Best Michigan Spots to See Gorgeous Fall Foliage

The fall season is upon us, and if you want to see the best and brightest fall foliage, you'll want to know the best time and place to see fall colors in Michigan. It's different for every region, and the best time to view fall colors is actually different each year, because so many factors go into when colors change and just how much they change. If you're looking to do leaf-peeping, keep this information about the best time to see fall colors handy.

The fall colors for the 2024 season are going to be different than ever before, in terms of when and where they peak. According to the experts at Accuweather.com, if there isn't a lot of consistent rainfall during the summer, it can stress out trees and cause them to lose their leaves early. That makes for "duller colors." On the flipside of that, having too much rainfall is also an issue. "If there's a lot of rain from late summer into the early fall, you can get mold to develop on some of the trees and also invite lots of insects," AccuWeather lead long-range meteorologist Paul Paselok said. Because of this year's weather patterns, "the best areas to see vivid fall foliage this year will be outside of the traditionally popular tourist destinations due to the weather across the United States leading up to peak leaf-peeping season."

According to the Accuweather map, the most vibrant fall colors will be in the Midwest and Mississippi River Valley this season. But, the Northeast and New England will also get decent colors, with those areas falling into the "typical" colors area. Most of the U.S. will also get "typical" colors, which can still be beautiful.

As for timing, the experts at SmokyMountains.com have released their annual Fall Foliage Prediction Map, which predicts when the color change will hit its peak across the U.S. If you want to see the brightest and most colorful fall foliage, they say to go leaf viewing the first week of October. As for location, the travel experts at Pure Michigan highlight M-22 and the Leelanau Peninsula as a prime area to see beautiful fall shades. "Tracing the edges of the Leelanau Peninsula, M-22 passes through brilliant fall color, offering glimpses of Lake Michigan along the way," they write. Frankly, though, so many Michigan spots have beautiful fall colors, so no matter where you are in the Great Lakes State, chances are you'll see the splendor right outside your door. Contact me with your favorite spots.

Summer always brings a bevy of vacation options, some more exotic than others. But, you don't have to travel far or do something major to have a great vacation. There are many fun and affordable staycation ideas that can give you a memorable vacation memory by just staying close to home.

So, what exactly is the definition of a staycation? It's pretty self-explanatory, but according to the Oxford Dictionary, it's "a vacation spent in one's home country rather than abroad, or one spent at home and involving day trips to local attractions. Similarly, Merriam-Webster says it's, "a vacation spent at home or nearby." I think it's a stretch to call any vacation that's spent in your home country a staycation. That would mean that someone living in Michigan who travels to California for a vacation is really having a "staycation." It makes much more sense to define a staycation as a vacation where you literally stay at home or do something fun in your local area. Thankfully, there are a plethora of great staycation ideas out there.

Plenty of cities have "be a tourist in your own town" activities promoted by their local city tourist bureaus, which are perfect for a staycation. Really, staycations have been around forever, but they increased in popularity during the pandemic, when people actually weren't allowed to travel abroad. Still, even after the pandemic, the staycation is going strong. According to an international study by tourism and hospitality experts in the U.S. and China, the "staycation phenomenon" that started during the pandemic is still very popular and likely to stay as a new normal. The study, dubbed "Customer Preferences for Staycation Package Attributes," is published online in the International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management. It researched the local staycation preferences of Chinese tourists, as well as staycation information from the U.S., Netherlands and Indonesia.

I love a good staycation. It can be stressful to plan a huge trip to squeeze into your time off. By the time you get everything packed, do all the flight stuff and get to your hotel, you might just feel like resting for the short while that you're at your destination. What's more, you can often find so many great places close to home that you've never experienced before. I've had so many great staycations where I ventured to a part of town or the state that I had never been before, and those are among my favorite vacation memories. In that spirit, here are some fun and affordable staycation ideas. Send me your ideas, too.

Have a vacation in your living room or bedroom. Make it a movie-watching marathon. Watch a string of your favorite guilty-pleasure movies or binge-watch a brand new series. Either way, it'll be cozy and comfy.

If you have a state or national park nearby, use your vacation time to go adventuring. Being at a local park can offer some breathtaking scenery, especially in the summer. Have a picnic out there, too. If you don't have a state or national park close by, try a local park.

Nearly every town has a local museum or art gallery. Perhaps you've never really had the time to visit your local museum or art spot. Use your vacation time to explore those local spots, and you might find a new favorite place.

If you've driven by that new hotel for a while and wondered what it's like inside, why not book it for a night? You don't have to be traveling to say at a hotel, Airbnb or local bed-and-breakfast. It can make for an exciting adventure right in your backyard.

Using vacation time to plan a big party for friends is a good use of that time. Instead of traveling around the world, bring to world to you. Invite lots of your good friends, and spend some of the cash you would have on a vacation for your party. It'll be the party of the year. Make that decade.

Pamper yourself. Maybe you think having a spa day is too much of a luxury, but if you're saving money by not taking a big trip, why not use that money for a spa day? It's not just for ladies, either. Guys can book a spa day for a variety of services. It'll make for a day of bliss.