Many Americans claim fall as their favorite season, and it is easy to see why: all over the country the land pops into color with flaming tree tones of gold, orange and yellow. The best place for leaf peeping is the Northeast where the red sugar maples give an intense glow to the countryside, and all over the northern latitudes you will find sensory overload in leaf form. Harvest time brings an influx of delicious vegetables in bright colors to roadside farm stands, and hearty stews and rich pies begin to appear on tables across the country. Autumn also brings Halloween, a popular holiday for kids of all ages; younger ones go trick-or-treating in an attempt to bag candy, and older folks go bar hopping dressed as their favorite monster or celebrity in an attempt to bag a babe. Halloween parties in big cities are over-the-top and can get crazy; don’t forget your costume or you will feel like a dolt.

• Join in the “Day of the Dead” celebrations in Latino towns like LA and revel with your ancestors and sugar skull decorations.
   
• In New England? Book a day sailing trip on a classic wooden schooner, and peep the leaves on the island trees from the deck of a centuries-old ship.
   
• Go all out on October 31 with two or three hundred thousand of your closest friends on Sixth Street in Austin, Texas where the parade of Halloweensters borders on maniacal!
   
• Cozy up in your favorite seaside restaurant with a bread bowl full of soup and a delicious beer from one of America’s microbreweries.
   
• Football season starts! Head to a game-watching party or live game, high school to professional. Even if you don’t like sports you can entertain yourself with the fans’ frothing fervor and the football snacks: pigs in a blanket, nachos, and plenty of ice-cold beer!