Looking for a fall break destination for mid October with my wife and the kids (8yo and 10mos). Wife mentioned Charleston, SC, maybe Maine or something alike, but not sure how long I can keep the little one occupied in the car although he does pretty well. We would definitely fly, then rent a car wherever we go. Where have you been with a little one? TIA

With a little one?
Port Aransas.

We did Saugatuck, Mi for last years fall break. Flew into Chicago, caught the last Cubs game of the season in near perfect weather then made the short drive. We just did fall things. Apple picking, corn mazes, cider tasting, going out to the lake, seeing light houses, hiking. It was awesome. We had our 2yo with us, but borrowed one of those child carrier hiking backpacks and it was great. The other kids were 8 and 5 so they were fine. It was an amazing trip.

FYI, leaves are already starting to change in central NH because it has been so cool and rainy this summer, so if you are waiting until mid-October to head up way north in New England, you'll likely be late for peak foliage. I love late fall when it's just yellow and brown everywhere instead of bright reds and oranges, but it definitely has a more desolate "here comes winter" feeling..

Also, fall in northern NE is definitely the big tourist season. You'll be behind the 8-ball if you're just now looking to make arrangements. Expect low availability and higher prices, if you end up deciding on Maine.

That said, fall in NE is awesome, and it lives up to people's expectations.

EDIT: If you do New England, one big benefit is that there is a ton to do jam packed in a small area, so once you get where you're going to, it might be a short drive in any direction to something really neat. It wouldn't have to turn into a long road trip (with the exception of driving to Acadia from Boston maybe).

we're doing mammoth cave and smokey mountains.

Fly into nashville 10/14, stay in kentucky for 3 nights for mammoth, drive to a koa in Cherokee NC for 2 nights, then another night nearby in hayesville, then back to nashville to fly out.

Should be good leaf viewing, and nice weather.

We've done the Emerald Coast twice in October, Destin and Pensacola and it's great. Warm enough to get in the water, but not a beat down at all to sit outside all day, cools off in the evenings. Plus crowds are much tamer, to non-existent.

Both Charleston and Maine are good options. In Charleston, SC, you can explore the historic downtown, visit plantations, enjoy family-friendly activities like the South Carolina Aquarium, and relax on nearby beaches. The weather in mid-October should be pleasant. While in Maine, places like Portland, Acadia National Park, and Bar Harbor have many outdoor activities, sightseeing, and family-friendly attractions. The fall foliage in mid-October can be absolutely breathtaking.

We went to NE during mid October a few years ago and loved it. We spent some time in Boston before moving to a B&B up the coast. Foliage was great and lots of festivals within easy distance. Salem, Newburyport, Portsmouth NH all easy to get to and fun. A lot of the beach towns in Southern Maine have closed up for the winter but you can still catch a lobster shack or 2 and see the lighthouses as you wind your way toward Portland (Nubble in York is a must). May still be able to catch a late-season whale watch or lobster cruise.

Or as someone else mentioned, you can save a lot of money, time and hassle and rent a house on the Texas coast. Water is still warm, weather is perfect and crowds are sparse.

Don't want to derail, but what is fall break?

TXAG 05 said:

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Don't want to derail, but what is fall break?

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spring break, but in the fall.

TXAG 05 said:

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Don't want to derail, but what is fall break?

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Some schools provide fall breaks in addition to spring breaks. My kid gets 2 weeks in the fall, 2 weeks in the winter, and 2 weeks in the spring. School starts in July to make up for this though.

gggmann said:

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TXAG 05 said:

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Don't want to derail, but what is fall break?

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Some schools provide fall breaks in addition to spring breaks. My kid gets 2 weeks in the fall, 2 weeks in the winter, and 2 weeks in the spring. School starts in July to make up for this though.

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that's def. a bit of a tradeoff.

Where is this?

So school is July through end of May?
That's not far from a year round schedule.

62strat said:

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gggmann said:

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TXAG 05 said:

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Don't want to derail, but what is fall break?

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Some schools provide fall breaks in addition to spring breaks. My kid gets 2 weeks in the fall, 2 weeks in the winter, and 2 weeks in the spring. School starts in July to make up for this though.

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that's def. a bit of a tradeoff.

Where is this?

So school is July through end of May?
That's not far from a year round schedule.

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Gilbert, AZ. This year they started on July 25th and will finish at the end of May.

gggmann said:

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62strat said:

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gggmann said:

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TXAG 05 said:

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Don't want to derail, but what is fall break?

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Some schools provide fall breaks in addition to spring breaks. My kid gets 2 weeks in the fall, 2 weeks in the winter, and 2 weeks in the spring. School starts in July to make up for this though.

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that's def. a bit of a tradeoff.

Where is this?

So school is July through end of May?
That's not far from a year round schedule.

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Gilbert, AZ. This year they started on July 25th and will finish at the end of May.

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That's quite surprising for AZ considering the heat. Do they actually keep the schools at a decent temp? They have recess? I figured you were up north, which makes more sense to have more school in summer.

Are the 2 weeks in winter late Jan/Feb or are you referring to xmas/NYE break?

I wouldn't mind a more all year round schedule (a south denver SD used to have it back in the 90s).. helps take trips with less crowds, and can be cheaper.

62strat said:

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TXAG 05 said:

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Don't want to derail, but what is fall break?

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spring break, but in the fall.

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Interesting. Have not seen/heard of that.

I'll plug the PNW. We don't have the deciduous forest of the NE, but we still have a lot of it; combined with aspens, larches, dogwoods and the vineyards. All which color at different times on some pretty backdrops.

We're also bonkers with the festivals, u-pick apples/pears/pumpkins. Halloweentown was filmed in St. Helens, OR and they convert the town back to Halloweentown for October. Like, full gas the entire town and they double down with Twilight shenanigans since it was also filmed there.

Just Google "fall" for Portland Japanese garden, Multnomah Falls, Columbia Historic Highway, Silver Falls State, Columbia River Gorge, Mt. Hood to get a flavor!

There's also some unique fall offerings. The alpine larch is native to only the Rockies and Cascades. We did Blue Lake in North Cascade with our 4 year old last year to catch the larches. Totally doable hike with kids if you're into outdoors stuff:

TXAG 05 said:

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62strat said:

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TXAG 05 said:

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Don't want to derail, but what is fall break?

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spring break, but in the fall.

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Interesting. Have not seen/heard of that.

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It's been around a while, schools in Houston are now are adding in a winter break as well. Not talking about xmas/nye, but another week break about 4 weeks after NYE.

We like taking fall break trips, as much of the country doesn't have it, so it's less crowds, and nice weather about anywhere.
This year we're doing mammoth cave and smoky mountains. Ours is mid october.

For us it's just a long weekend in October, combination of school holiday + teacher in-service days, usually a Thurs, Fri, Mon.

East Dallas Ag said:

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For us it's just a long weekend in October, combination of school holiday + teacher in-service days, usually a Thurs, Fri, Mon.

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That's what ours is too. Plus full week for Thanksgiving.

I don't have school age kids but happened to drive by Gilbert HS as they were letting out during the first week of school in July and a lot of the kids were wearing hoodies and sweat pants. It was 116 that day so I'm guessing it's nice and frosty inside.

We did Branson a few years back and Disney last year. Branson was more random fun and it wasn't so hard to coordinate activities for the kids.

Also much cheaper