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Fall RV Travel Tips: Harvest Time And Halloween Make For The Perfect RV Road Trip

motorhome-fall-st-louis-by-fotobydave.jpg With fall upon us, now is the time to start making plans for some fun-filled RV outings for the entire family.

There’s no doubt about it, autumn is the best time of year for getting out & about and enjoying the beautiful (and colorful) countryside.

The hot temperatures of summer are behind us, the leaves are falling from the trees, and harvest time is arriving all across the land.

Here are some fun Halloween travel ideas for RVers… 

 

Hayrides & Pumpkin Patches

Pumpkin patches and corn mazes are opening everywhere.  Many farms across the country put on festivals, complete with pick-your own pumpkin fields for the kids.

In conjunction with vegetable stands filled with fresh corn and squash, many pumpkin patches also have homemade preserves and jellies for sale, as well as other regional favorites.

Don’t overlook traditional hay rides. Hayrides are always a fall family favorite.  Riding through the woods and fields on an open wagon covered with hay and being pulled by a team of Clydesdales or Morgan work horses is best, but even an old farm tractor makes a fun ride.  And the closer you get to Halloween, the more likely you are to find haunted hayrides.

hayride-at-shaw-farms-milford-oh-by-photobunny.jpg  pumpkin-patch-by-the-smiths.jpg

 

Autumn Colors

fall-foliage-map.PNG Throughout the northeast, southeast, and midwest (the areas of the country which are famous for their changing colors), fall is a favorite time of year.  The lush green of summer turns into deep reds, bright yellows and golds, and burning orange colors that paint the landscape.

The U.S. Forest Service’s Fall Color Guide will give you a good idea when the colors will be best in all areas of the country.  The goal would be to motor on down the road toward the most heavily wooded areas in those towns.

Different places have different festivals and fall foliage events. For example, here in Minnesota the fall colors are accompanied by the semi-annual bird migration, as the birds head south for the winter.  The North Shore Fall Colors and Bird Migration Guide provides tips for enjoying the season.

In fact, Duluth is right in the migratory path of hawks headed south, and the premium bird watching spot is Hawk’s Ridge on the Skyline Parkway.  Many times, you can see groups of hundreds of hawks flying together headed for warmer temperatures.  They know what’s coming, and like the snowbirds of the RV world they have started their journey toward a more pleasant climate.

 

More Halloween Fun For RVers

Of course the whole season is capped off with Halloween.

haunted-house-sign-by-jelle-druyts.jpg Haunted houses and ghost tours spring up in almost every city or town.  Choose your destination and find some spooky places to horrify your children.

Staying close to home this Halloween?  Make it a neighborhood event!  Load all the kids around into your motorhome and you’ll be able to get a group rate at many of the haunted houses and other seasonal events.

Or, make a vacation of it!  Find a campground in the vicinity of your favorite farm or spooky place of horrors.  Decorate your RV, carve pumpkins, and place your jack-o-lanterns around the campfire.  Then, break out your favorite ghost stories and see who can scare who.

Many RV resorts and campgrounds make a big deal out of Halloween, celebrating throughout the months of September and October.  It’s a grand way to finish off the RV season as many northern campgrounds and resorts close during the winter months.