September Vacation Ideas

Football season is finally here. College football towns are transformed every Saturday into huge events where true fans show their colors. Weekend getaways to follow your favorite college or NFL team gives you a great excuse to check out some great travel destinations.

Enjoy Lake Tahoe's Autumn Food & Wine Festival at The Village at Northstar that takes place September 10 - 12, 2010. Three days of food, wine festivals, grape stomping, seminars, competitions, cook offs, live music and much more. See more Lake Tahoe Vacation Ideas.

Hundreds of clowns converge at the Jersey Shore September 16 - 19, 2010 for the annual Clown Fest at Seaside Heights, NJ. Seminars provide classes in the clown arts. Coaching, competitions, speakers, and lectures will also be presented. Shop magic suppliers from all over the nation. See more Jersey Shore Vacation Ideas.

Visit the breathtaking Rockies and attend The Sun Valley Harvest Festival (formerly the Sun Valley Food and Wine Festival held in June) now being presented in September to take advantage of the luscious fall harvest and magnificent colors of the season. Mark your calendars for September 24 - 26, 2010 and come and enjoy cooking demonstrations, prepare your taste buds for fine wine tastings, culinary trade shows, restaurant walks, chef's dinners, and a beer garden. See more on Sun Valley Vacation Ideas.

Check out The Big E, New England's largest fair, at 1305 Memorial Ave West, Springfield, MA, September 17 through October 3, 2010. This year over 1,000,000 people are expected to visit. See Clydesdale horses, sea lions, sheep dogs, and lots of livestock, free concerts as well as the 007 James Bond Spiral Stunt Car Exhibit, a circus, horse show, daily Mardi Gras parades, and cooking contests. For more information, call 413-737-2443.

While in Springfield, don't miss visiting the nearby Storrowtown Village Museum, an authentic recreation of a 19th century village with 9 historical buildings, including a farmhouse, schoolhouse, blacksmith shop, country store, and law office, guided tours with costumed interpreters. Call for list of year round events 413-205-5051.

For the history buff, visit The Belle Meade Plantation, a magnificent antebellum mansion with a fascinating history, located at 5025 Harding Rd, just outside of Nashville, TN, with its restored Victorian era Mansion, Carriage House, Log Cabin, Slave Quarters, Horse Stables, Family Mausoleum, and enchanting gardens. Take one of the many tours with their knowledgeable guides dressed in period clothing. And, if you're visiting in September, you can enjoy their Fall Festival with their presentation of antiques, art, crafts, live music, food, and kids festivities. Call 615-356-0501 for hours. See more Nashville Vacation Ideas

The Kentucky Bourbon Festival in Bardstown, approximately 35 miles from Louisville, is being held this year September 14 - 19, 2010 at 1 Ct. Square. Sample Kentucky's finest bourbon, take a tour of The Kentucky Bourbon Trail, participate in a 5K Run & Walk. There will be hands-on activities for the whole family. Watch a Barrel Making Demonstration and Bourbon Barrel Relay. Sample the great food available from fine restaurants. Shop the local area. Enjoy the live music and entertainment. Train rides for the kids. Golf tournament and horseshoe pitch, art exhibits, auction, and seminars for the adults. If you have the time, you might want to take a historical tour and do some ghost hunting. For more information, call 800-638-4877. More vacation ideas in the nearby Louisville area.

Join the fun! This year the annual Santa Fe, NM Wine and Chile Fiesta takes place September 22 - 26, 2010. Over 60 restaurants participate in this celebration with luncheons and nightly wine dinners in an incredibly beautiful atmosphere of Fall colors. Wine tasting from at least 90 wineries, cooking demos, seminars and panel discussions, live auctions of spectacular trips and fine art. Call 505-438-8060 for more information. See more Santa Fe Vacation Ideas.

The Portland Pirate Festival at historic Cathedral Park in St. Johns, OR, along side the Willamette, September 18 and 19, 2010 brings excitement for young and old alike with this pirate themed jubilee. Tall ship tours, cannon firing, sword fighting exhibitions, historical re-enactments, wandering costumed pirates, live music on two stages, children's rides and activities, stilt walkers, jugglers, puppeteers, and plenty of food and drink round out this fun-filled week-end at the water's edge. Stop in at the Marauders Market for handmade crafts, trinkets, toys, and pirate's treasures. See more Portland Vacation Ideas

Victorian Cape May, NJ presents their 14th. annual Food & Wine Festival September 19 - 26, 2010, complete with winery tours and tastings, 5 course beer tasting dinner, gourmet marketplace and luncheons, chowder contest, seminars and classes. 800-275-4278 for more information. Want to learn more about wine? Then Stop Whining and Start Wine ing. See more Jersey Shore Vacation Ideas.

With summer's end, the fun doesn't have to stop. Take the family to an autumn celebration in downtown Wisconsin Dells, WI and Bowman Park. The Wo-Zha-Wa Festival is an annual observance, complete with an arts and crafts fair, live entertainment, antique flea market, sidewalk sales, rides, a parade, a half marathon, and food stands in a street carnival atmosphere, sure to please all ages. September 17-18-19, 2010. Check out the local resorts in the area. With 18 indoor waterparks and 3 outdoor waterparks in the vicinity, you'll find plenty of entertainment for the whole family.

Lake Tahoe, NV/CA. Crystal clear, deep blue waters in the Sierra Mountains. The summer crowds are gone, the golf courses aren't as crowded and the weather is still beautiful. September 22 through the 26th of 2010 brings the Lake Tahoe Marathon, 5 days of activities including speed golf, swim and kayak events, expos, and cycle events, with the main marathon on Sunday, September 26. More Lake Tahoe Vacation Ideas.

Need a reason to bring you to beautiful Monterey, CA? Last year over 40,000 jazz lovers attended the annual Monterey Jazz Festival at the Fairgrounds. This year's Festival takes place on September 17 - 19, 2010 with over 500 jazz artists in more than 50 concert performances on 9 stages throughout the Fairgrounds, offering you the best in jazz. Along with great performances, the Festival also offers jazz discussions, exhibitions, workshops, international foods, and enjoyment for all. Come be a part of the festivities. For more information, call 831-373-3366. See more Monterey, CA Vacation Ideas

Tour the beautiful and historic Wickford Village in the town of North Kingstown, Rhode Island. Who could resist the tranquil harbor as the boats sail by the waterfront streets, quaint one of a kind shops, galleries, historic homes from the 1700's, charming gardens and churches. Add to this, friendly Bed & Breakfast stops, and it's the beginning of a great vacation. A special place to visit and even more special during one of their annual events. You won't want to miss the Harbour Festival held on September 19, 2010 where you'll enjoy the Harbour Tours, kayak and row boat races and demonstrations, music, children's contests and activities, plenty of food and drink, and convenient trolley service to round out the week end.

As the water cools down, America's largest rough-water swimming competition takes place at LaJolla Cove in beautiful California. Catch the 1 mile race on September 12, 2010. No admission for spectators, but if you're brave enough to participate, call 858-456-2100. See more San Diego Vacation Ideas and La Jolla Vacation Ideas.

Martha's Vineyard, off the coast of Massachusetts, holds their annual Striped Bass & Bluefish Derby September 12 through October 16, 2010. For more information about the Derby, contact MV Derby Headquarters, 1A Dock Street, Edgartown, MA 02539. See more Martha's Vineyard Vacation Ideas.

Lancaster, PA, home to the Amish families with their simple agricultural lifestyle, is a great place to visit in early Fall. Sample their homegrown food at their Farmers Markets, stroll through the shops filled with handcrafted items. Quaint covered bridges and 1 room schoolhouses catch your eye as you take a relaxing ride in an Amish buggy. A different way of life, but if you're interested in something more than the simple lifestyle of the Amish, try the shopping outlets throughout the area, with over 200 discount stores.

Get out in the fresh air and enjoy Southern California's pleasant year round weather. Travel the South Bay Bike Path, a 22 mile stretch that runs from Will Rogers State Beach down to Torrence County Beach. Gorgeous Santa Monica ocean views and magnificent beach houses surround you as you walk, jog, or bicycle your way up and down the coast. Bike rental shops along the way and certain areas are excellent for wheelchair bound visitors. More Santa Monica Vacation Ideas

A trip to San Francisco would not be complete without a visit to Chinatown. Enter through the "Dragon's Gate" at Bush Street and Grant Avenue and experience the culture around you. Twenty-four blocks of lively activity geared toward the interests of the tourist. You'll find great shopping bargains, dining, and a fun-filled stop at the fortune cookie factory as you watch and savor the aroma of fortune cookies being made and taste-tested by visitors. Events throughout the year include Parades, Festivals, Chinese New Year celebrations and much more, so come out and enjoy anytime of the year. And, if you happen to be in the area September 18 and 19, 2010, the Autumn Moon Festival Street Fair takes place on Grant Avenue with musicians, dancers, martial arts exhibitions, and food vendors - all in the traditional Chinese celebration of abundance and togetherness. More San Francisco Vacation Ideas

A favorite tourist attraction is the Hearst Castle, a magnificent hilltop estate overlooking the Pacific Ocean, half-way between Los Angeles and San Francisco in nearby San Simeon. The Hearst Castle, now a State Historic Landmark, is considered one of the world's greatest showplaces. Built by newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst, this impressive castle, consisting of 165 rooms (main building and three guest houses) offers day and evening guided tours as well as spectacular garden tours. Open year round, but especially pleasant in cooler weather due to all the walking involved. For tour information, call (800) 444-4445.

The third full weekend in September is generally chosen as Oktoberfest, a celebration of German heritage. Cincinnati is proud to claim the largest and most authentic Oktoberfest in the United States with over 500,000 people arriving annually to a six block area in downtown Cincinnati on Fifth Street from Race Street to Broadway. Plenty of music, live entertainment, dancing, German food, and, of course, beer.

Check out the Great American Beer Festival in Denver. More information at Denver Fall Vacation Ideas