Travel the Portfolio: Gathering Season
October 22, 2026
When travel becomes about being together
By late October, travel begins to feel more personal.
The calendar turns toward family visits, annual traditions, early holiday celebrations, and weekends planned around the people we have been meaning to see. November offers its own kind of invitation. The pace softens, destinations glow a little warmer, and gathering becomes the reason for going.
This month, Travel the Portfolio visits three places where the season unfolds differently. Beaufort shares the living traditions of the Lowcountry. Columbus begins to sparkle with lights, shopping, and holiday rituals. Altoona welcomes the season with a beloved display that has brightened Pennsylvania evenings for three decades.
Each destination gives travelers a reason to come together, along with a Newport managed hotel where they can settle in and stay awhile.
Holiday Inn & Suites Beaufort at Highway 21
Lowcountry stories worth sharing
In Beaufort, autumn light settles gently across the marsh. Spanish moss shifts above quiet streets, boats move along the river, and the historic downtown feels made for an unhurried afternoon.
The newly renovated Holiday Inn & Suites Beaufort at Highway 21 places guests close to the waterfront, Historic Beaufort, Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, and Parris Island. At the hotel, Albergotti Grill brings the destination indoors with Lowcountry inspired seafood, steaks, and a patio overlooking the marsh and Beaufort River. It is an inviting place to linger as evening settles over the water.
November also arrives in the heart of oyster season. Along the South Carolina coast, the 2026 shellfish harvest season opened October 1, bringing local oysters back to restaurant menus and reviving the communal tradition of gathering around an oyster roast.
That relationship between the Lowcountry and its waters is the subject of The Inner Coastal, a new documentary series from Visit Beaufort, Port Royal and the Sea Islands. Its opening stories follow the people behind the region’s food traditions, including a local shrimper heading out before daybreak, an oyster grower from Lady’s Island, and cooks preparing shrimp and grits, Lowcountry boil, and a traditional oyster roast. The series offers something more personal than a typical destination guide. It introduces travelers to the people whose work, recipes, and connection to the tides give Beaufort its flavor.
November begins with Beaufort First Friday on November 6. Downtown shops and galleries remain open from 5 to 8 p.m., joined by dining specials and live entertainment. It is an easy introduction to the city, especially when the evening is cool enough for wandering but still warm enough to spend outside.
The season’s most meaningful gathering arrives November 12 through 14 with the Penn Center Heritage Days Celebration. Now in its 42nd year, the event honors Gullah Geechee history and culture through music, food, folk arts, crafts, and conversations about the West and Central African traditions that continue to shape the Lowcountry. The 2026 program also explores the Revolutionary era through Black and Indigenous experiences, adding an important perspective during America’s 250th anniversary year.
This is not history observed from a distance. It is history carried through families, food, language, art, and community.
Best for: Lowcountry weekends, cultural travel, military families, Parris Island visits, and multigenerational getaways
Homewood Suites by Hilton Columbus Easton
Room to settle into the season
Columbus enters the holiday season with energy. Easton Town Center fills with shoppers, restaurant tables become gathering places, and the city’s calendar moves quickly from autumn weekends to lights, races, and family traditions.
Homewood Suites by Hilton Columbus Easton makes that activity easy to enjoy. Easton Town Center is about half a mile away, yet the hotel offers enough space to create a rhythm of your own. Suites with kitchens allow guests to unpack groceries, warm leftovers, or make an early breakfast before the day begins. The indoor pool gives families another way to spend time together, while the outdoor patio, grills, and putting green invite a little friendly competition when the weather cooperates. Pets are welcome, too, an important detail when the trip is centered on bringing everyone together.
Beginning November 20, the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium Wildlights transforms the zoo with millions of LED lights, animated displays, music, and seasonal activities. The celebration continues through January 3, but opening weekend offers an early glimpse of the holidays before December calendars become crowded.
Thanksgiving morning brings another Columbus tradition. The Columbus Turkey Trot celebrates its 40th anniversary on November 26 with a new four mile course, a 2.4 mile walk, and a Tot Trot for the youngest participants. Whether you run, walk, or cheer from the sidelines, it offers a lively start to a day devoted to gathering around the table.
Back at the hotel, a complimentary hot breakfast, the Wednesday evening social, and the simple pleasure of having a living area separate from the bedroom make longer visits feel less like hotel stays and more like time spent together.
Best for: Holiday shopping, family visits, extended stays, pet friendly travel, and travelers flying through John Glenn Columbus International Airport
Microtel Inn & Suites by Wyndham Altoona
A brighter beginning to the holidays
In the Allegheny Mountains, the holidays arrive one light at a time.
On November 13, Holiday Lights on the Lake returns to Lakemont Park for its 30th season. More than 200 displays and one million bulbs illuminate the park through January 3, creating the kind of tradition that families remember long after the drive is over. Santa joins the celebration from opening night through December 23.
The experience has a distinctly nostalgic charm. You stay warm in the car, choose the music, pass snacks between the seats, and watch familiar shapes emerge in color against the dark. It is simple, cheerful, and exactly the kind of outing that turns into an annual tradition.
Nearby, Victorian Christmas Tours at Baker Mansion begin November 20 and continue into December. The historic mansion is dressed for the season, giving visitors a glimpse of holiday customs from another era. Together, the mansion and Lakemont Park create a weekend that moves easily between history, lights, and time with family.
Microtel Inn & Suites by Wyndham Altoona is well positioned for the trip, with convenient access from Interstate 99 and a location close to Lakemont Park. The indoor heated pool gives children somewhere to release their remaining energy after the lights, while complimentary breakfast makes the following morning uncomplicated.
The hotel is also pet friendly and welcomes four legged travelers with treats upon arrival. For guests who value consistency, it carries another distinction: in 2026, the property earned the Wyndham Champion Award for the tenth consecutive year.
It is the kind of comfortable, uncomplicated base that lets the tradition, rather than the logistics, remain at the center of the weekend.
Best for: Holiday light trips, family road trips, pet friendly stays, Penn State travel, and value minded weekends in Central Pennsylvania
Come Together
The best November trips are rarely about checking every attraction off a list. They are about sharing a meal, introducing someone to a favorite tradition, watching children see the holiday lights for the first time, or finally making the visit that has been postponed for too long.
This gathering season, we invite you to stay with us and make room for the people, places, and traditions that bring the year home.
