Where to enjoy New England’s fall foliage

Festivals, train rides and rambles around New England all offer opportunities for soaking up the region’s autumn color, and the September-October issue of Yankee Magazine lists many suggestions for activities and destinations.

Yankee’s recommendations for fall foliage trains include the Belfast and Moosehead Lake Railroad in Maine; Hoosac Valley train rides operated by the Berkshire Scenic Railway Museum out of North Adams, Mass.; the Conway Scenic Railroad based in North Conway, N.H.; the Mount Washington Cog Railway out of Bretton Woods, N.H.; and the Essex Steam Train in Essex, Conn., with a riverboat ride option on the Connecticut River.

Events showcased in the fall issue of Yankee range from fairs to food festivals to the Jack-o-Lantern Spectacular, a display of 5,000 carved and illuminated pumpkins, from Oct. 5 to Nov. 5 at the Roger Williams Park Zoo in Providence, R.I. Other events include Chowdafest in Westport, Conn., on Oct. 1 ; the Pawtucket Arts Festival, with a month’s worth of events in Rhode Island; the Mount Snow Oktoberfest, Oct. 7-8, in West Dover, Vt.; Maine’s Fryeburg Fair, Oct. 1-8, plus Harvest on the Harbor in Portland, Oct. 17-22; the Big E expo in Springfield, Mass., from Sept. 15 to Oct. 1; and the Topsfield Fair, north of Boston, from Sept. 29 to Oct. 9.

Yankee also takes a look at some spots off the beaten path to enjoy classic Vermont autumn scenery, from the Falls of Lana and Mount Ascutney to a cruise on Lake Memphremagog and a forest drive on the unpaved Bayley-Hazen Military Road between Lowell and Montgomery.

For those more excited about Halloween, Yankee also profiles Salem, Mass., famous for its 17th-century witchcraft trials.

GETTY A trip on the Conway Scenic Railroad in New Hampshire is recommended by Yankee Magazine to view fall colors.