Travel the Portfolio: Fall Finds
September 15, 2026
Three places where autumn feels personal
Fall has a way of rewarding the curious traveler. The familiar destinations will always have their appeal, but some of the season’s richest experiences are found beyond the expected routes. A fairground glowing at dusk. A train rounding a mountainside as the leaves begin to turn. Bluegrass history preserved in the place where the music was born.
This September, Travel the Portfolio visits Frederick, Altoona, and Clintwood. Each destination offers its own expression of fall, from Maryland farm country and Pennsylvania’s railroad heritage to the music and mountains of Southwest Virginia. Together, they offer three compelling reasons to take the scenic way.
Hilton Garden Inn Frederick, Maryland
Fair lights and foothill color
Frederick is particularly good at fall. The mornings arrive crisp, the surrounding foothills begin their slow change from green to amber, and downtown’s brick sidewalks lead past independent shops, restaurants, galleries, and historic buildings.
Hilton Garden Inn Frederick offers a comfortable place to settle between the countryside and the city. Downtown Frederick and the fairgrounds are approximately four miles away, while Monocacy National Battlefield is even closer. After a day spent wandering, the hotel’s heated indoor pool and Garden Grille & Bar make the evening easy. The hotel also welcomes pets, so no one has to miss the road trip.
From September 18 through 26, The Great Frederick Fair fills more than 40 acres with agricultural exhibits, concerts, carnival rides, local food, and the unmistakable glow of a fairground after sunset. It has been a Frederick tradition for more than 160 years, yet it still feels like the beginning of fall every time the Ferris wheel lights up.
By October, the season moves into the mountains. Catoctin Colorfest takes place October 10 and 11 in Thurmont, bringing hundreds of artists, makers, and food vendors together as the surrounding leaves approach their brightest color.
Best for: Historic downtown weekends, fall festivals, Civil War history, couples, families, and travelers bringing their pets
Wingate Altoona & Tōst at Market Square, Pennsylvania
Rails, ridgelines, and downtown evenings
Altoona’s story is written into the mountains. The railroad transformed this Pennsylvania city, and its presence can still be felt in the old workshops, museums, tracks, and trains that move through the Alleghenies. In fall, that industrial history meets a softer landscape. Forested ridgelines take on copper and gold, and the drive toward Horseshoe Curve becomes part of the experience.
Wingate Altoona & Tōst at Market Square places travelers in downtown Altoona, close to the historic Mishler Theatre, the Railroaders Memorial Museum, Penn State Altoona, and UPMC Altoona. The hotel’s indoor therapeutic saltwater pool offers a restorative pause after a day outside.
The most distinctive part of the stay may come later. Tōst at Market Square is the hotel’s lively lobby bar, serving handcrafted cocktails and shareable plates Wednesday through Saturday. It gives guests a reason to linger downstairs, compare the day’s discoveries, and decide where tomorrow’s road should lead.
On September 26, Twilight at the Curve keeps the Horseshoe Curve Historic Site open after sunset. Visitors can watch trains wind through the darkening mountains while photographers and stargazers wait for the evening sky. It is a wonderfully specific Altoona experience, equal parts engineering, history, and autumn atmosphere.
October brings a full calendar of seasonal events, including the Bedford Fall Foliage Festival during the first two weekends of the month and Hollidaysburg PumpkinFest on October 10. Prospective students and their families can also experience Penn State Day, a fall open house at Penn State Altoona on October 3.
Sleep Inn & Suites Clintwood, Virginia
Music in the mountain air
In Clintwood, fall does not feel staged. It moves naturally across the ridges, settles into the valleys, and arrives with the sound of Appalachian music. The town sits in the mountains of Southwest Virginia, close to some of the region’s most memorable outdoor landscapes. Nearby Breaks Interstate Park overlooks a dramatic gorge carved by the Russell Fork River. Known as the Grand Canyon of the South, the park becomes especially striking when October color reaches the canyon walls.
Sleep Inn & Suites Clintwood reflects its surroundings with nature inspired rooms and a relaxed sense of place. The award winning hotel includes complimentary hot breakfast and welcomes pets, with treats available when they arrive. It is a comfortable base for travelers who plan to spend their days hiking, listening, exploring, and following whichever mountain road looks most interesting.
Clintwood is also inseparable from the music of Ralph Stanley. Housed in a century old home on Main Street, the Ralph Stanley Museum and Traditional Mountain Music Center traces the life of the bluegrass legend through recordings, instruments, memorabilia, and his own stories. The museum is part of The Crooked Road, Virginia’s heritage music trail, and gives travelers a deeper understanding of how this landscape shaped its sound.
At Breaks Interstate Park, October brings whitewater weekends on the Russell Fork, Appalachian craft demonstrations, and family events among the changing leaves. On October 23 and 24, Elk Fest celebrates the region’s restored elk population with local vendors, food, and community competitions. Even travelers who never enter the Class V whitewater can watch the river, hike the rim, and appreciate the wild energy of the gorge below.
Clintwood is not a place to rush through. It asks you to lower the windows, listen carefully, and let the mountains set the pace.
Best for: Appalachian music, fall foliage, hiking, outdoor adventure, scenic drives, pet friendly trips, and travelers seeking somewhere unexpected
Take the Scenic Way
The best fall memories rarely begin with the fastest route. They begin when you leave room for a small town, an unfamiliar road, or a place you had not considered before. Frederick brings the fairground lights. Altoona follows the rails through the mountains. Clintwood carries the music home.
This season, we invite you to stay with us and discover what is waiting beyond the usual fall itinerary.
