CANAAN, Conn. — The autumn colors are coming in a vibrant manner this season and that has those at the Connecticut Office of Tourism excited.
The drenching rains that hit the state hard over the summer will have some benefit in the weeks ahead, according to Will Healey from the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.
"It's lead to the trees hold their green color for longer, but once we have those cold overnight temperatures,” Healey said. "It is going to trigger that chemical reaction in the trees, so expect there will be a very synchronous fall foliage display this year."
Christine Castonguay, the interim director at the Connecticut Office of Tourism and CTvisit.com said, "the outlook for this Fall foliage is fantastic,"
"Book that overnight visit to an attraction, go out to dinner and really take in some spectacular scenery,” she added.
The state of Connecticut has recently launched a new media campaign specifically targeted to attract new visitors, with the fall foliage as a selling point.
In East Canaan, Len Allyn's excursions are part of the state's new travel campaign.
Allyn runs Backyard Adventure UTV Tours, where visitors go riding throughout the vast acreage in the Northwest Hills of the state aboard Utility Terrain Vehicles -- think ATVs, but bigger and more secure.
While Allyn runs his tours almost year-round, he said it is in autumn that people get to take in the best scenery.
"People can get outdoors and experience something like this in the Northwest corner and not have to travel all over New England to see the foliage,” he said.
Allyn added that the leaf season in Connecticut speaks for itself.
"Already we are booked on the weekends through October and it’s been full for a couple of weeks," he added.
Healey said that from the state parks and forests to the streams and rivers there are so many ways to see the fall colors that are coming in the weeks ahead.
"It won't disappoint," said Healey, "that's one of the great things about Connecticut is the proximity to nature and the ability to drive five minutes and get out and see it."
To learn more about Backyard Adventure UTV Tours click here
For the Office of Tourism's Fall foliage Tracker and Information Page click here.
Jimmy Altman is a reporter at FOX61 News. He can be reached at jaltman@fox61.com. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
---
Have a story idea or something on your mind you want to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at newstips@fox61.com
---
HERE ARE MORE WAYS TO GET FOX61 NEWS
Download the FOX61 News APP
iTunes: Click here to download
Google Play: Click here to download
Stream Live on ROKU: Add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching FOX61.
Steam Live on FIRE TV: Search ‘FOX61’ and click ‘Get’ to download.