Checking In: Fall travel

To me, fall is the romantic season. Cooler temperatures and crisp air inspire an unmatched wanderlust. Here’s where you can go to make the most of it.

Fall travel usually brings to mind leaf-gazing and apple cider, but the Inn at Palmetto Bluff in South Carolina is celebrating the season in a different way. The inn’s Full Moon kayak tour takes you on a serene float along the May River with a professional guide using only the light of the moon. You’ll hear all about the myths and wonders related to such a celestial experience and can opt for the Full Moon Package, which includes a 90-minute warm river-stone massage, two nights in a luxe cottage, a bottle of wine and daily breakfast.

Situated near scenic Skyline Drive and the Blue Ridge Mountains, the Holladay House is a historic bed-and-breakfast in Orange, Virginia. This autumn, the family-run B&B offers a number of ways to experience the area’s fiery foliage. Take to the skies for a bird’s-eye view with a biplane flyover or go for a gentler route with a hot-air balloon ride. If you’d rather keep your feet on the ground, the Holladay House also runs half-day hiking adventures, where an expert guide introduces you to the forest’s waterfalls and secret spots. In the mood for romance? Check out the sunset kayaking tour.

What better way to experience fall’s beauty than to get right in it? Omni Mount Washington Resort in New Hampshire is doing just that, with zip-line tours above the fall landscape. Soar hundreds of feet in the air, past ancient hemlocks, spruce trees and white pines on the resort’s Bretton Woods canopy tour. New Hampshire’s longest zip line covers 4,700 feet on nine lines and highlights two suspension bridges, hiking and rappelling deep in the Bretton Woods. Back at Omni Mount Washington, bring a bit of the outdoors in with the herbal body treatment, featuring herbs from the on-site garden and an organic sugar scrub.

Surrounded by the old-fashioned New England cottages along Buzzards Bay on Cape Cod, Sea Crest Beach Hotel is fresh off a $15 million renovation of its 263 rooms and suites. Hit the area’s Shining Sea bike trail with the hotel’s fall bike package, where you’ll hug the coast of North Falmouth, winding through vivid scenery from Woods Hole through the Vineyard south shoreline. The package for two includes a two-night stay and bike rental, plus map of the bike trail and daily breakfast. In need of a quiet couple’s getaway? Sea Crest’s beach crowds disperse in the fall, making way for quiet seaside strolls.

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