Autumn begins on September 22, but it only really gets going when you’re on the summit of Okemo Mountain. From the lookout tower, the hills of southern Vermont unfold more than 3,000 feet below, rippling with bursts of scarlet, gold, and green. Rising above the village of Ludlow, Okemo is better known as a ski resort, but it’s also an ideal foliage destination (just a five-hour drive from the city, including a stop at the Country Girl Diner in Chester for tomato-corn chowder and homemade pie). The Andrie Rose Inn offers modern luxury (oversize hot tubs) in an 1824 building, and the Old Tavern in nearby Grafton Village features haute-Vermont cuisine in a candlelit Colonial atmosphere.
Details The Andrie Rose Inn, 800-223-4846 (double-room rates, which include breakfast, start at $80 in early September, $120 later in the month and through October); the Old Tavern at Grafton, 802-843-2231; for other lodging, call 802-228-5830.