Fall foliage season is near!

Here's a file photo of Shawnee State Lodge located west of Portsmouth, OH.

Fall’s arrival means the vibrant colors of red, orange and gold will start appearing in the forests and byways of our region. This is a wonderful time of the year to take a drive, hike or ride a bike and experience natures’ pallet of seasonal color changes first hand.

Ohio’s peak fall foliage viewing season is still more than two weeks away for most of the Buckeye state and it is pretty much the same for Kentucky and West Virginia. However, the first fall color reports from across the Ohio indicate trees are already beginning to don their autumn finery in some northeastern areas.

To discover more about the fall colors the states have crated some web sites and toll free information numbers. Ohio’s weekly fall color forecast will be available at http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/tabid/9584/default.aspx or may be obtained by calling the state’s travel and tourism hot line at 1-800-BUCKEYE.

The Kentucky Department of Tourism offers a helpful online Kentucky Color Fall Guide at http://www.kytourism.com/colorfall or call 1-800-225-8747

Fall too has arrived in the Mountain State and leaf peepers are anxiously awaiting the colorful foliage that accompanies it. In a state where forests cover nearly 80 percent or 12 million acres of land, even the most experienced observer is rarely disappointed when the leaves reach peak color. For West Virginia color updates visit www.wvtourism.com or call 1-800-CALL WVA.

This is a great time for a weekend getaway, a chance to explore the small towns and many festivals of the region. Travel information, suggested driving itineraries, festival schedules and a wealth of other helpful travel information can be obtained from the state tourism offices.

The Travel Professor is dropping the top on the convertible and heading off to northeastern Ohio where I plan to take in the colors, savor a local clambake and visit some of the regions many fine wineries. Hopefully our paths will cross on our journeys of discovery.