Disneyland is incredible no matter what time of year you visit, but the holidays are really something special. It starts with Halloween, which, at the Disneyland Resort kicks off September 16, 2011 (and runs through Halloween night). Halloween is too much fun to celebrate it on just one night. Disney gets it.

In addition to Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventure (DCA) being decked out for the fall holiday (including a Nightmare Before Christmas update to The Haunted Mansion) you can also attend the after-hours fun of Mickey’s Halloween Party. Mickey’s party is a separate-ticket event ($49 – $64 per person, priced by date). It’s a great opportunity for kids of all ages to dress up and trick or treat with their favorite Disney characters (they dress up, too!). Read More »

Gobble, gobble.

Turkeys may not fly, but they’re arriving by the plate full.  Also, tofurkey.

Speaking of turkeys, people are traveling in mass this weekend and into next week.  No, I did not call you or your mother a turkey – just that one relative that you’ve called worse.  Turkey. Read More »

How, you ask, are the UpTake Vacation writers spending their fall? Well, thanks for asking. We’re doing a lot of this:

Lehner Pumpkin Farm in Radnor, Ohio

Linus: Each year, the Great Pumpkin rises out of the pumpkin patch that he thinks is the most sincere. He’s gotta pick this one. He’s got to. I don’t see how a pumpkin patch can be more sincere than this one. You can look around and there’s not a sign of hypocrisy. Nothing but sincerity as far as the eye can see.

Entry and photo by Ed.

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Sculpture of Roman Goddess Diana surrounded by a pond

Revel in nature’s fall colors at Brookgreen Gardens Harvest Home Festival on October 24-25.  Enter the scarecrow building contest, try pumpkin painting or opt for hay rides, basket-weaving and pottery demonstrations while listening to live bluegrass music. With the lush Brookgreen Gardens as the setting, your fall vacation will be filled with beauty.  Covered with palmetto trees, hydrangeas and expansive lawns, Brookgreen Gardens resembles a swampy Garden of Eden.

Nestled between Myrtle Beach and Pawley’s Island, the 9,200-acre outdoor museum and National Historic Landmark boasts sculptures, gardens, fountains, marshes, swamps, an aviary and a zoo.  This place is so massive that admission tickets are good for seven consecutive days. I recommend devoting a day to the Harvest Home Festivalactivities and another for the sculpture garden and lowcountry zoo. Read More »