BUFFALO, N.Y. — When the leaves start to change color, New York State puts out a weekly fall foliage report.
On Wednesday, we got to see the third map of the season, and if you're looking for peak colors, you'll have to go north.
"The peak areas of the state for the upcoming weekend are mainly concentrated in the Adirondacks, particularly in the higher elevation places like Whiteface Mountain, Saranac Lake, Tupper Lake. There are some places, higher elevations in the Catskills, the Thousand Islands, Chautauqua-Allegheny that are also starting to get close to peak. Most of the rest of the state will be in the weeks to follow," said Ross Levi, the executive director of the New York State Division of Tourism.
But Ross Levi, the executive director of the New York State Division of Tourism, says the good news is that there's pretty much some part of the state that's at peak through mid-November.
This map wouldn't be possible without dozens of volunteer leaf watchers.
"We have over eighty volunteer leaf watchers across New York State. Some of them have been doing it for decades with us, but everybody has to be reliable in that they're going to give their report to us, and what they're seeing every week, and also they're sending us pictures in many cases which is helpful as well. But through them we are able to know in basically real time week-to-week what's happening in every section of the state and then put that in an interactive map for folks on ILoveNY.com," Levi said.
And while you map out your trip to see the leaves, you can also explore some of the state's newest tourist attractions.
"In New York City, there's a number of great, new museums or expansions of old museums. The Louis Armstrong Home in Queens has been expanded with a new visitors center, the Museum of Natural History has had a huge new expansion that includes a live insectarium. There's now a museum of Broadway in Times Square that never existed before. And, the Jackie Robinson Museum with celebrates Jackie's life not just in baseball, but as a civil rights pioneer as well," Levi said.
There are special events planned throughout the fall.
"Fall is a great time to go to historic sites, and path through history which is our program to highlight heritage tourism destinations is hosting a path through history weekend over Columbus Day Weekend and hundreds of attractions across New York State will be holding special events for people who care about history. A lot of that in really fun ways, whether that's an air show at the Rhinebeck Aerodrome in the Hudson Valley or learning about the history of baseball," Levi said.
There's bound to be something for everyone.
To learn more visit www.iloveny.com