Best Fall Color Driving Tours in the Southeast US
This list of the best fall color driving tours in the southeast provide travelers with down home southern hospitality and spellbinding fall color displays. Discover scenic vistas, history, unique shops and festivals. Each state has a number of autumn foliage road trips to choose from. Here is our selection of some of the top picks.
The Appalachian Mountains provide spectacular fall color viewing. West Virginia has several driving tours to choose from. Almost every autumn road trip in this state could be called a fall color tour. Take the West Virginia Scarlet Hearland Tour on I-75 and the fall foliage drive takes visitors through Pickett State Park, the home of Stonewall Jackson and along spectacular scenic vistas. Fall festivals are common. Find out about them from the state department of tourism.
Virginia
The Appalachian Mountains of Virginia lend themselves to several excellent fall color tours. Scenic Skyline Drive through Shenandoah National Park has entrances in Luray, Front Royal, Thornton Gap Entrance. Visitors will travel along the crests of the Blue Ride Mountains. It takes a minimum of three hours to complete the route. Each of the 75 overlooks which provide stunning displays of autumn foliage.
North Carolina
The Blue Ridge Parkway in the Appalachian Mountains goes near the town of Asheville and several smaller cities. Technically, the drive time on this route is only a few hours but don't let that fool you. Plan to take all day to enjoy the foliage on this fall color tour.
This state is more known for its beaches than for fall foliage. Cherokee Foothills Scenic Byway challenges that perception. Travel to Oconee State Park, the Chattooga River and Table Rock State Park in Pickens County. Bring your camera and plan to take all day or longer for this scenic trip.
Georgia
The Cohutta Loop in Whitfield County stands out as both a scenic and historic road trip. Visitors can travel this loop in an afternoon or take all day. Historic sites include early US and Native American History and the scenery speaks for itself.
Alabama
The state department of tourism took the work out of this one for us. They put together a fall color driving tour that is unbeatable. Slowly winding curves, historic sites and scenic vistas are just the beginning of what visitors will see. Find the full route online. Bring your camera and extra batteries. You will want them.
Mississippi
The Natchez Trace Parkway takes travelers from Tennessee to Natchez, Mississippi. This is the longest of the fall color tours that we have listed. Visitors will be spellbound as they travel along vistas and follow one of the oldest routes in the country. Taking in the fall foliage along the full length of the trace can take a few days. Visitors can make this a day trip experience by traveling any portion of the Natchez Trace Parkway.
Louisiana
This state is known for New Orleans jazz, Biloxi gambling and yes, fall color driving tours. Spectacular foliage is found near the popular Kisatchie National Forest in the western part of the state. Scenic vistas, shopping, camping and a huge array of recreation activities are a part of this autumn foliage road trip.
Tennessee
The eastern part of this state is filled with fall color tours that will knock your socks off! Try fall foliage driving tours of Cumberland Gap National Park or the Great Smokey Mountains National Park. You can't go wrong with either of these road trips. Visitors need to allow a full day to enjoy the sweeping vistas that this road trip offers.
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most visited fall color driving tour in the Southeast. Visitors from all over the country flock to the park when the green hues of summer give way to the brilliance of autumn foliage. Cades Cove, Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg and Sevierville are only a few o. Spend an afternoon or a week to take in all that this park has to offer.
These are top picks for the best fall color driving tours in the Southeast. Each state listed here have other fall color driving tours that travelers may want to try. Click the links above to find out more about each of these autumn foliage road trip experiences.
Published by Gayle Crabtree
Gayle is an expert in budget and family travel. She is a trained mission team leader who has traveled extensively throughout the United States and Canada. Her road trips experiences include traveling with di... View profile
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7 Comments
Post a CommentSounds great to me.
Funny, I don't think of the south as having fall! Duh!
Great, thanks!
another excellent article
I really enjoyed this outstanding article. Thanks!
Unfortunately, with the dry conditions the leaves won't be on the trees much longer, they are dropping like crazy already. Fall color this year won't be worth the trip.
lovely