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Dan and Mary Stroudt oooh and aaah at the multicolored scenery below the hot air balloon in which they’re riding. The journey is very different for Mark and Marylee Sutherland as they help to paddle a rubber raft along a stretch of whitewater in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. Betsy Goodman and Tom Cross are traveling at a slower pace, strolling across a glass-bottom observation deck.

These disparate experiences may seem to have little in common, but they do. They provide opportun

Oh yes, it's that time of year again - when a region already one of America's loveliest kicks it up a few Dix Notches and rolls out the flaming reds, yellows, and oranges. Whether it's Indian summer or crisply autumnal, there's nothing more delightful than a ramble through New England's countryside in its glowing glory, the better to appreciate all the historic landmarks, inns, restaurants, eco attractions, and more.  Here's my very personal list of the best mixes of leaves and other allures in

PECKS POND MEETS AUTUMN LEAVES

Yes, Pecks Pond. What ever happened to apostrophes? But it's too fine a day to agonize about that; besides, I was looking for fall colors, not grammar. So I took a walk around this pond -- a lake, really -- on Rte. 402 in Pike County, part of the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania. That's Pike, as in the general, not the fish.  

Rule #1 about fall foliage: It's often most colorful around lakes. In part that's because of the nice contrast between the blue of the

For sheer pleasantness, there isn't much that beats looking up at October foliage in the forests of western North Carolina--unless maybe it's looking down at the autumn colors from strategic perches in the trees themselves. This was my privileged perspective on a recent outing with Navitat Canopy Adventures, located around twenty miles north of Asheville. (http://www.navitat.com) (1-855-628-4828)

Top billing at Navitat goes to the zip-lines. And fine zips they are: ten in all, the longest stretc

Soon the leaves will be starting to show tinges of red, orange, and yellow so now is the time to plan for a spectacular peak season drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway, a 469-mile scenic highway that connects the Shenandoah National Park in northwestern Virginia with the Great Smoky Mountain National Park in North Carolina.

Ride awhile, then stop awhile: the two-lane Parkway is designed for leisurely journeys.Turn on your favorite Bluegrass music, make sure your camera battery is fully charged, an

Kent, Connecticut has many claims to fame—two state parks, a 250-foot waterfall, rural beauty combined with sophisticated shops, galleries and museums. But this fall there is new reason to boast. Yankee Magazine has named this charming
village in the Litchfield Hills of Western Connecticut the peak spot for leaf-peeping in all of New England.

The mazes are amazing. Imagine acres of tall corn cut into twisting paths in whimsical shapes from crossword puzzles to bumblebees. Finding your way amidst these mazes of maize is a fun-filled adventure for all ages at four beautiful family farms in western Connecticut. Located in Litchfield and Fairfield Counties, the farms also offer hayrides, animals for petting, and apples and pumpkins ripe for picking to make for a perfect fall weekend outing.

Ellsworth Hill Farm in Sharon may take the prize