The 8 Best Fall Festivals for Families

Now that we've all gone apple picking you might be wondering, what left is there to do beyond trick or treating? I'm here to tell you! Festival season is far from over and it's always a thrifty route that's well worth looking into. Check out 8 of the best fall festivals (in the world!) for the whole family:

1. Keene Pumpkin Festival - New Hampshire, Oct. 20

Mexico City

Introduction
Part modern metropolis, part monstrosity, marvelous Mexico City is truly epic. Mexico City is the political, financial and cultural nerve center of Mexico, and to understand the country one should spend some time here. Perhaps more than any city on earth, it is at the intersection of the first and third worlds, with all the ills, thrills and surprises that suggests.

One moment the city is all latin beats, glamor and excitement; the next it's drabness, poverty, suffocating crowds and rancid smells. In spite of the negatives, Mexico City is a magnet for Mexicans and visitors alike. You certainly won't be bored in this complex, historic city.

Mexico City's 350 colonias (neighborhoods) sprawl across the ancient bed of Lago de Texcoco and beyond. The vast urban expanse is daunting at first, but the main areas of interest to visitors are pretty comprehensible. The historic heart of the city, El Z ó calo, and its surrounding neighborhoods are known as the Centro Hist ó rico (historic center) and are full of notable old buildings and interesting museums. Avenidas Madero and Cinco de Mayo link the Z ó calo with the Alameda Central park. West of the Alameda, across Paseo de la Reforma, is the Plaza de la Rep ú blica, a fairly quiet, mostly residential area with budget and mid-range hotels. Mexico City's grandest boulevard is Paseo de la Reforma, running across the city's heart, connecting the Alameda to the Zona Rosa and the Bosque de Chapultepec. The Zona Rosa (pink zone) pulsates with glitzy shopping, eating, hotels and nightlife; it's bound by Paseo de la Reforma to the north and Avenida Chapultepec to the south. The Bosque de Chapultepec, known to gringos as Chapultepec Park, is to the west of the aforementioned districts. It's a big bunch of greenery and lakes, with museums and cultural tidbits to boot. Five kilometers (3mi) north of the city centre is the Terminal Norte, the largest of the city's four major bus terminals. Avenida Insurgentes Sur connects Paseo de la Reforma to most points of interest in the south. Just west of Insurgentes, south of the Zona Rosa, is Colonia Condesa, a restaurant hotspot. Further south are the atmospheric former villages of San Á ngel and Coyoac á n and the vast campus of UNAM, the National Autonomous University of Mexico. To the southeast, canals and gardens (and many a tourist) wind through Xochimilco.

Destination Facts
Time zone: GMT -6
Area: 5000
Coordinates: 19.4270458221 latitude and -99.127571106 longitude
Population: 18000000
Daylight Saving: From first Sunday in April to last Sunday in October
Area codes: 55

Getting There
Mexico City's climate is temperate year round, though it can get a little nippy at night from November to February. Because of thermal inversion, air pollution is often at its heaviest during this period. Jacarandas bloom from February to March, and either month would probably be preferable to April, when the city can get unpleasantly dusty and polluted. Though Mexico City will sweep you up at any time of the year, the holiday periods of Semana Santa and Christmas to New Year are particularly jovial, busy times to visit. October may be the pick of the months: the rains of summer have abated, everything is still green, smog is at its lowest levels, and the Day of the Dead provides a real highlight. Many Mexicans do their holidaying in July or August.

Weather
In Mexico City, the weather is temperate and warm all year, and mainly dry. It can be cool on winter nights, and afternoon showers are common from June to September. Winters never really dip much below 10 ° C (50 ° F), while even May, the hottest month, doesn't get much above 27 ° C (81 ° F).

Places of Interest
A city so packed with wonders your eyes will pop. One could spend many months exploring all the museums, monuments, plazas, colonial buildings, monasteries, murals, galleries, historical remnants, archaeological finds, statuary, shrines and religious relics this bonanza of a city has to offer. Start in the Centro Hist ó rico, where it all began.

Mexico City is the political, financial and cultural nerve center of Mexico, and to understand the country one should spend some time here. Perhaps more than any city on earth, it is at the intersection of the first and third worlds, with all the ills, thrills and surprises that suggests.

One moment the city is all latin beats, glamor and excitement; the next it's drabness, poverty, suffocating crowds and rancid smells. In spite of the negatives, Mexico City is a magnet for Mexicans and visitors alike. You certainly won't be bored in this complex, historic city.

Events
This city has one busy calendar. Between Christmas and D í a de los Reyes Magos (Three Kings' Day or Epiphany) on January 6, Santa Clauses around Alameda Central are replaced by the Three Kings. Kids get loads of gifts, and the streets are aflutter with shopping stalls. In late March, plazas, palaces and theaters around the city are taken over by the three-week Festival del Centro Hist ó rico, a program of classical and popular music, dance and cultural events. Semana Santa (Holy Week) starts on Palm Sunday, and closures are usually from Good Friday to Easter Sunday.On D í a del Trabajo (Labor Day), there is a big unionists' gathering in the Z ó calo in the morning, as well as parades around the city. D í a de la Independencia (September 16), commemorates the start of Mexico's war for independence from Spain, and on its eve, thousands of people gather in Z ó calo to hear the president recite a version of the Grito de Dolores (Cry of Dolores). Mexico's most characteristic fiesta by far, though, is D í a de los Muertos (Day of the Dead): a happy atmosphere prevails as families build altars in their homes and visit graveyards to commune with their dearly departed, bearing garlands, gifts and food. A week or more of celebrations leads up to D í a de Nuestra Se ñ ora Guadalupe (December 12), the Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the country's major religious icon and Mexico's national patron. Groups of brightly costumed indigenous dancers and musicians perform on the basilica's large plaza for two days.

Accommodation
As a frequent destination for both Mexican and foreign visitors, Mexico City boasts a broad range of accommodations, from no-frills guesthouses to ultra-luxury hotels. With so many options available, finding lodging is rarely a problem, even during the major holiday periods when Mexicans flock to coastal destinations. And unlike the beach resorts, rates don't fluctuate by season.

Acapulco City

Introduction
More than just a Love Boat stopover, Acapulco sparkles like a neon sunset. Maybe it's the romantic history of spice ships and pirates; maybe it's the golden beaches, tropical jungles and lagoons; or perhaps it's the high-rise hotels, glittery nightlife and famous daredevil cliff-divers that have made Acapulco the first and foremost resort town in Mexico.

Destination Facts
Time zone: GMT -6
Area: 29
Coordinates: 16.97 latitude and -99.93 longitude
Population: 912000
Area codes: 744

Getting There
If you want to avoid the tourist crowds, you've got the wrong city - the tropical climate of Acapulco means the weather is close to perfect all year round. Tourism is seasonal, however, with high season from the middle of December until the end of Easter, and another flurry of activity during the July and August school holidays. Probably the busiest time of the year in Acapulco is Semana Santa, the week leading up to Easter, when the city fills with visitors and there's lots of action in the discos, on the beaches and all over town. If you're traveling at this time or Christmas-New Year, you'd be wise to book transport and accommodations in advance.

Getting there and away
Acapulco's Alvarez International Airport is a busy hub, particularly for flights to and from the United States but also from Europe and Canada. Many flights connect through Mexico City or Guadalajara, both short hops from Acapulco. The airport is 23km (14mi) southeast of the city center and there are shuttles that will take you into town. Acapulco has two major, 1st-class long-distance bus companies: Estrella de Oro and Estrella Blanca. Both offer frequent services, with various levels of luxury, to Mexico City and other major cities in the country, from where you can catch cross-border buses. Many car rental companies hire out Jeeps as well as cars. Several have offices at the airport as well as in town and some offer free doorstop delivery. Acapulco is one of Mexico's busiest ports, and visitors also arrive by cruise ship.

Getting around
Acapulco has a good local bus system, with buses every few minutes to most places you'd want to go. The fancier, yellow, air-conditioned buses that ply La Costera along the bay cost slightly more. All have their destinations clearly marked on the windshield. Walking along La Costera is easy (although crossing it can be chancy); a novel alternative is a decorated horse-drawn cart. Hundreds of blue-and-white VW cabs scurry around Acapulco like cockroaches, maneuvering with an audacity that borders on the comical. Drivers sometimes quote fares higher than the official ones, so ask locals the going rate for your ride and agree on the fare with the cabby before you climb in. Be aware when trying to find your way around Acapulco that street names and numbers are generally not logical or well marked.

Weather
Acapulco's weather is fantastic all year round. The wet months are between June and October but temperatures stay comfortable across this period and the humidity never gives too much cause for complaint.

Places of Interest
Maybe it's the romantic history of spice ships and pirates; maybe it's the golden beaches, tropical jungles and lagoons; or perhaps it's the high-rise hotels, glittery nightlife and famous daredevil cliff-divers that have made Acapulco the first and foremost resort town in Mexico.

Cancun City

Introduction
Margaritas, mega-resorts, Mayan ruins, this is the real Canc ú n. In the 1970s Mexico's ambitious tourism planners decided to outdo Acapulco with a brand new, world-class resort in the Yucat á n Peninsula. The place they chose was a deserted sand spit offshore from the little fishing village of Puerto Ju á rez. Its name was Cancún.

Destination facts
Time zone: GMT -6
Coordinates: 21.17429 latitude and -86.84656 longitude
Population: 1664
Area codes: 998

Places of Interest
In the 1970s Mexico's ambitious tourism planners decided to outdo Acapulco with a brand new, world-class resort in the Yucat á n Peninsula. The place they chose was a deserted sand spit offshore from the little fishing village of Puerto Juárez. Its name was Cancún.

Getting There
Canc ú n has the sun on permanent retainer. The city's temperature averages an idyllic 27° C (80° F) year-round, dipping painlessly from time to time, hitting 19° C (65° F) in January. It can swelter to 38° C (100° F) in May, though ocean breezes keep it more bearable than the rest of Yucat á n. Hurricane season lasts from July to November. Canc ú n got severely clobbered in 2005 by Hurricane Wilma (but has made an impressive recovery since then). November and early December are perhaps the best times to go, as the climate is good, there are fewer tourists and prices are low. The busy season is from mid-December to April, when prices are noticeably higher. Surcharges get tacked on around the Christmas, New Year's and Easter holidays.

Getting there and away
About 8km (5mi) south of the city center, Aeropuerto International de Cancún (Cancún international airport; tel: 886 0049) is the busiest in southeast Mexico. Puerto Ju á rez, the port for passenger ferries to Isla Mujeres, is about 4km (2.5mi) north of the city center. Punta Sam, the dock for the slower car ferries to Isla Mujeres, is about 8km (5mi) north of the city center. In the Zona Hotelera, a ferry shuttle service to Isla Mujeres is available daily at both El Embarcadero (Blvd Kukulc á n Km 4) and Playa Tortugas near Fat Tuesday's (Blvd Kukulc á n Km 6.35). Cancún's bus terminal (cnr Avs Uxmal & Tulum) has 1st- and 2nd-class options. Across from the bus terminal, a few doors from Av Tulum, is the ticket office and mini-terminal of Playa Express, which runs shuttle buses down the Caribbean coast to Tulum and Felipe Carrillo Puerto at least every 30min until early evening, stopping at major towns and points of interest along the way.

Getting around
If you don't want the expense of a taxi ride into town from the airport, there are a few options. Comfortable shared vans leave from the curb in front of the international terminal about every 15min, heading for the Zona Hotelera via Punta Nizuc. They head into town after the island, but it can take up to 45min to get downtown. If volume allows, however, they will separate passengers into downtown and Zona groups. To get downtown more directly and cheaply, exit the terminal and pass the parking lot to a smaller dirt lot between the Budget and Executive car-rental agencies, where there is a ticket booth for buses that leave the lot every 20min or so. To get to the airport you can catch the airport bus on Av Tulum, or a colectivo (minibus or car that picks up and drops off passengers on a predetermined route) from the stand in the parking area a few doors south; they leave when full. Riviera runs buses to/from Playa del Carmen (1hr). Tickets are sold at a counter in the international terminal of the airport. To reach the Zona Hotelera from downtown, catch any bus with 'R1', 'Hoteles' or 'Zona Hotelera' displayed on the windshield as it travels south along Av Tulum or east along Av Cobá . To reach Puerto Ju á rez and the Isla Mujeres ferries, catch a Ruta 13 ('Pto Juárez' or 'Punta Sam') bus at the stop in front of Cinemas Tulum (next to McDonald's) on Av Tulum, north of Av Uxmal.

Weather
Semi-tropical weather, where the sun shines 253 days of the year on average, helps Cancún maintain a healthy holiday reputation. Rainfall is rare, though violent storms called nortes can roll in on any afternoon, their black clouds, high winds and torrents of rain followed within an hour by bright sun and blue sky. Averages don't drop much below 20° C (68° F), summer temperatures push but rarely exceed 35° C (95° F) and the humidity level stays just high enough for the promise of a swim to be tempting all year round.