18 Best Places to Travel in October for Fall Festivals, Foliage Displays, Warm Weather, and More

October is an excellent month to travel, whether you’re embracing crisp autumn weather for hiking, leaf-peeping, and Halloween festivities or taking advantage of shoulder-season prices to jet off somewhere warm. To help you plan an idyllic fall trip or weekend getaway, we’ve put together a list of our favorite nearby and faraway destinations to consider. Here are our top suggestions for an unforgettable October vacation.

Fall foliage, mild weather, and shoulder-season prices are just a few reasons to plan an autumn trip to Boston. You can also watch athletes at the top of their game compete during the Head of the Charles Regatta (Oct. 16–18), a popular event since 1965. For more family-friendly entertainment, there’s Fall-o-Ween at the Boston Common Frog Pond with games, arts and crafts, treats, and Glow in the Park.

Oktoberfests, graveyard tours, and haunted pub crawls are among other can’t-miss things to do in Boston. If you’re up for a day trip, drive about 20 miles north to Salem, a historic city that welcomes hundreds of thousands of visitors each year to the annual Salem Haunted Happenings throughout October.

Where to Stay: The Eliot Hotel—a charming boutique property with a James Beard Award-winning restaurant—is a popular pick. Not your vibe? Don’t worry, Boston has more than a handful of other options, including the InterContinental Boston.