9 Fabulous Fall Festivals Around the U.S.

The National Apple Harvest Festival

Biglerville, Pa.; Oct. 2-3 and 9-10

A costumed Johnny Appleseed will stride among 300 booths at the South Mountain Fairgrounds in tiny Biglerville, about 10 miles north of Gettysburg in south-central Pennsylvania. At this celebration of all things apple, meander past food and crafts booths on Candy Apple Lane, Macintosh Circle, Cider Press Alley and Apple Butter Way. Bite into apple pie, strudel and fritters. Then take an orchard tour, view vintage cars or go on a hayride. Tickets are $9 for those 60 and older; $10 ages 12-59.

Carol Wallet

Trailing of the Sheep Festival

Sun Valley, Idaho; Oct. 6-10

Talk about counting sheep! Follow 1,500 ewes and rams trotting down Main Street in Ketchum, Idaho, on the way to winter pastures during this annual tribute to the area's sheep ranchers and herders and their history. Watch sheepdog trials, learn to make woolly little lambs and hear tales about Western sheep-raising traditions. For the Love of Lamb offers samples from area restaurants for $20. A folklife fair includes demonstrations of sheep shearing, displays of sheepherders’ wagons, and dances of the Basque, Scottish and Peruvian immigrants who shepherded the region's rich culture.

CHELSEY ASHFORD/City of Greenville

Fall for Greenville

Greenville, S.C.; Oct. 8-10

This small city is making big waves in the food world. Taste why as more than 40 eateries, some with James Beard Award-nominated chefs, dish out samples at booths up and down Main Street at this fantastic culinary festival. Unlike at many foodie fests, there's no admission fee, and most dishes cost $3-$6. Restaurants vie for the Silver Spoon, awarded to the best savory offering, and the Sugary Spoon for outstanding dessert. This year's 250 entries include maple bacon funnel cake and octopus lollipop with lemon sauce. Two dozen regional craft breweries and more than 60 musical acts also are on tap.

St. Charles Scarecrow Festival

St. Charles, Ill.; Oct. 8-10

Pared down by the pandemic last year, this homage to handcrafted straw men and women west of Chicago is retaking the field in full force. A “Scarecrow Stroll” guides visitors past 100 bird deterrents placed in front of businesses. Vote for your favorite or apply to create your own. Pumpkin carving and crafts also are draws for the crowds (more than 70,000 have flocked here in peak years). Take home a “Scarecrow in a Box” kit assembled by Boy Scout Troop 60.

Edgar Lima Garrido

San Diego Bay Wine + Food Festival

San Diego; Nov. 11-14

Winemakers, restaurant sommeliers, craft cocktail mixologists, brewery reps and cookbook authors congregate at this spirited celebration. The Nov. 12 Grand Decant (tickets from $75) spotlights 500 wines from 200 domestic and international wineries, while experts give lessons in making creative quaffs. Local chefs compete for the title of “most awesome taco” on Nov. 14. Sip tequila while voting for your favorite. Will mahi-mahi take down pork belly?

Rachel Hershberger

Christmas Market

Elkhart Lake, Wis.; Dec. 3-12

Europe's famed pre-Christmas celebrations of crafts and culture have spawned a number of American Yule markets. Among the more charming: Old World Christmas Market, celebrating its 23rd year in 2021, in this tranquil village an hour's drive north of Milwaukee, in a heated tent the length of a football field at the Osthoff Resort. White lights twinkle and the scents of grilled bratwurst and hot mulled wine perfume the air. Craftspeople from across the Atlantic sell German carved nutcrackers, Russian nesting dolls and Czech blown-glass ornaments. Adult admission is $7; children 14 and under enter free with a paying adult.

Kitty Bean Yancey, a former USA Today deputy managing editor, is a travel writer and the winner of multiple Lowell Thomas Awards from the Society of American Travel Writers.