7 Fall Destinations That Make the Middle Class Feel Rich
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Think cozy boutique hotels, farm-to-table dining, scenic vineyards, and mountain retreats that don't require a black AmEx to enjoy.
Here are seven fall destinations where middle-class travelers can feel rich, without overspending.
Why it feels rich: Napa vibes without Napa prices. This Central Coast gem is packed with world-class wineries, boutique stays, and scenic vineyard views. Many tastings are free or low-cost, and fall is harvest season, making it even more magical.
Money-saving tip: Look for weekday tasting deals or wine passports to save on multiple vineyard visits.
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Why it feels rich: Adobe architecture, sweeping desert views, and a thriving arts scene give Taos a serene, high-end feel. Fall brings golden aspens and fewer tourists, so you can take in the luxury of peace and quiet for less.
Money-saving tip: Visit during Taos' shoulder season (late October) for reduced lodging rates and small-town charm.
Why it feels rich: This coastal town is the gateway to Acadia National Park, where stunning fall foliage meets rocky shorelines. It's a nature lover's dream that feels more 'Kennedy compound' than campground. Think lobster rolls, sailing excursions, and fireside lodges.
Money-saving tip: Skip the luxury hotels and book a charming bed and breakfast with an included breakfast.
Why it feels rich: Just a couple of hours north of NYC, this region is all about apple picking, antique shopping, and sipping wine at countryside estates. It's rustic elegance at its finest – and you don't have to splurge to feel like you're living a Nancy Meyers film.
Money-saving tip: Use Amtrak or Metro-North to skip rental car costs and take in the scenic ride.
Why it feels rich: This Bavarian-style village is like stepping into a European mountain town with alpine lodges, Oktoberfest celebrations, and fresh fall air. It's charming, festive, and photogenic.
Money-saving tip: Plan your trip just after the Oktoberfest peak for similar ambiance and lower hotel rates.
Why it feels rich: With red rock canyons, luxe spas, and spiritual retreats, Sedona feels like a wellness resort town, without the Aspen price tag. Fall weather is ideal for hiking, hot air ballooning, or relaxing under the stars.
Money-saving tip: Skip the resort packages and opt for a day pass at a high-end spa.
Why it feels rich: This peninsula between Green Bay and Lake Michigan offers fall colors, scenic drives, winery tours, and cozy lakeside cottages. It's the Midwest's best-kept fall secret and it's wonderfully affordable.
Money-saving tip: Visit midweek for lower lodging rates and fewer crowds at popular spots like Fish Creek and Egg Harbor.
You don't have to fly private or stay at five-star resorts to enjoy a rich-feeling fall getaway. With a little research and strategic timing, the middle class can experience the beauty, flavors, and luxuries of autumn without blowing the budget. So grab your coziest sweater, pack a thermos, and head to one of these destinations where the air is crisp, the leaves are gold, and life feels a little more luxurious.
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Located about an hour south of Hartsfield-Jackson, the 3,800-acre property—filled with pecan groves, pastures, forests, and lakes—is rooted in Visconti di Modrone's family history. The land was purchased by her parents, an Italian duke and duchess, in the late 1970s. For the last few decades, it's served as a hunting reserve, a working farm, and a cattle and horse ranch. It wasn't until the pandemic, when Visconti di Modrone and Pervanas began discussing regenerative farming with Hidinger and Smith, that this idea of an overnight retreat began to form. Guests sitting around a fire pit. Opened in the fall of 2024, 'the World of Quercus,' composed of four guest cabins, a biodynamic vegetable garden, a farm-to-table restaurant, a restored farmhouse, and endless ways to enjoy the outdoors, is the type of destination that has the ability to shift into whatever type of retreat you need. 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New York City Where to stay Lotte New York Palace The Lotte New York Palace made its mark on impressionable viewers when it served as a frequent hangout for the entitled characters of Gossip Girl on TV, but its history catering to New York's elite stretches back to 1882, when six neoclassical style townhouses were first erected with a courtyard that faced out to Madison Avenue. These historic buildings were annexed to a 55-story hotel tower in 1974 by hotelier Harry Helmsley, and the property has been pampering guests ever since. Today's incarnation of the hotel features gorgeous, luxury guest rooms with up close and personal views of St. Patrick's Cathedral, along with a separate hotel-within-a-hotel called The Towers, which offers more space, better views, and personal butlers. The hotel also has two restaurants and four bars, including one named Trouble's Trust (after Leona Helmsley, AKA the Queen of Mean's dog). —Juliana Shallcross Book Now Powered By: Expedia Book Now Powered By: The Fifth Avenue Hotel Modern master Martin Brudnizki's Fifth Avenue riot of colors, patterns, and curiosities is perhaps his most impeccably orchestrated yet. The vaulted lobby is dressed up in ornate wall panels; corridors are bedecked in vivid wallpapers; rooms are filled with painted screens and pagoda-style lamps that are an ode to the travels of hotel owner Alex Ohebshalom. A go-for-broke assemblage of art, from old-world oils to modern photography, greets you around every corner. It's the bold palette Brudnizki is known for, a dreamlike pastiche that would have been chaos in the hands of a less practiced hand. Just as adept is the hospitality, which extends from the ready-to-please butler service on every floor to extra touches like the candle that's slipped into your room after you've complimented the scent in the lobby, a martini cart that appears at your door when you need a nightcap, and the warm welcome you'll get when you return. And you will return, even if just for a perfect Negroni at the hotel's Portrait Bar or an extravagant dish from Café Carmellini—but most of all, for the chance to wake up in a giant cabinet of curiosities in the heart of New York's NoMad district. —Arati Menon Book Now Powered By: Expedia Book Now Powered By: The best things to do Quite a few Gilded Age mansions remain on Fifth Avenue, which once bore the mantle of Millionaire's Row (Billionaire's Row along 57th Street is an equivalent for our times, and not nearly as attractive). Quite a few of these are open to the public in one way or another. Fifth Avenue is long, and walking up and down its Central Park stretch isn't easy. But the greatest concentration of its Gilded Age pleasures is uptown, in a walkable stretch of the 80s and 90s. There's the Metropolitan Museum of Art, of course, on the east side of Central Park between 79th and 84th Street, which was founded in 1870 by the Union League Club. It's a major landmark of the period, but lacks the intimacy of a mansion setting—the massive building in which it's set was built to be a museum, and has been expanded many times. And so, while you're up there, be sure to also swing around the corner to Neue Galerie on East 86th, where 19th-century German and Austrian art hang in the 1914-constructed mansion of industrialist William Starr Miller, designed by Carrère & Hastings (of New York Public Library fame). There's also the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum within the former residence of industrialist-philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, and the recently-renovated-and-restored-and-reopened Frick Collection in the former mansion of financier Henry Clay Frick. Downtown (relatively), in Murray Hill, you'll also find the Morgan Library & Museum housed in the library of J.P. Morgan (who features in The Gilded Age) himself. A few of these spots, and many more, are featured on walking tours like this one for those who prefer a more organized itinerary. Newport Where to stay The Chanler at Cliff Walk Imagine this: you've sat in traffic all the way from Boston or New York City, and as you turn into the Chanler's impressive gates, you're immediately transported to the Gilded Age. You can finally exhale. An unbeatable location abutting Newport's famed Cliff Walk, an award-winning fine-dining restaurant, and plenty of moments for quiet privacy in the thick of the action—the Chanler offers an alchemy that's tough to beat, even by Newport standards. This isn't a hotel for the one-and-done tourist looking to tick Newport off their list—it's a luxurious, one-of-a-kind opportunity for even the most seasoned Newport connoisseurs to engage with this storied destination. It's one of the most strategically located hotels in Newport, striking that perfect balance between not too close yet not too far from anything and everything. Here, you're a few steps from the Cliff Walk's northern terminus, a few further steps down to Easton's Beach, and about one mile from the hustle and bustle of downtown. The walk to central Newport's bars, restaurants, and attractions is pleasant enough, but the Chanler also offers a chauffeured Cadillac to bring you to and fro if you so choose. And why wouldn't you? —Todd Plummer Book Now Powered By: Skylark Book Now Powered By: Expedia The Vanderbilt, Auberge Resorts Collection The Vanderbilt is an elegant yet unpretentious snapshot of the Newport of yesterday and the Newport of today. Stepping into the lobby is like stepping into the foyer of this Gilded Age mansion during its heyday a hundred years ago. This meticulous resort recalls a time when Newport was the essential summer destination to see and be seen. Food and drink take center stage. For fine dining, The Gwynne serves contemporary twists on New England classics and utilizes Newport's freshest catch—the Spanish-style grilled octopus is not to be missed. The place is like a music video for Taylor Swift's Rhode Island ballad, 'The Last Great American Dynasty.' —T.P. Book Now Powered By: Expedia The best things to do Touring the mansions is the best thing to do in Newport, period. Dedicate at least a day to seeing a few of them. If you can only hit one, hit the Breakers, which was the summer cottage of the Vanderbilt family (for whom the Russells stand in on the show). It's a shockingly large summer home that has to be seen to be believed. But there are quite a few other homes worth seeing around Newport. Operated by Newport Mansions and the Preservation Society of Newport County, and therefore under the same umbrella as the Breakers, are places like Marble House (also a bygone Vanderbilt deed) and Rosecliff, the Versailles-inflected summer home of silver heiress Theresa Fair. You can book your Breakers ticket, or your Breakers-plus-one mansion ticket, via GetYourGuide.
