This blog post was updated on October 10, 2019.
Not only is fall a great time to travel, but it can also be ideal for a solo getaway. Costs are down due to off-season prices setting in, leaves are making their annual color change, and festivals celebrating everything from beer to the harvest are on the calendar in cities across the United States. So, if you’re plotting a solo trip this fall, here are some U.S. cities that are perfect to visit.
Boston, Massachusetts
Proudly standing tall as one of the oldest American cities, it’s hard not to catch a love of autumn in Boston. Fall brings brilliant yellows, oranges, and reds throughout the city’s foliage, leaving solo travelers all the eye candy they need for brisk fall walks. You can appreciate the changing of seasons and a dose of history on Boston’s Freedom Trail, which heads 2.5 miles through some of the city’s major Revolutionary War sites. You can roam Harvard’s Arnold Arboretum, home to some of the best foliage in town come autumn, or just stroll the pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods of Beacon Hill and the North End. Autumn in Boston also brings several events and festivals like the Head of the Charles Regatta, the world’s largest two-day rowing race.
You may also like: 7 Fall Foodie Destinations in the U.S.
Asheville, North Carolina
If you don’t want a daunting city for a solo getaway in the fall, you can look to Asheville, North Carolina. While it’s neither small nor overwhelming in size, Asheville sits in western North Carolina, right on the cusp of the Blue Ridge Mountains. You can catch one of the most dramatic displays of foliage in the U.S. in this area, as the Blue Ridge Mountains are home to more than 100 species of deciduous trees. And, luckily for solo travelers, the leaf-peeping season is one of the longest and most vibrant in the country. When you need a break from taking in the changing colors, Asheville answers with loads of funky coffee shops and breweries to duck into for an afternoon pick-me-up. The city boasts a large artist population, proving ideal for anyone looking to roam through museums, galleries, bookstores, and antique shops. If you come in October, you can plan your visit around the Asheville Oktoberfest. Great for solo travelers, the event features plenty of beer tastings, live bands, and food.
Denver, Colorado
Things are booming in Colorado. With more and more people moving there in recent years, there are also a lot more activities to do! If you find flights to Denver in the fall, you’ll be able to delight in the city’s mild weather, allowing anyone to roam its 200 city parks with ease. Denver also features loads of great breweries to sample, growing culinary and art scenes, and plenty of neighborhoods to explore on foot. The city offers something for everyone, including nature lovers — so no matter where you stand in Denver, you’re always within close range of the mountains. During the fall, you’ll also have your choice of festivals, such as the Great American Beer Festival, an event featuring 3,500 beers from more than 700 brewers.
Portland, Oregon
Perched at the north end of the Willamette Valley, Portland, Oregon is a solo traveler’s delight come fall. The brisk weather brings countless opportunities to find a unique coffeehouse or brewery and strike up an exchange with locals. Portland appeals to solo travelers who crave getting out in nature during the season with its 200 parks, gardens, and wild spaces. In fact, Portland’s Forest Park is considered one of the largest urban forests in the country. Other nearby natural appeals include Mount Hood and the Willamette Valley’s wine country. In the fall, you can attend several events from the Portland Film Festival to the West Coast Giant Pumpkin Regatta to the Hood River Hops Fest.
San Diego, California
With its laid back vibe, San Diego welcomes solo travelers, especially in the autumn when temperatures remain mild. If you love surfing, fall is often considered the best time to visit when conditions are at their peak. Even if you just love long walks on the beach, the southern California city supplies just that with some 70 miles of beaches in its grasp. San Diego presents a number of sites to explore solo from the 1,100-acre oasis that is Balboa Park to the historic entertainment and dining district, the Gaslamp Quarter. If you visit in the fall, you can plan your trip around San Diego’s many autumn events from San Diego Beer Week and the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar Air Show to the La Jolla Art and Wine Festival.
Austin, Texas
Austin becomes its own slice of paradise in the fall, when the heat of the Texas summer has subsided and conditions are perfect for solo travel adventuring. Thanks to Austin’s festival vibe, you never quite feel alone in the city. The Texas capital features loads of food truck trailer parks to grab a meal. If you’re into live music, Austin answers with plenty of venues to see it all from mainstream artists to local acts. By day, you can explore South Congress for its quirky shops and restaurants and come dusk, you can see the bats make their nightly flight from the South Congress Bridge. Fall festivals are abundant in the area too, like the Austin City Limits Music Festival in October, hailed as one of the country’s largest celebrations of live music or the Sound on Sound Fest in November, the city’s newest progressive music festival.
A successful solo travel getaway often involves selecting the right city for going it alone. These cities across the U.S. not only cater to solo travelers but truly come alive during the autumn season.
Where do you like to travel solo in the fall? Share your pick with us in the comments below.
Leave a Comment