroit for nearly five years and has spent nights and weekends exploring the city with his wife and friends.He gives us a fascinating glimpse into this famous, yet somehow mysterious city and its environs. You can find out more about Sam at his website here. I especially like his suggestion to take the family to the roller derby–a fun day for everyone? I wonder if he will still recommend that when he has a two year old in tow? I think he would and if I ever get to Detroit that will be first on my list.

1. Give 5 adjectives that you would use to describe the “feel” of Detroit and its residents.
Hardworking, rough, loyal, forgiving, enthusiastic

2. What is your favorite neighborhood in Detroit?
Royal Oak is a hip neighborhood with trendy shops, a community college, and many production studios used to cut commercials for the auto industry.
Hamtramck is a blue collar German town right north of downtown that is home to a few famous dive bars where the MC5 played.
Ann Arbor is home to the University of Michigan and is the liberal hub of Michigan with many professor types and a new Google office.
Personally I love Hart Plaza downtown with the giant matte black arm swinging from a pendulum, and all the old relics of a once thriving powerful city.

3. Which cuisine do you think Detroit does best? What is the runner-up?
Detroit has the best burger joints in the nation. In fact I saw in a poll, 3 out of the nation’s top 20 burger joints were in the Detroit metro.
A close second would either be Greek salad or Mediterranean food. La Shish is a hugely popular Mediterranean restaurant chain in MI.

4. What is the best free thing to do?
It used to be the Detroit Electronic Music Festival which was the largest free Electronic Music festival in the world. Now it would be the Dream Cruise, a summer event where car enthusiasts gather around Woodward Avenue to see classic and current hot rods drive the strip.
Visiting one of the Great Lakes is free and beautiful. Michigan has the longest fresh water coast line in the world. Looking at the state on a map you’ll see it is made up of two peninsulas.

5. What is your favorite type of entertainment?
Roller Derby – Detroit has the best roller derby teams in the nation.
Hockey – Detroit borders Canada and the Red Wings just won their 11th Stanley Cup.
Music – World class rock legends have come out of Detroit. The Stooges, The White Stripes, Bob Seeger, Kid Rock, MC5, Patty Smith, Eminem, Detroit Cobras, etc.

6. List the best family friendly activity.
Roller Derby – The bouts can be brutal but the musical chairs, hula hoop, and high school gymnastics in-between periods make it fun for everyone.
Detroit Auto Show – The biggest most influential auto show in North America. Showcasing cool future cars, new green technologies, and tons of people, the whole family could spend all day dreaming of their next ride.

7. What spot would you send a couple, looking for a romantic weekend?
Either Traverse City, South Haven, or the Renaissance Center downtown.

8. Describe a perfect day…one that captures what your area/city is all about. In 3 sentences or less.
A perfect day in Detroit would be attending the Blues festival at Hart Plaza, swimming at Belle Isle (a ten minute drive from downtown), and watching an old black and white at the Detroit Theatre.

9. Tell us about a place that you love to go, whether it is in the guidebooks or not.
Ann Arbor art fair. It is huge and it envelops the entire college town for a week.

10. What should we have asked, but didn’t?
• What’s your favorite sports team in MI? Detroit and the Midwest in general go nuts about sports.
• A question related to the auto industry. People here live and breathe by the success of the Big Three (GM, Ford, Chrysler).
• A question about Canada or Ohio to drive people crazy.

Want to share, brag, or tell about your town? If so, send an e-mail or comment on this post–then you can be our next local expert!

If you’re planning a trip, check out flights to Detroit.