Holiday travel · October 12, 2026
Top 20 Hotel Destinations for Indigenous Peoples' Day / Columbus Day
Spend the October long weekend learning about Native history and culture, or chasing peak fall foliage across New England and the Smokies.
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New Mexico, United States
Why Indigenous Peoples' Day / Columbus Day
Santa Fe's museums of Indigenous art and nearby pueblos, in golden aspen season.
- Typical weather
- Highs ~66°F (19°C); dry
- Crowds · season
- High · Peak
- Price level
- $$$
- culture
- city
Where we'd stay: Rosewood Inn of the Anasazi. Adobe-style hotel steps from the Plaza.
Explore Santa Fe →New Mexico, United States
Why Indigenous Peoples' Day / Columbus Day
The Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, right after the Balloon Fiesta.
- Typical weather
- Highs ~72°F (22°C); dry
- Crowds · season
- High · Peak
- Price level
- $$$
- culture
- family
Where we'd stay: Hotel Chaco. Old Town hotel inspired by Chaco Canyon, with a rooftop restaurant.
Hotels in Albuquerque →- 3
Taos
New Mexico, United States
Why Indigenous Peoples' Day / Columbus Day
Taos Pueblo, continuously inhabited for over 1,000 years, and fall color in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.
- Typical weather
- Highs ~63°F (17°C); dry
- Crowds · season
- Moderate · Peak
- Price level
- $$$
- culture
- nature
Where we'd stay: El Monte Sagrado. Eco-resort a short drive from Taos Pueblo.
Hotels in Taos → 
Washington, District of Columbia, United States
Why Indigenous Peoples' Day / Columbus Day
The Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian on the National Mall.
- Typical weather
- Highs ~70°F (21°C); mild
- Crowds · season
- Moderate · Shoulder
- Price level
- $$$
- city
- culture
- family
Where we'd stay: The Jefferson, Washington DC. Intimate Beaux-Arts hotel a few blocks from the White House.
Explore Washington, D.C. →
Arizona, United States
Why Indigenous Peoples' Day / Columbus Day
Red Rock country, with ancient Sinagua cliff dwellings nearby at Montezuma Castle.
- Typical weather
- Highs ~75°F (24°C); dry
- Crowds · season
- High · Peak
- Price level
- $$$
- nature
- adventure
- romance
Where we'd stay: L'Auberge de Sedona. Creekside cottages along Oak Creek with red-rock views.
Explore Sedona →
Arizona, United States
Why Indigenous Peoples' Day / Columbus Day
Phoenix's Heard Museum, one of the finest museums of American Indian art, as the desert cools.
- Typical weather
- Highs ~88°F (31°C); warm, dry
- Crowds · season
- Moderate · Shoulder
- Price level
- $$$
- city
- adventure
- romance
Where we'd stay: The Phoenician, a Luxury Collection Resort. Sprawling resort at the base of Camelback Mountain with a 27-hole golf course.
Explore Scottsdale →Walland, Tennessee, United States
Why Indigenous Peoples' Day / Columbus Day
Peak foliage and the Museum of the Cherokee People in nearby Cherokee, North Carolina.
- Typical weather
- Highs ~70°F (21°C); crisp
- Crowds · season
- High · Peak
- Price level
- $$$$
- nature
- romance
Where we'd stay: Blackberry Farm. Farm-to-table estate in the Smoky Mountain foothills.
Hotels in Tennessee →Stowe, Vermont, United States
Why Indigenous Peoples' Day / Columbus Day
Vermont's fall foliage at its peak.
- Typical weather
- Highs ~57°F (14°C); crisp
- Crowds · season
- High · Peak
- Price level
- $$$
- nature
- romance
Where we'd stay: The Lodge at Spruce Peak. Slopeside lodge at the base of Mount Mansfield.
Hotels in Stowe →Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, United States
Why Indigenous Peoples' Day / Columbus Day
Leaf-peeping on the Kancamagus Highway.
- Typical weather
- Highs ~57°F (14°C); crisp
- Crowds · season
- High · Peak
- Price level
- $$$
- nature
- family
Where we'd stay: Omni Mount Washington Resort. Grand 1902 hotel at the foot of Mount Washington.
Hotels in Bretton Woods →
Lenox, Massachusetts, United States
Why Indigenous Peoples' Day / Columbus Day
Berkshires foliage and fall harvest events.
- Typical weather
- Highs ~60°F (16°C); crisp
- Crowds · season
- High · Peak
- Price level
- $$$$
- nature
- culture
Where we'd stay: Wheatleigh. A five-star stay in Lenox, a strong base for Berkshires.
Explore Berkshires →New Paltz, New York, United States
Why Indigenous Peoples' Day / Columbus Day
Hudson Valley peak foliage and apple picking.
- Typical weather
- Highs ~62°F (17°C); crisp
- Crowds · season
- High · Peak
- Price level
- $$$
- nature
- family
Where we'd stay: Mohonk Mountain House. Victorian castle resort on a mountain lake.
Hotels in New York →Lake Placid, New York, United States
Why Indigenous Peoples' Day / Columbus Day
Adirondack foliage usually peaks from late September into early October.
- Typical weather
- Highs ~59°F (15°C); crisp
- Crowds · season
- High · Peak
- Price level
- $$$
- nature
- adventure
- family
Where we'd stay: Whiteface Lodge. Rustic-luxe lodge with an indoor-outdoor pool.
Hotels in Lake Placid →Maine, United States
Why Indigenous Peoples' Day / Columbus Day
Early-October foliage along the Maine coast.
- Typical weather
- Highs ~61°F (16°C); crisp
- Crowds · season
- Moderate · Shoulder
- Price level
- $$$$
- beach
- romance
- family
Where we'd stay: White Barn Inn, Auberge Resorts Collection. Classic New England inn known for its candlelit restaurant.
Hotels in Kennebunkport →
New York, New York, United States
Why Indigenous Peoples' Day / Columbus Day
New York's Columbus Day Parade on Fifth Avenue and the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian in Lower Manhattan.
- Typical weather
- Highs ~66°F (19°C); mild
- Crowds · season
- High · Peak
- Price level
- $$$$
- city
- culture
Where we'd stay: The Mark. Upper East Side hotel steps from Central Park and the Met.
Explore New York City →Rutherford, California, United States
Why Indigenous Peoples' Day / Columbus Day
Harvest season wraps up in Napa Valley.
- Typical weather
- Highs ~79°F (26°C); dry
- Crowds · season
- High · Peak
- Price level
- $$$$
- romance
- culture
Where we'd stay: Auberge du Soleil. Hillside retreat among olive groves overlooking the valley floor.
Hotels in California →- 16
Sonoma
Forestville, California, United States
Why Indigenous Peoples' Day / Columbus Day
Late harvest and crush in Sonoma.
- Typical weather
- Highs ~79°F (26°C); dry
- Crowds · season
- High · Peak
- Price level
- $$$$
- culture
- romance
Where we'd stay: Farmhouse Inn. Russian River Valley inn known for its restaurant and spa.
Hotels in Forestville → 
South Carolina, United States
Why Indigenous Peoples' Day / Columbus Day
Comfortable fall weather and Gullah Geechee heritage tours.
- Typical weather
- Highs ~77°F (25°C); warm
- Crowds · season
- Moderate · Shoulder
- Price level
- $$$
- city
- culture
- romance
Where we'd stay: Hotel Bennett. Grand hotel overlooking Marion Square with a rooftop pool.
Explore Charleston →
18Savannah
Georgia, United States
Why Indigenous Peoples' Day / Columbus Day
Savannah's squares in mild fall weather.
- Typical weather
- Highs ~79°F (26°C); warm
- Crowds · season
- Moderate · Shoulder
- Price level
- $$$
- city
- culture
Where we'd stay: Perry Lane Hotel, a Luxury Collection Hotel. Design-forward hotel in the historic district with a rooftop bar.
Explore Savannah →
19Boston
Massachusetts, United States
Why Indigenous Peoples' Day / Columbus Day
Fall foliage day trips and Boston's historic sites.
- Typical weather
- Highs ~63°F (17°C); crisp
- Crowds · season
- High · Peak
- Price level
- $$$$
- city
- culture
Where we'd stay: Four Seasons Hotel One Dalton Street, Boston. Back Bay tower hotel with skyline views.
Explore Boston →
20Montreal
Quebec, Canada
Why Indigenous Peoples' Day / Columbus Day
Canadian Thanksgiving falls on the same Monday, and Quebec's fall color is at its peak.
- Typical weather
- Highs ~59°F (15°C); crisp
- Crowds · season
- High · Peak
- Price level
- $$$
- city
- culture
Where we'd stay: Ritz-Carlton Montréal. Historic 1912 hotel on the Golden Square Mile.
Explore Montreal →