Fall foliage in Southeast
The Southern Appalachians hold some of the most biodiverse hardwood forest on Earth. The Smokies and Blue Ridge Parkway lead a season that starts at elevation in early October and runs toward the Gulf states into late November.
140 hand-picked fall stops in Southeast (leaves & views, farms & harvest, cider & donuts, Halloween haunts, towns & rides). Tap a 🍁 for its peak-color window, drag the date slider to watch the color arrive, or see every destination on the big map.
North Carolina
Peak ~November 15
The Blue Ridge Parkway and Great Smoky Mountains National Park turn sourwood, maple, and hickory to scarlet by mid-October, while Piedmont oaks and the coastal plain hold color into November.
South Carolina
Peak ~November 11
Upstate maples and oaks around Table Rock and Caesars Head State Parks turn by late October, while blackwater cypress-tupelo swamps at Congaree National Park hold muted color into November across the Lowcountry.
Georgia
Peak ~November 20
North Georgia's Blue Ridge foothills turn hickory, sourwood, and maple gold along the Richard Russell Scenic Highway and around Vogel State Park, with peak color typically arriving in late October to early November.
Tennessee
Peak ~November 4
Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Cades Cove turn sugar maple, tulip poplar, and sourwood in a slow cascade from ridge to valley, with the higher Smokies peaking in mid-October.
Kentucky
Peak ~October 27
Sandstone cliffs and arches at Red River Gorge and Cumberland Falls frame sugar maple, sassafras, and oak-hickory color across the Daniel Boone National Forest, typically peaking in mid-to-late October.
Alabama
Peak ~November 18
Cheaha State Park and Little River Canyon on Alabama's southern Appalachian foothills turn oak, hickory, and sweetgum by late October, with milder color continuing into November across the rest of the state.
Mississippi
Peak ~November 19
Foliage is subtle here: sweetgum, hickory, and bald cypress along the Natchez Trace Parkway and Delta bottomlands turn bronze and rust rather than blazing red, with color lingering into late November.
Arkansas
Peak ~November 4
The Ozark and Ouachita Mountains fill with oak, hickory, and sweetgum color each fall, with sourwood adding early crimson. The Talimena Scenic Drive and Mount Magazine offer sweeping overlooks, typically peaking in late October.
Louisiana
Peak ~November 26
Foliage here is subtle and subtropical: bald cypress in the Atchafalaya Basin turns rust and copper while sweetgum and hickory color the northern hill country. Color lingers later than most states, often into late November.
Florida
Peak ~December 5
Florida offers only muted color, but bald cypress, sweetgum, and red maple along the Panhandle's river bluffs at Torreya State Park and Blackwater River turn rust and gold in late November into December.
Top fall stops in Southeast
140 hand-picked places across 10 regions, by what you go for.
Leaves & views
- Blue Ridge Parkway (Graveyard Fields)Scenic drive · Peak Oct 25
- Table Rock State ParkState park · Peak Nov 5
- Amicalola Falls State ParkState park · Peak Nov 4
- Cades CoveScenic drive · Peak Oct 27
- Red River GorgeForest · Peak Oct 24
- Cheaha State ParkState park · Peak Nov 10
- Whitaker Point (Hawksbill Crag)Trail · Peak Oct 29
- Chimney Rock State ParkState park · Peak Nov 4
- Tallulah Gorge State ParkState park · Peak Nov 4
- Foothills ParkwayScenic drive · Peak Oct 28
- Cumberland Falls State Resort ParkState park · Peak Oct 30
- DeSoto State ParkState park · Peak Nov 8
- Queen Wilhelmina State ParkState park · Peak Nov 3
- Grandfather MountainViewpoint · Peak Oct 28
- Biltmore EstateGarden · Peak Oct 28
- Rock City GardensGarden · Peak Nov 7
- Fall Creek Falls State ParkState park · Peak Nov 4
Farms & harvest
- South Carolina State FairFall festival · Color peaks Nov 12
- Boone Hall Pumpkin PatchPumpkin patch · Color peaks Nov 23
- Burt's FarmPumpkin patch · Color peaks Nov 5
- Dollywood's Harvest FestivalFall festival · Color peaks Oct 25
- Old Baker FarmPumpkin patch · Color peaks Nov 14
- War Eagle Mill FairFall festival · Color peaks Oct 29
- Amazing Grace Family FarmsCorn maze · Color peaks Dec 1
- Denver Downs FarmCorn maze · Color peaks Nov 10
- BoBrook Farms Pumpkin PatchPumpkin patch · Color peaks Nov 6
Halloween
- Halloween Horror NightsHaunted attraction · Color peaks Dec 5
- Cedar Hill's Haunted FarmHaunted attraction · Color peaks Nov 9
- French Quarter PhantomsGhost tour · Color peaks Nov 27
- Ghosts & Gravestones St. AugustineGhost tour · Color peaks Dec 2
- The Mortuary Haunted MansionHaunted attraction · Color peaks Nov 27
- Atrox FactoryHaunted attraction · Color peaks Nov 13
- McRaven Tour HomeGhost tour · Color peaks Nov 24
- Howl-O-Scream at Busch Gardens Tampa BayHaunted attraction · Color peaks Dec 2
Towns & rides
- Natchez Fall PilgrimageFall festival · Color peaks Nov 26
- St. FrancisvilleHistoric town · Color peaks Nov 27
- KeenelandFall festival · Color peaks Oct 23
- Mississippi State FairFall festival · Color peaks Nov 22
- Shaker Village at Pleasant HillHistoric town · Color peaks Oct 24
- Louisiana Renaissance FestivalFall festival · Color peaks Nov 27