10 Best Places to Visit in October

With Oktoberfest, football, fall leaves, Broadway, beer and music, October is the month that makes autumn a favorite season. Here are some of the best places to visit in October for a memorable vacation.

Charlotte, NC

You might as well call it “Rocktober” in Charlotte this month! Party for two days with 15-plus bands, including Future, Kaskade and Chelsea Cutler, at Charlotte’s Breakaway Music Festival at the AvidXchange Music Factory Festival Grounds. Or go wild at the U.S. National Whitewater Center’s Fall Festival, where you can watch rafting races, cheer for participants in the build-your-own-boat competition, sample cider and do yoga. Sign up in advance to participate in the races.

Choice Hotels near Charlotte, NC: 50+

Asheville, NC

Asheville’s majestic Blue Ridge Mountain region is the setting for numerous outdoor activities like hiking, biking or horseback riding.

Take in the vivid hues of fall in North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains. Because of the varying elevations, every week in October boasts a unique array of colors. In Asheville, the Biltmore Estate is practically a required activity. The Gilded Age mansion awes all who enter, but there’s just as much to see in the immense estate’s natural areas in the fall. Go horseback riding, take a Land Rover tour, hike, bike, take a carriage ride or float trip. Enjoy harvest-themed dining and winery offerings. In nearby Black Mountain, the LEAF Festival is full of local music and family activities. Since it has more breweries per capita than anywhere else in the U.S., Asheville has been known as “Beer City” for the past 10 years. Head downtown to try a few of the 100 local beers available or to Oktoberfest at Pack Square Park.

Choice Hotels near Asheville, NC: 20+

Williamsburg, VA

Colonial Williamsburg will take you back in time with traditional musical performances from the Governor’s Musick ensemble.

Williamsburg has a long, storied history, so a ghost tour is one of the perfect things to do to learn more during this spooky time of year. The stories are real and painstakingly researched, complete with burial grounds, war tragedies and murder mysteries. Too real? Try Busch Gardens’ Howl-O-Scream event’s elaborate haunted houses, immersive scare zones, escape rooms and live shows. Listen to instruments from the colonial era as the Governor’s Musick ensemble brings authentic pieces to life, performing with the Colonial Williamsburg antique instrument collection. Then, visit the Yorktown Market Days and Fall Festival to enjoy 40 vendors of arts, crafts and food as well as hayrides, face-painting and more on the beautifully historic Yorktown waterfront.

Choice Hotels near Williamsburg, VA: 15+

Pittsburgh, PA

Giant pumpkins are the stars of Pittsburgh’s fall-themed Monster Pumpkin Festival.

Carve out time for the Monster Pumpkins Festival. Full of family fun, the festival features enormous pumpkins—last year’s event boasted a 2,400-pound behemoth. Watch as people race in pumpkin boats on the Allegheny River, take the Pie Eating Plunge, peruse arts and crafts, paint, carve and smash pumpkins, and see the work of master carvers. If you haven’t had enough quintessential fall activities, fit in a little Steelers football at Heinz Field.

Choice Hotels near Pittsburgh, PA: 30+

San Diego, CA

The nearly-100-year-old Giant Dipper rollercoaster is the historic highlight of Belmont Park in San Diego.

For a taste of October fair-style fun, head to San Diego’s iconic shoreline, where thrills await at Belmont Park. The classic amusement park founded in 1925 is home to the Giant Dipper, a nearly 100-year-old wooden roller coaster registered as a National Historic Landmark. Or take to the seas at the San Diego Maritime Museum, home to several historic ships, from sailing ships to submarines. You can even climb aboard a full-sized replica of the San Salvador, which first arrived in what is now San Diego in 1542.

Choice Hotels near San Diego, CA: 20+

Pigeon Forge, TN

The atmosphere of the mountains in Pigeon Forge is a perfect backdrop for the city’s Halloween festivities.

Follow the Chocolate Wine Trail for a little Halloween treat for adults. Enjoy a glass of wine paired with handcrafted desserts at the Mountain Valley Winery, Hillside Winery and Sugarland Cellars Winer. Take home souvenir wine glasses from each. For some family-friendly fun, check out the alpine-themed Goats on the Roof. Feed the goats, eat ice cream, shop the general store and go gem mining. And don’t miss the thrilling and unusual mountainside Goat Coaster, where you’ll ride amid beautiful fall foliage as you control the speed of your coaster car. Of course, Dollywood is Pigeon Forge’s premier attraction all year, but fall is huge here. Throughout October, take in double the glow with this year’s Great Pumpkin LumiNights, hear the best in Southern Gospel music at the jubilee and appreciate the work of world-class artisans.

Choice Hotels near Pigeon Forge, TN: 30+

Chicago, IL

Chicago’s theaters host Broadway tours and original shows as well as a large film festival in October.

New York may be home to the namesake street, but Broadway shows are a big deal in Chicago. Several world-class theaters play host to transplants from the Big Apple as well as original shows—Broadway favorites like The Producers and Mamma Mia! actually debuted in the Windy City. For more culture, attend the Chicago International Film Festival, which began in 1964 when filmmaker and graphic artist Michael Kutza wanted to provide an alternative to the commercial movies being shown in theaters throughout Chicago.

Choice Hotels near Chicago, IL: 25+

Brooklyn, NY

The Brooklyn Botanical Garden, founded in 1910, features gorgeous views and special events in October.

Founded more than a century ago in 1910, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden today covers 52 acres and continues to be a welcome natural respite in the city and one of the most popular things to do in Brooklyn. Visit in October for Sonic Succulents: Plant Sounds and Vibrations at Brooklyn Botanic Garden by Adrienne Adar. Los Angeles-based Adar amplifies familiar plants with handmade sensors so that visitors can interact with plant life through gentle touch and sound. For a good scare, visit Brooklyn’s Gravesend Inn from October 25 to 31, originally created by students of New York City College of Technology (City Tech). It’s high-tech, high-quality and highly frightening. Throughout the month, you can also see rare color photographs of influential black-and-white photographer Garry Winogrand at the stately Brooklyn Museum, whose mission is “to create inspiring encounters with art that expand the ways we see ourselves, the world and its possibilities.”

Choice Hotels near Brooklyn, NY: 55+

Sacramento, CA

The Sacramento Comedy Festival is the premiere event to see a variety of improv, stand-up and sketch comedy shows.

Laugh it up at the Sacramento Comedy Festival October 3 through 6 at Sacramento Comedy Spot, the home of the largest comedy school in Northern California. The festival features improv groups, stand-up comedians and sketch comedy groups from Sacramento and around the country. Then, enjoy the city’s beautiful 302-acre Discovery Park as the venue for October’s annual Aftershock Festival, which hosts popular rock bands such as Blink-182, Staind, Rob Zombie and Stone Temple Pilots. If that’s not your speed, the Golden 1 Center arena hosts several popular music acts currently on tour, such as the Jonas Brothers and Luke Combs, throughout the year.

Choice Hotels near Sacramento, CA: 15+

Los Angeles, CA

If you’re a fan of costumes, comics and celebrity guests, don’t miss L.A. Comic Con at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

Although Stan Lee (1922-2018) will be greatly missed, the L.A. Comic Con returns to the Los Angeles Convention Center on October 11 through 13, originally put together by the famous creator in 2011. Meet the stars of The Office, your favorite YouTubers, and other comics, gaming and pop-culture icons, and don’t forget to dress the part for the cosplay festivities. The Hollywood Bowl, an historic outdoor amphitheater, regularly hosts concerts featuring pop stars and orchestras alike. The Hollywood Bowl opened in 1922 and is famous for its band shell made of concentric circles, which was later replaced with a larger shell in 2004. It’s set against the backdrop of the iconic Hollywood Sign to the northeast.

Choice Hotels near Los Angeles, CA: 45+