September 22nd marks the first day of fall, and the mountains are calling! After a summer of record-breaking heat, the refreshing temperatures and picturesque views of America’s mountain ranges and foliage changes make up 8 of the top 10 destinations for vacation home rentals this year. New York City and New Orleans are the only sea-level cities in the top 10 where Americans are booking vacation homes, and Colorado is the only state to appear twice on the list.
Top 10 Fall Destinations for Vacation Home Rentals
- Winter Park, CO
- Leavenworth, WA
- Big Bear, CA
- Central Oregon
- Breckenridge, CO
- Sedona, AZ
- Park City, UT
- Smoky Mountains, TN
- New York City, NY
- New Orleans, LA
At the state level, Americans want to get away rather than stay close to home this fall, with travelers in 44 states searching for vacation homes outside of their home state. Breckenridge, CO, New Orleans and New York City are the top 3 destinations travelers are searching for at the state-by-state level. Only one Florida destination – Vero Beach – makes the list of top fall travel destinations by state this year. To see top destinations in your state go here.
Top 10 Fall Activities in the US
Fall is also a season of new activities for you or your family to participate in, whether or not you’re traveling. The favorite activity we found for the fall was pumpkin carving, followed by visiting a haunted house and watching Halloween movies.
- Pumpkin Carving
- Haunted House
- Halloween Movies
- Trick-or-Treating
- Leaf Peeping
- Apple Picking
- Tailgating
- Bonfire
- Fall Festival
- Hayride
State-by-State Fall Travel Destinations for Vacation Rental Homes
| State | #1 Destination | #2 Destination | # 3 Destination | Favorite Fall Activity |
| Alabama | Mentone, AL | Smoky Mountains, TN | Los Angeles, CA | Haunted House |
| Alaska | Fairbanks, AK | Anchorage, AK | Seattle, WA | Pumpkin Carving |
| Arizona | Estes Park, CO | Hilton Head, SC | Aspen, CO | Pumpkin Carving |
| Arkansas | New York City, NY | Breckenridge, CO | Little Rock, AK | Haunted House |
| California | Snowmass Village, CO | Crested Butte, CO | Smoky Mountains, TN | Haunted House |
| Colorado | Yosemite, CA | New Orleans, LA | Aspen, CO | Halloween Movies |
| Connecticut | New York City, NY | Lake Tahoe, CA | Santa Barbara, CA | Apple Picking |
| Delaware | San Diego, CA | New Orleans, LA | Adirondacks, NY | Pumpkin Carving |
| Florida | Winter Park, CO | Philadelphia, PA | Flagstaff, AZ | Trick-or-Treating |
| Georgia | Ellijay, GA | Santa Barbara, CA | Sedona, AZ | Haunted House |
| Hawaii | San Francisco, CA | Bend, OR | New Orleans, LA | Pumpkin Carving |
| Idaho | Palm Springs, CA | Park City, UT | Phoenix, AZ | Leaf Peeping |
| Illinois | Winter Park, CO | Salt Lake City, UT | Crested Butte, CO | Haunted House |
| Indiana | Breckenridge, CO | Asheville, NC | Santa Barbara, CA | Pumpkin Carving |
| Iowa | Phoenix, AZ | Denver, CO | Sedona, AZ | Haunted House |
| Kansas | Los Angeles, CA | San Francisco, CA | San Diego, CA | Pumpkin Carving |
| Kentucky | Smoky Mountains, TN | Nashville, TN | New York City, NY | Haunted House |
| Louisiana | Lake Tahoe, CA | Aspen, CO | San Francisco, CA | Pumpkin Carving |
| Maine | Lake Winnipesaukee, NH | Adirondacks, NY | New Orleans, LA | Apple Picking |
| Maryland | Breckenridge, CO | Berkeley, CA | Taos, NM | Apple Picking |
| Massachusetts | Park City, UT | Santa Barbara, CA | Breckenridge, CO | Apple Picking |
| Michigan | Galveston, TX | Park City, UT | Jackson Hole, WY | Apple Picking |
| Minnesota | Santa Barbara, CA | Disney World, FL | Sarasota, FL | Apple Picking |
| Mississippi | Smoky Mountains, TN | New York City, NY | New Orleans, LA | Haunted House |
| Missouri | Black Hills, SD | New York City, NY | Frisco, CA | Pumpkin Carving |
| Montana | Yellowstone | Phoenix, AZ | Palm Springs, CA | Pumpkin Carving |
| Nebraska | Summit County, CO | Breckenridge, CO | Philadelphia, PA | Pumpkin Carving |
| Nevada | New York City, NY | Breckenridge, CO | Flagstaff, AZ | Pumpkin Carving |
| New Hampshire | Sedona, AZ | Napa Valley, CA | Bethany Beach, DE | Apple Picking |
| New Jersey | Vero Beach, FL | Breckenridge, CO | Napa Valley, CA | Pumpkin Carving |
| New Mexico | Sedona, AZ | Lake Tahoe, CA | Santa Barbara, CA | Pumpkin Carving |
| New York | Breckenridge, CO | Taos, NM | Asheville, NC | Apple Picking |
| North Carolina | Sedona, AZ | Vero Beach, FL | Austin, TX | Pumpkin Carving |
| North Dakota | New Orleans, LA | Lake Tahoe, CA | Phoenix, AZ | Pumpkin Carving |
| Ohio | Breckenridge, CO | Park City, UT | Napa Valley, CA | Haunted House |
| Oklahoma | Nashville, TN | New York City, NY | Breckenridge, CO | Pumpkin Carving |
| Oregon | Breckenridge, CO | Big Bear, CA | La Quinta, CA | Pumpkin Carving |
| Pennsylvania | Snowmass Village, CO | Sedona, AZ | San Diego, CA | Pumpkin Carving |
| Rhode Island | Vero Beach, FL | New Orleans, LA | Stowe, VT | Apple Picking |
| South Carolina | Sedona, AZ | Smoky Mountains, TN | Flagler Beach, FL | Haunted House |
| South Dakota | Key West, FL | San Diego, CA | Breckenridge, CO | Pumpkin Carving |
| Tennessee | Smoky Mountains, TN | Estes Park, CO | Boston, MA | Haunted House |
| Texas | Big Sur, CA | Winter Park, CO | Aspen, CO | Haunted House |
| Utah | New Orleans, LA | Breckenridge, CO | Park City, UT | Haunted House |
| Vermont | Green Mountain, VT | Charleston, SC | Ocean City, NJ | Pumpkin Carving |
| Virginia | Yosemite, CA | Park City, UT | Vero Beach, FL | Pumpkin Carving |
| Washington | Jackson Hole, WY | New Orleans, LA | New York City, NY | Pumpkin Carving |
| West Virginia | Bethany Beach, DE | Berkeley, CA | New Orleans, LA | Pumpkin Carving |
| Wisconsin | Lake Tahoe, CA | Corpus Christi, TX | Sarasota, FL | Apple Picking |
| Wyoming | Salt Lake City, UT | Park City, UT | San Diego, CA | Pumpkin Carving |
Research Methodology
We analyzed Google Search Data from September 11, 2016 to September 11, 2017 to find average vacation home rental search values for each destination over the time period. We then analyzed search trends specifically for the August-September time period. After comparing the percentage difference in annual average traffic vs labor day traffic, we can conclude these are the top vacation home rental destinations according to Google Search trends for each specific state and nationwide.
2017 Fall Foliage Heat Map of United States
Fall is the time of year where leaves are changing nearly everywhere. Here’s a map of where you’ll catch the best leaf views starting in October.
TurnKey’s Top Vacation Rental Destinations for 2017 Overall
- Austin, TX
- Port Aransas, TX
- South Lake Tahoe, CA
- Nashville, TN
- Palm Springs, CA
- Park City, UT
- Truckee, CA
- Corpus Christi, TX
- San Diego, CA
- Santa Barbara, CA
