With 50 states alone, it can be hard to narrow down where to visit in the United States for a trip only a week or two long. Even a month barely gives you enough time to do anything. So when you go, you want to make sure you make the most of your time.
If you go in September, especially near Labor Day, there is plenty to do around the United States. To help you pick something that works for you, here are 15 of the best places to visit in September in the USA.
1. Moab, Utah
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If you like outdoor activities, Moab is a great place to visit. In September, it isn’t too hot to visit and the place isn’t packed with tourists.
Some of the most popular things to do in Moab are to visit some of the national and state parks. There is Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park, Corona Arch, and Deadhorse Point State Park.
If you want a little history with your outdoor adventure, there are even petroglyphs in the area, namely at Sego Canyon, Intestine Man, and Bartlett Pictographs. There are dinosaur tracks as well, near Potash Road.
2. Oahu, Hawaii
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April and September are commonly thought of as the best months to visit Oahu, specifically Honolulu. The rains aren’t very frequent at that point, and it is outside of the majority of the tourist seasons so the crowds aren’t nearly as packed.
Most things are a little cheaper around this time, which means you can go and visit most places. For example, the Pearl Harbor National Memorial is located in Honolulu. But there are also plenty of places to hike to.
Additionally, September is the time for the Mokihana Festival, which lasts for a week. This is where the people of Hawaii celebrate their culture with music, food, and education.
3. Glacier National Park, Montana
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Montana is nice and cool in September, without being frigid yet. Glacier National Park. There is an airport that takes right near the entrance called Glacier International Airport, so you won’t have to travel very far.
There are lakes you can swim in, places to camp under the stars, and paths to hike and see wildlife.
4. Las Vegas, Nevada
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If you want to see more city sights and fewer trees, Las Vegas is well worth visiting. Not only is it a place to try your hand at gambling, but the Strip is also full of amazing restaurants and lots of magic and live entertainment.
There are even plenty of museums to visit and get history about. There is the Las Vegas Neon Museum, Mob Museum, historic casinos, organized crime museums, and more. You could easily spend your whole vacation never leaving Las Vegas and never grow bored.
If you do want to branch out and see the natural sites, there are plenty of places to visit within an hour’s drive or less. For example, Red Rock Canyon is a popular place.
5. Bar Harbor, Maine
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Bar Harbour in Maine will be just starting to get the chill of fall and winter in September. It is a small town, but full of interesting things to do. Nearby is Acadia National Park, which is full of wildlife.
There is also Cadillac Mountain which you can either hike to the top of or drive up if you want the views without the work.
The town itself, though small, is home to a major lobster fishery. If you enjoy eating seafood, especially lobster, it is worth checking out a few restaurants in the area.
Additionally, September is when most of the deciduous trees in the US start to change colors. If you feel up to it, take a drive through some forested areas to see brilliant reds, oranges, and yellows of all the leaves.
If you go near the end of September, Bar Harbor also has a festival called Acadia Night Sky Festival. During this event, people go stargazing, get to listen to music, participate in workshops, and have a bunch of fun experiences.
6. Adirondack Region, New York
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If you want to see a forest of changing leaves, the Adirondack Region is a beautiful place to be. The area is free to visit and you can take a car, so you can see thousands of trees in a relatively short time.
Many people who go to see the leaves tend to pick more touristy destinations like Tennessee and North Carolina. However, the Adirondack Region is a hidden gem with plenty to see.
If you want to do something else while stopping to enjoy the leaves, there are plenty of wineries and breweries you can hop around while taking in the sights. There is even a gondola so you can see the region and the trees from the air.
There are also a few lakes in the area to swim or boat on.
7. Sanibel Island, Florida
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Fall and winter is the perfect time to visit Florida. The weather is cooler, so you won’t feel like you’re melting in the summer heat.
Sanibel Island in particular is a place you won’t want to miss. During September the island is usually quiet, and places are often cheaper.
Of course, being on an island, there are plenty of beaches to swim at. The beaches are gorgeous, full of seashells and sand dollars. You can also take a boat to some of the other nearby islands like Cabbage Key and Ding Darling Wildlife Refuge.
If you get bored on Sanibel Island, Florida, there are plenty of other islands and places to visit all taking less than an hour to get to. For example, Fort Myers is just thirty minutes away and is full of many different historic sites.
8. Big Sur, California
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California, like most places, stops getting a large number of tourists around the end of August. However, the pleasant and mild temperatures stay well into September.
Big Sur is a great area to go whale watching. You can see all kinds of whales, including orcas, humpbacks, and blue whales. If you like wildlife, there are plenty of other animals and plants to see. Wildflowers seem to magically bloom all year round in the area, and there are many sea otters to see roaming around.
There are also places to go camping, lodges for a more relaxed style of camping, restaurants, gift shops, and art galleries, so you never have to leave the area. If you are into architecture, there are even bridges to drive over and admire.
9. Burlington, Vermont
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Vermont is yet another area for those who love the great outdoors and want to see plenty of fall colors. Lake Champlain has beautiful views of the Adirondack Mountains. There are also cruises to take you along the coast and show you all the fall colors.
You won’t get bored with several hiking trails, and then you can stop back in town at the end to visit the markets. With a plethora of farms nearby, you can truly live the farm-to-table lifestyle for a while.
Many brewers make Burlington their home as well, so you can find unique fall beers and ciders to try all around the area.
10. Grand Canyon, Arizona
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The Grand Canyon is one of the seven natural wonders of the world, and should never be overlooked. During the summer, it is heavily packed with tourists wanting to take in the views. For that reason, September is one of the best times to visit.
In the early fall, you can take drives around the South Rim area of the Grand Canyon. If you’re the driver though, don’t worry, there are plenty of places to pull over and admire the view.
The drive alone can easily take four hours or more, so you can spend days exploring the Grand Canyon. There are also hikes, and the chance to ride a mule. If heights don’t scare you, helicopter rides are an option as well.
With the size of the Grand Canyon, there are a few major cities you can visit along the way as well, including Phoenix, Arizona, and Las Vegas, Nevada.
11. Seattle, Washington
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Seattle has a lot of cloudy days. Out of 365 days of the year, an average of 226 of them are cloudy and overcast. However, September often tends to have less rain and more sun than many other months, making it an ideal time to go.
Around Labor Day weekend, there is a festival held in Seattle as well, known as Bumbershoot. Bumbershoot is considered one of the best international music and art festivals in the nation.
If you miss Bumbershoot, there is also the Lake Union Wooden Boat Festival. It is at the end of September and offers free boat rides, historic boats, and information about anything nautical.
Oktoberfest is also a very popular attraction that occurs in September. This is the time for a large beer festival where all the craft breweries get to celebrate their skill.
There are also things to do that aren’t seasonal. You can always go and see the ocean as it is just a quick walk away. The Space Needle is another fun place to visit, as well as the Skyview Observatory, Pike Place Market, and even ferries.
12. Colorado Springs, Colorado
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Colorado Springs and the surrounding area is a great place to be in September. Cripple Creek, about an hour’s drive away, is full of casinos and mountain views. During the drive, you can join the “leafers” to see the aspen trees start to change colors.
Colorado Springs is often labeled as one of the best places to be in America in September. It is also an affordable place to live. While Cripple Creek is about an hour away west, Denver is just an hour-and-a-half north of Colorado Springs.
The temperatures are usually quite pleasant in September, staying around the fifties or sixties. This makes it a good time to take advantage of all the hiking trails throughout and around the cities. Popular places include Garden of the Gods, Pikes Peak Highway, and the Barr Trail.
13. Flagstaff, Arizona
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Flagstaff, Arizona is another place full of fall colors. There are a lot of nearby small towns that can easily be visited in a day full of unique stores and antique shops as well as markets.
You can also take a drive to the Arizona Snowbowl Ski Resort, though they may not be open yet in early September.
There are also many beautiful rock features and hiking trails like Walnut Canyon National Monument, Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument, and Wupatki National Monument.
14. Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts
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Martha’s Vineyard is a small island just south of Cape Cod. It is about 70 miles away from Boston. You can ferry over to the island.
Most tourists leave after Labor Day, which means it is a lot more open to the public. It is a cute island full of fun and unique places to visit. For example, there is a museum to learn specifically about the island.
Another fun place to visit is the Gingerbread Cottages in Oak Bluffs, which is nearby. It is considered a historic landmark. There are 34 acres and over 300 different cottages, all designed with unique themes, patterns, and colors.
There are also lighthouses on the island, originally built back in 1799.
15. North Cascades National Park, Washington
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The North Cascades National Park in Washington has a little bit of everything. There are the North American Alps, mountains, snowfields, glaciers, waterfalls, meadows, and more.
The park extends all the way from Washington to Canada. It goes south to Lake Chelan and is full of wildlife, including bats, elk, deer, squirrels, pikas, marmots, and more.
While you can visit this park throughout the whole year, tourism tends to die down after September, and you can also take in the fall colors and have sunnier days in September than during the rest of the year.