Things to do, places to eat, shows to see, places to stay in Madison County, NY      

Sadly the leaves have reached their peak and moved on for another year.  All is not lost however, as even today I found some pockets of great foliage.  It seems that in areas with ancient maples, the leaves have hung on a little longer and makes for a really awesome photo opportunity.  Check out areas in the Stockbridge Valley, along Oneida Lake and in the villages of Chittenango, Canastota and the city of Oneida.  Those areas are all at lower elevations and there are still many trees that have held on their leaves.  While, not widespread, you will find plenty of spots to leaf peep.

Large parts of the county have moved beyond peak this weekend, but in the northern section of the county in areas such as Chittenango, Bridgeport, Fenner, parts of Cazenovia, Oneida and Canastota, peack foliage is here and it is brilliant.  Bright reds, bright yellows and oranges dominate this year and even in the southern part of the county, pockets of brilliance remain.  With great crisp fall weather forecast for the weekend, it is your best last chance to get out and enjoy the fall colors.

Temperatures in the 70's and bright sunshine.  That, in a nutshell, is your Columbus Day forecast for Central New York.  It makes for the perfect weekend to take in the fall colors.  Gas prices have come down more than $1 a gallon and that makes it affordable to cruise along the highways and by-ways of Madison County.  The leaves are reaching their peak this weekend and there are a lot of deep oranges, reds and yellows covering the hillsides.  Some of the best places to take in the foliage include the village of Cazenovia along the lake, the Great Swamp Conservancy in Canastota and in the village of Hamilton.  Photo opportunities abound this weekend and we want to see your photos.  Send them to newsletter@madisontourism.com and we will post them in a photo show right here at the blog.  Have a great weekend.

The fall colors have kicked into high gear and the hillsides could not be more impressive with color.  While not yet at peak color the oranges, reds and yellows are about half way to peak.  The trees that are still green are adding an even better dimension to the leaf peeping opportunities.  As you can see here, Post Standard photographer Mike Greenlar captured the brilliance on syracuse.com earlier this week.  The best spots to take in the foliage this weekend include the Brookfield State Forest, Stoney Pond State Forest and Chittenango Falls State Park.  We can't wait to see the colors change even further, and we can't wait to see the pictures you come up with.  Email us your fall foliage pictures and we will post them in a slide show right here.

The leaves are quickly changing color across the county thanks to some crystal clear, cold nights and beautiful fall days.  It really has become a tale of two counties, with the leaves that are on the hills near and south of Route 20 being close to 50% of peak.  However, the leaves in the northern parts of the county, places like Chittenango, Canastota and Oneida, the leaves have only started to change about 25% of the way.  You will find this weekend's best leaf peeping along US Route 20 especially between Nelson and Madison.  Take a side road or two and hit many of the state forests in the southern part of the county to see hillsides covered in oranges and reds.  The reds are an especially deep crimson in many parts too.  As always keep checking in for more updates and photos all fall long.

It sure was cold this morning when I woke up at 6am to let the dogs out!  That can only mean one thing.  The changing of the colors will kick into high gear this weekend.  Most of Madison County missed out on the highest winds from Hurricane Ike and the leaves all held their ground and stuck to the trees that didn't topple over.  Color is at about 10% of change as of Friday afternoon, with some pockets of brilliance.  The weather is supposed to be very nice this weekend and there will be plenty of leaf peeping opportunities across the county.  The best spots for great photos are along Cazenovia Lake in the Western part of the county and in the Brookfield State Forest in the south.  Keep checking in with us all fall as we will be updating twice a week and adding pictures of the foliage.  New York State is also doing a fall foliage report and it is quite detailed with spotters from every corner.   See you on the roads this weekend.

Fall has been a long time coming to Madison County this year, but this morning is one of those perfect fall moments. The delay of our clocks "falling back" gave me a rare late October sunrise drive into work today.  What a beautiful sight as the frost settled in to the valleys, swamps and on top the hills between Chittenango and Morrisville.  There are always a wide variety of things to do and see in Madison County, but some moments are reserved for simple drives into work.  We are truly lucky to live in such a beautiful place.  I want to hear about your experiences day to day in Madison County, so post them right here and we will feature a few as we go along.

The leaves in most of Madison County have reached their peak this week for color.  Some trees in the southern hills of the county have lost their leaves, but in the northern part of the county, brilliant oranges and pinks have filled in the hillsides.  Great places to view the leaves this weekend include the Stone Quarry Hill Art Park in Cazenovia and the Great Swamp Conservancy in Canastota.

Well it finally feels like fall, and it is going to be hard to convince yourself to spend a lot of time outside this weekend, but if you stay inside you will be missing a great display of fall foliage.  The southern hills of Madison County, all above 1500 feet in elevation are turning rapidly.  It is the perfect weekend to take your horses and take a trail ride in the Brookfield State Forest.  The leaves there are near their peak and should be brilliant for the next 5-7 days.  Once you get north of route 20 leaves are in the 50-75 percent of peak range.  A beautiful site to behold with yellows, oranges and crimsons mixed in with greens.  Take you camera and post some of your fall foliage pictures to our blog this weekend.

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