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Autumn in New Hampshire

© Christina Coruth

Autumn creeps gently upon New Hampshire. Although the calendar declares that the summer is not over until late in September, it is effectively over after Labor Day when summertime attractions close for the season. Mother Nature eases us into the transition with warm summer-like days that now begin with chill-in-the-air mornings and nippy nights. As the month progresses, the summer flowers fade and gardeners keep a sharp eye on the weather forecast in order to harvest the last summer crop before the frost takes it.

All eyes are on the Great North Woods, New Hampshire's most northern tier. For it is here that nature begins her quest to dress New Hampshire for autumn. During September, the first hint of color interrupts the lush greenery of this sparsely populated area. By the end of the month, the woods are ablaze in gold, orange, and red foliage. And so the process begins as the colors slowly spill southward into the White Mountain region, progressing down through the Lakes and Seacoasts Regions to the east and over to the Dartmouth and Monadnock regions that hug the Vermont border, until finally splashing across the Merrimack Valley region.

If ever the state were to declare official seasonal aromas, autumn's would be the scent of apples and cinnamon fresh baked from the oven. The promise of pies, crisps, and baked apples, lures shoppers to the farm stands where the supply of apple filled baskets seems inexhaustible. Still others choose to pick their own. Some armed with poles to snatch the fruit from atop the tree and all with baskets to carry their tasty treasures home, the apple pickers head out to the orchards, by foot or by courtesy of a horse drawn or tractor drawn hayride.

Agricultural fairs, festivals, and other harvest time celebrations across the state provide plenty to do and see. Getting there can be half the fun as autumn at the height of foliage season gives new meaning to "going for a drive." A stop in Pittsburg's Moose Alley in the hopes of spying one of the great creatures against autumn's vibrant backdrop, the spectacular painted vistas of the White Mountains from the Kancamagus Highway, the panoply of colors all along Rte 89 ending in the lovely little college town of Hanover, or a drive up the coast with a stop to walk the tree lined streets of Exeter are just a few of the enticements that draw tourists and natives alike to the roads of New Hampshire.

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