Travel and Leisure recommends breathtaking Michigan spot for fall colors

EMPIRE, MI – One of the most scenic drives in Michigan, and in the entire country, has been given some love on “Live With Kelly and Mark.”

Travel and Leisure Editor-in-Chief, Jacqui Gifford, detailed some of the publication’s top fall foliage spots in country on the nationally televised syndicated show hosted by Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos.

One of those places: Sleeping Bear Dunes’ Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive near Traverse City, the first place Gifford mentioned.

“The best thing to do, the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive,” she told Kelly and Mark. “It has these sweeping views of Lake Michigan. The fall foliage really peaks around mid-October, so you don’t want to wait too long.”

Travel and Leisure also recently published an article this month for outsiders of Michigan on “How to Plan Your Visit” to the “Cherry Capital of the World,” calling it a “Lesser-known Fall Foliage Destination.”

The publication points out that Traverse City is already a big summer travel destination, but tends to fall off the radar of travelers in the fall, “which is a shame since summer is really only the start of the fun.”

“When the weather starts to cool, the orchards, vineyards, and forest surrounding the city begin their colorful shift and the fall apple harvest begins,” T&L wrote. “Bushels of apples replace cherries at local farm stands and the area’s U-Pick orchards prepare for apple pickers. (Plus, the arrival of apples means cider donuts, apple cider, and hard cider aren’t far behind.)

Back to Jacqui Gifford on “Live With Kelly and Mark.” Other places for fall foliage in the U.S. that she mentioned on the show were:

• Burlington, Vermont
• Vail, Colorado
• Sonoma, California
• Taos, New Mexico
• Lexington, Kentucky
• Quebec province, Canada