As the days grow shorter and the nights cooler, it’s the perfect time to plan a trip to a historic site to indulge in the changing fall foliage. We’ve rounded up a few of our favorite historic places from around the country to witness the vibrant greens of summer turn to vivid oranges, reds, and golds.

The Smoky Mountains are a fantastic place to leaf peep. Don’t miss the Clingmans Dome Tower, the highest point in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Since 1959, the spaceship-like tower has provided unmatched views of the Smokies. Many are attracted by its Midcentury Modern design, which is a notable example of the National Park Service’s Modern architecture period and its Mission 66 program, an ambitious plan from 1955-1966 to repair and modernize park infrastructure.

The estate is managed by the Rockefeller Brothers Fund as part of The Pocantico Center. Pocantico’s vast campus is home to thousands of trees, including both indigenous and imported species. Towering beauties like beechnut, cherry, Japanese maple, and wisteria embellish the visual landscape, capture carbon, protect against erosion, and provide habitats for local wildlife. As the leaves begin to change and brilliant fall colors emerge, guests are invited to wander the grounds on the Fall Foliage Tour with arborist Peter Strom, who will share insights about the histories, life cycles, and care of the estate’s robust tree life.

A few miles down the Hudson River, you’ll find Lyndhurst, one of America’s finest Gothic Revival mansions and a National Trust Historic Site. Lyndhurst’s landscape, intersected by the Westchester River Walk and the New York State Old Croton Aqueduct trail, provides a wonderful opportunity to see historic specimen trees change colors for the season.

Think you can't find fall color in California? Think again! At Filoli, a National Trust Historic Site in Woodside, California, orchards containing more than 500 trees bear fruit and fall colors at harvest peak. Orchard Days are every weekend September 24-October 30, 2022, where visitors are invited to explore the historic Gentlemen's Orchard. This 100-year-old orchard is home to more than 600 apple, pear, apricot, plum, quince, and fig trees, including rare and historically significant varieties. In the Garden, historic elms, London plane trees, and weeping cherry blossoms shift into hues of yellow, orange, and red.

National Trust Historic Site Brucemore is a living landmark that charts the history of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Brucemore’s 26-acre, park-like estate is a great place to experience autumnal delights. Unfortunately, a derecho in 2020 caused mass devastation to the estate and destroyed 70 percent of the tree canopy. Influential Prairie Style landscape gardener Ossian Cole (O.C.) Simonds designed the original landscape. His use of texture, shape, and color in his designs resulted in the construction of outdoor “rooms.” The storm annihilated many of the old-growth trees that contributed to Simonds’ vision. While the landscape is in the process of being rebuilt, the remaining trees still glow with autumnal colors.

Is there anything more magnificent than watching golden aspen leaves quake in the breeze on a gorgeous fall day? The Guanella Pass in Colorado is a breathtaking drive in autumn, and National Trust Historic Site Hotel de Paris Museum is a perfect stop along the way in the charming town of Georgetown. During the silver boom, it was one of the most populous towns in the state. The Hotel de Paris was a hotel and restaurant in its heyday, and it’s a fascinating treasure trove of early Colorado history with over 90 percent of its original furnishings intact and on display. After the museum, take a ride on the Georgetown Loop Railroad for more leaf peeping.