Fall is the average grown up’s favorite season.
Winter shifts from tree lightings to January and its pit-of-Tartarus mornings without warning; spring always involves more mud than sunshine; and summer’s, well, deceptively exhausting. “Find your beach” isn’t a suggestion; it’s an order.
But autumn is the season so nice they named it twice. No fights over the thermostat or AC, kids back at school, sports beaming through the tube in an endless, dazzling cycle. We imagine our homes barns and decorate them accordingly. We ingest heavier foods and beers without guilt. And of course, we stare at trees — oaks, dogwoods, sugar maples, poplars — as they strip themselves bare in tapestries of gold and tangerine and crimson.
For taking advantage of the season’s deliberate, sweatshirt-friendly appeal, we’ve rounded up eight homes perfect for leaf-peeping across the States, from the cranberry hues of Vermont to an unexpected foliage haven down in the Lone Star State. Each stay is well-appointed and comfy, but off the beaten path. This weekend’s about the view, not the wifi password. We’ve also paired each listing with its expected “peak” foliage day, according to a handy prediction map from SmokyMountains.com.
Below, our eight picks.
Artist Lane Cottage
Nashville, Indiana
Peak Peeping: October 22nd
Barn Art Studio
Londonderry, Vermont
Peak Peeping: October 15th
Calistoga Barn
Calistoga, California
Peak Peeping: October 22nd
Jenschke House
Fredericksburg, Texas
Peak Peeping: November 12th
Mt. Hood House
White Salmon, Oregon
Peak Peeping: October 22nd
The Pondhouse
Ashfield, Massachusetts
Peak Peeping: October 15th
Trailside Treehouse
Richmond, Virginia
Peak Peeping: October 28th
The Vosenkill Farmhouse
Athens, New York
Peak Peeping: October 15th
All images from Airbnb
This article was featured in the InsideHook newsletter. Sign up now.