Thanks to lower rates on flights and hotels, early autumn is an ideal time to travel. Check out these top spots in the Northeast to get your fill of fall.

For most of the country, October is the season of foliage and catching falling leaves in your local park. It’s playoff baseball and college football. It’s a time for spiced cider. It’s harvest season. It’s costumes, carved pumpkins and all the candy that Halloween has to offer.. While you can enjoy autumn just about anywhere, one part of the country practically seems tailor-made for taking advantage of every sight, smell and flavor that the season has to offer. That locale? New England, of course! America’s Northeastern region has events, festivals and outdoor activities that will get you quickly acquainted with the change in seasons. Before the really cold weather sets in—and the leaves are gone for good—take a drive and fall into one of these three top October travel destinations.

New Haven, CT

Hop in a car, ride through the beautiful foliage along the Merrit Parkway and cruise into historic New Haven, Connecticut, a city founded nearly four centuries ago. Sports fans can venture over to the Yale Bowl and catch the classic fall matchup between Yale and Penn (October 20) while families can visit the Connecticut Childen’s Museum Building. While there, they can sign on to act as mail carriers, become storybook characters or play their favorite songs in the musical room. At night, you can enjoy some of the best pizza in the country at Frank Pepe's Pizzeria. http://www.visitnewhaven/com

Providence, RI

Rhode Island’s “Creative Capital” is worth visiting any month of the year, but October is a time when the city really comes alive. Visitors can tour the RISD Museum of Art and experience a new exhibit by abstract artist Dan Walsh (running through October 21st). Art aficionados will also enjoy the popular American in View project, which takes an astonishing look at landscape photography over the past 150 years. And, what’s October without Halloween activities? Providence produces some of the best scares in New England with their weekly GhostTours at Prospect Terrace Park and annual JackO’ LanternSpectacular at Roger Williams Park Zoo, beginning October 4th. Don’t fancy a night of fright? If you’re in the area on October 6, take your spouse to the city’s famed (and final) WaterFire, where bonfires are lit and costumed characters perform along Providence’s three rivers. Oh yeah, foodie haven FederalHill is also nearby and has some of the best Italian food this side of … well … Italy. http://www.goprovidence.com/

The Berkshires, MA

While you’re in this gently rolling East Coast mountain range, canoe through the foliage along the Housatonic River. Take in Bash Bish Falls (the tallest waterfall in Massachusetts) in the Taconic Mountain Range. Stay in a 19th-century bed and breakfast in Williamstown or a top-notch resort in Lenox. In addition to its array of natural wonders, the large expanse of land that makes up western Massachusetts also has many activities perfect for October visitors. Music fans can venture to the vibrant town of Pittsfield and dance to their annual City Jazz Festival. While, movie buffs should set off for the Williamstown Film Festival, where they’ll take in some of the nation’s best new independent films in an idyllic setting.

Hungry? Check out Bartlett’sOrchard in Richmond. This Berkshires’ farm offers up some of the tastiest apples, pies, muffins and cider in the Bay State. http://berkshires.org/ Follow the author on Twitter: @mono11

Related Links (from Eagle Creek blog):

America's Top Animal Sanctuaries and Wildlife Reserves

Family Travel: 8 Tips for Surviving the Long and Whining Road Trip