September - November

Fall in Sullivan County

Fall is Sullivan County's peak season, and it's not close.

Fall is Sullivan County's peak season, and it's not close. The NASCAR Bass Pro Shops Night Race (mid-September) is the most electrifying single event in the county. Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion (third weekend of September) fills State Street with three days of world-class roots music. October brings peak foliage that transforms every drive into a scenic tour, Rocky Mount's Harvest Festival and Haunting on the Mount, and Exchange Place's Fall Folk Arts Fair. November launches Frontier Christmas programming at Rocky Mount. Fall combines the best weather, the biggest events, and the most beautiful landscape into Sullivan County's undeniable sweet spot.

September: warm (70s-80s). October: ideal (50s-70s), peak foliage mid-to-late month. November: cool (40s-60s), occasional frost. Rain decreases. The most comfortable season for outdoor touring.

Top experiences this season

NASCAR Bass Pro Shops Night Race, bucket-list motorsports event
Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion, premier roots music festival
Peak fall foliage on the Great Stage Road Historic Drive (mid-October)
Harvest Festival at Rocky Mount
Haunting on the Mount, lantern-lit ghost stories at Rocky Mount
Exchange Place Fall Folk Arts & Crafts Fair
Sullivan County After Dark: Halloween Edition in Blountville
South Holston Lake fall foliage reflection photography

Routes for fall

Premium experience

The Presidential Trail

Walk where three presidents walked, an America 250 signature experience

2 days · 5 stops · From $125

Premium experience

Three Centuries of Sullivan County

The complete Sullivan County experience, heritage, music, motorsports, and nature

3 days · 7 stops · From $199

Self-guided route

Sullivan County After Dark: Paranormal History

Ghost stories rooted in real history, Friday and Saturday evenings

1 day · 2 stops · From $45

Great Stage Road Historic Drive

Follow the frontier highway through Sullivan County, free self-guided audio tour

1 day · 3 stops · Free

Self-guided route

Civil War Trail

A divided county, a divided nation, Sullivan County's Civil War story

1 day · 3 stops · From $25

Self-guided route

Farm to Table Sullivan County

Taste the terroir of northeast Tennessee, from soil to plate

1 day · 3 stops · From $75

Events this fall

Plan it

Plan a fall itinerary