Travel Guide

Top 3 Favorite Fall Road Trips

10/16/2020

Who knew that the mainstay mode of vacation from our childhood—the road trip—would boomerang back in popularity in 2020? For those of us with a serious case of burning wanderlust, we'll take it—it's a cliché, but sometimes the journey really is the destination. Here, our favorite scenic trips in the U.S., for adventure seekers and kitsch lovers alike—and accompanying style tips, of course.

For Fall Foliage: The Adirondacks

See: Prospect Mountain, Lake George, Bolton Landing, Fort Ticonderoga, Mount Marcy, a.k.a. the Cloud, Lake Placid, Blue Mountain Lake, Keene Valley

Eat: Noon Mark Diner, Delta Blue, Cottage at Mirror Lake Inn, Top of the Park, Friends Lake Inn Restaurant, The View

Stay: Sagamore Hotel, The Point, Hotel Saranac, Lake Placid Lodge, The Lake House at High Peaks Resort, Camp Solitude, Lake Kora

What to Wear

For Cross-Country Kicks: Route 66

See: Cadillac Ranch (above), Meramec Caverns, Route 66 Museum, The Painted Desert, Hackberry General Store, Sandhills Curiosity Shop, The Blue Whale, Palo Duro Canyon State Park

Eat: Watson’s BBQ, Lou Mitchell’s Diner, Waylan’s Ku Ku Burger, Big Vern’s Steakhouse, Baxter Springs Smokehouse BBQ, POPS

Stay: The Campbell Hotel, Palmer House, Blue Swallow Motel, 21C Museum Hotel, Big Texan Steak Ranch, Wigwam Motel

What to Wear

For Water Babies (and Big Little Lies Fans): Highway 1

See: Bixby Bridge, Huntington Beach, Mission Bay, The Funk Zone, Santa Ynez Valley, Hearst Castle, McWay Falls, Overlook Trail, Point Lobos State Natural Reserve. Point Lobos State Natural Reserve, Keyhole Rock

Eat: Nepenthe, Golden Gate Bakery, Sons & Daughters, Tartine Manufactory, Il Grillo, State Bird Provisions, Thomas Hill Organics

Stay: Post Ranch Inn, Ventana Big Sur, The Battery, Carmel Valley Ranch Carmel Valley Ranch