When do the leaves change in Louisiana?
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.
Peak: November 26–December 1
Color builds from November 13 · mostly bare by December 23
Method: daily ERA5 temperatures (Open-Meteo) drive a photoperiod + chilling phenology model; terrain shifts timing ~1 day earlier per 300 m of elevation. Temperature alone can’t tell a maritime autumn from a continental one — two places at the same latitude and the same September can peak weeks apart, because the trees differ — so each region is also calibrated against published peak dates. Estimates, not promises: typically within a few days, occasionally a week or more out. Check locally before you travel.
Known for
Things to do in fall in Louisiana
9 iconic stops — scenic drives, farms, haunts, and the views locals plan their October around.
St. Francisville
Historic townColor nearby peaks November 28
A bluff-top town 'two miles long and two yards wide' above the Mississippi River anchors West Feliciana Parish's cluster of antebellum plantations (Rosedown, the Myrtles, the Cottage), with candlelit ghost tours and fall garden days drawing visitors through October.
Don’t miss: Antebellum plantation tours · Candlelit ghost tours · Bluff-top historic district
French Quarter Phantoms
Ghost tourColor nearby peaks November 28
Established in 2006, this locally owned outfit walks just under a mile through the Quarter and Treme on a 105-minute Ghost and Vampire tour, voted New Orleans' number one haunted tour eight years running. It runs 364 days a year.
Don’t miss: Voted #1 haunted tour 8 years running · Departs 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. nightly · Under a mile on foot, rain or shine
The Mortuary Haunted Mansion
Haunted attractionColor nearby peaks November 28
A genuine former funeral home at the dead end of Canal Street, where more than 20,000 funerals took place between 1930 and 2003. Each Halloween the mansion reopens as New Orleans' best-known haunted house, on the cemetery streetcar line.
Don’t miss: A real former mortuary, 1930-2003 · On the Canal Street cemetery streetcar line · Blackout flashlight nights
Louisiana Renaissance Festival
Fall festivalColor nearby peaks November 28
A sixteenth-century English village rebuilt in the pines outside Hammond, with jousting, hundreds of costumed performers and turkey legs sold from open-air stalls. It runs weekends only, from early November into December, about forty miles east of New Orleans on River Road.
Don’t miss: Jousting and costumed performers · Weekends only, November into December · About 40 miles east of New Orleans
Historic New Orleans Tours (Garden District)
Ghost tourColor nearby peaks November 28
A two-hour walk through the Garden District with a guide who is usually a working historian, ending at the wrought-iron gates of Lafayette Cemetery No. 1. The company has run tours since 1995 and leans on real research over jump scares, tracing the mansions back to the cotton and sugar money that built them.
Don’t miss: Garden District walking tour · Ends at Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 · Guided by working historians since 1995
Natchitoches
Historic townColor nearby peaks November 24
Founded in 1714, Natchitoches is older than New Orleans and looks it, brick streets and ironwork balconies along Front Street above the Cane River. Free walking tours leave from the visitor center, and the same blocks that photograph so well in December light look just as good under a lower fall sun.
Don’t miss: Louisiana's oldest settlement, founded 1714 · Brick-street historic district on Front Street · Free walking tours from the visitor center
Liuzza Land
Corn mazeColor nearby peaks November 28
A Tangipahoa Parish farm that opens its biggest corn maze yet each October, alongside pumpkin picking, tractor rides and a honeybee exhibit built for school groups. Reservations run in blocks through the third week of November, but self-guided family visits are welcome too.
Don’t miss: Corn maze and pumpkin picking · Tractor rides and a honeybee exhibit · October through late November
New Orleans Nightmare
Haunted attractionColor nearby peaks November 28
Two haunts under one roof near the Fair Grounds: House of Flesh, an abandoned morgue that chases you through freezer corridors, and Harvest of Crowe's, a field where a dead woman named Lucille rises every fall. Mini escape rooms and a 21-and-up horror bar round out the night for anyone who wants to keep going.
Don’t miss: Two haunts: House of Flesh, Harvest of Crowe's · Mini escape rooms on site · 21-and-up horror bar
Frequently asked
- When do leaves peak in Louisiana in 2026?
- Peak color is predicted for November 26–December 1 (best estimate November 28). Color starts around November 13 and trees are mostly bare by December 23.
- How reliable is the Louisiana forecast?
- The forecast blends recent-year weather normals with photoperiod and elevation; it tightens as the season approaches. Against published peak dates the model lands within a few days for most regions, but it can be a week or more out — mountains and coastlines are the hardest. Higher elevations turn roughly one day earlier per 300 m.
- When is Louisiana's autumn season?
- Louisiana colors during autumn (September–November). 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.
- What are the best things to do in fall in Louisiana?
- The iconic stops: St. Francisville, French Quarter Phantoms, The Mortuary Haunted Mansion, Louisiana Renaissance Festival, Historic New Orleans Tours (Garden District), Natchitoches. Every one is mapped on this page with its peak-color timing.
- What are the best things to do in autumn in Louisiana?
- Autumn — autumn (September–November) — is peak season here. Pair the color with St. Francisville, French Quarter Phantoms, The Mortuary Haunted Mansion, Louisiana Renaissance Festival, Historic New Orleans Tours (Garden District); each is on the map above with the window to catch it.
Nearby & similar
Cities in Louisiana
Local peak timing and things to do in fall, computed for each city.
Season by season
2026 (forecast)
Peak November 26–December 1
November 13 → December 23